The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is a
nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
,
USA.
In 1966, PHLF established the Revolving Fund for Preservation with a $100,000 grant from the
Sarah Scaife Foundation. PHLF used the grant to purchase, restore and renovate historic inner-city properties primarily in the
North Side and
South Side neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, which were rented or sold to low- and moderate-income families.
Allegheny County Survey
PHLF was the first historic preservation group in the nation to undertake a countywide survey of architectural landmarks, which Co-Founders
Arthur P. Ziegler Jr. and
James D. Van Trump
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambigua ...
did in 1965.
The foundation's historic plaque program was begun in 1968, and since that time it has
awarded over 500 plaques to designate significant historical structures within
Allegheny County
Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...
.
Hamnett Place preservation and restoration
In 2004, the PHLF launched initiatives in partnership with its for-profit development affiliate, Landmark Development Corporation, to begin restoration work on historic structures in the Hamnett Place neighborhood of
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Within a decade, more than 70 structures were improved, a new neighborhood center was opened, and the community's supply of
affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on af ...
was increased. The collaborators were subsequently honored with the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award in recognition of their accomplishments. During this time, the
Hamnett Historic District was also established; that historic district was then approved on June 28, 2010 for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
.
In 2015, the two affiliates entered into a collaboration with Falconhurst Development to begin an $11.5 million multi-site restoration within and near the Hamnett Historic District. In addition to restoring four vacant buildings which had been built sometime around the beginning of the 20th century, the developer had plans to open a series of new townhouses in the same area by 2016 with the collaborators again indicating that the housing would be affordable, based on
United States Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) guidelines. Ground was broken on the project in late September 2015.
[Beras, Erika.]
Restoration Begins on Historic Wilkinsburg Housing
" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: WESA Radio (PBS), September 28, 2015.
See also
*
Hamnett Historic District
*
References
External links
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
{{Authority control
Culture of Pittsburgh
History of Pittsburgh
Historic preservation organizations in the United States
Organizations established in 1964
Organizations based in Pittsburgh
Non-profit organizations based in Pittsburgh