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Historic Preservation

Browse the Catalog

For library resources, browse the library catalog under the subject headings:



 

Pittsburgh Region

  • Community Design Center of Pittsburgh
    http://www.cdcp.org/
    Offers low cost personalized consultations with volunteer architects and intern-architects through the Renovation Information Network for City of Pittsburgh homeowners planning renovations to increase Design Awareness and help them plan improvements that benefit themselves and their communities.
  • Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
    http://www.phlf.com/
    This nonprofit organization provides loans to community organizations interested in restoring historic neighborhoods and buildings. They also award historic plaques for historic buildings.
    • Spotlight on Main Street
      “Spotlight on Main Street” focuses community attention on the history, architectural significance, and enduring value of East Carson Street, South Side's historic main street.
  • Preservation Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Heritage
    http://www.pittsburghheritage.com/
    Preservation Pittsburgh is the maintainer of this site about preserving Pittsburgh heritage. It concentrates on preserving "heritage buildings" such as the Mellon Arena (formerly the "Civic Area"). The site has two main sections, Heritage Alerts and Success Stories.
  • Researching Your House
    A "House Histories" pathfinder from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Department about tracing the genealogy of your home.
  • Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh: Mainstreets Pittsburgh
    http://www.ura.org/mainstreets.html
    Mainstreets Pittsburgh is designed to provide Pittsburgh's neighborhood business organizations a range of technical assistance and financial incentives in a coordinated, comprehensive manner based upon the National Trust for Historic Preservation's four-point "Main Street" approach.
  • Western Pennsylvania Craftsmen's Guild
    http://www.westpenncraftguild.com/
    The Western Pennsylvania Craftsmen's Guild is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to preserve historic crafts and landmarks by showcasing master artisans with years of experience. Look here for experts in carpentry, carved and glass signs, custom period furniture, fireplace services, gilding, handmade tile, hardware restoration, iconography, ornamental iron, painting, plastering, stained glass, stripping/refinishing, upholstering, and woodworking.
  • Wilkinsburg's Historic Houses
    http://www.wilkinsburg.pgh.pa.us/hist.html
    Information on Wilkinsburg's history and information for preserving historic houses.
  • Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh (YPA)
    http://www.youngpreservationists.org/
    Formed in 2002, the YPA is a broad-based regional coalition of dynamic preservation leaders organized to ignite a new historic preservation movement in southwestern Pennsylvania.

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House Tours

Many neighborhood organizations open restored houses for an annual house tour. You can search the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for "house tours" and get more information. Listed below are some with websites:

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Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania Downtown Center
    http://www.padowntown.org/
    Pennsylvania Downtown Center is a nonprofit organization that works to promote and support the vitality of Pennsylvania's downtowns and traditional neighborhood business districts by providing affordable outreach and technical assistance to communities, tailored to their unique economic and social environment. They work with downtowns of all sizes, urban and rural.
  • Preservation Pennsylvania
    http://www.preservationpa.org/
    Preservation Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth's only statewide, private non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of historically and architecturally significant properties. It administers a federally-funded construction grant and loan program (Southwestern Pennsylvania Historic Building Grant & Loan Programs) for historic properties in nine western Pennsylvania counties for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission.

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United States

  • National Register of Historic Places
    http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/
    Their database contains addresses for more than 80,000 properties and includes an searchable index of more than two million terms.
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
    http://www.nationaltrust.org/
    "A private, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. It fights to save historic buildings and the neighborhoods and landscapes they anchor."
    • National Trust Main Street Center
      http://www.mainstreet.org/
      A program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Main Street Center focuses on traditional commercial district revitalization using historic preservation and grassroots-based economic development. The Center advocates its Main Street Four-point Approach that offers communities a multifaceted, incremental approach to revitalizing their downtowns or neighborhoods while protecting their unique character and sense of place.
  • National Preservation Conference
    http://www.nthpconference.org/
    Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the 2006 conference was held in Pittsburgh.
  • Old House Journal Online
    http://www.oldhousejournal.com/
    Includes articles from previous issues
  • Old House Web
    http://www.oldhouseweb.com/
    Remodeling, home improvement, historic restoration how-to and plans.
  • Passport in Time
    http://www.passportintime.com/
    Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS) that allows you to work with professional archaeologists and historians on projects including archaeological excavation, rock art restoration, survey, archival research, historic structure restoration, gathering oral histories, or writing interpretive brochures.
  • PreservationDirectory.com
    http://www.preservationdirectory.com/
    An online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States & Canada. The directory lists over 1,300 online preservation organizations, programs and historical societies in North America.
  • PreserveNet
    http://www.preservenet.cornell.edu/
    This website from the National Council for Preservation Education Inc., offers many links to preservation resources listed by category.
  • This Old House
    http://www.thisoldhouse.com/
    Originally a PBS/WGBH television series on restoring old houses, now a magazine. Their projects are from different areas of the US and so exhibit a range of styles.