Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation facts for kids
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| Formation | 1964 |
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| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | To support and encourage the preservation of historic buildings, landmarks, districts, structures, and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. |
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Region served
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Primarily Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania |
| Website | http://www.phlf.org/ |
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is a group that helps save old buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It started in 1964. Their main goal is to keep Pittsburgh's history alive by protecting its special places.
In 1966, PHLF got a big gift of $100,000. They used this money to create something called the Revolving Fund for Preservation. This fund helped them buy, fix up, and improve old homes. These homes were mostly in the North Side and South Side areas of Pittsburgh. After fixing them, PHLF rented or sold these homes to families who needed affordable places to live.
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Saving History in Allegheny County
PHLF was the first group of its kind in the entire country to look at every important building in a whole county. Co-Founders Arthur P. Ziegler Jr. and James D. Van Trump did this survey in 1965. They wanted to find and record all the special architectural landmarks in Allegheny County.
Historic Plaque Program
In 1968, PHLF started a special program to give out historic plaques. These plaques are like awards for important historical buildings. They show that a building has a special history. Since then, PHLF has given out over 500 plaques to significant structures in Allegheny County. You can see a list of these landmarks.
Helping Hamnett Place Neighborhood
In 2004, PHLF started a big project to help the Hamnett Place neighborhood in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. They worked with a partner company called Landmark Development Corporation. Their goal was to restore and improve historic buildings in the area.
Making Homes Better and Affordable
Within ten years, more than 70 buildings in Hamnett Place were improved. A new neighborhood center was also opened. This project also helped create more affordable homes for families. Because of their great work, PHLF and its partners won a special award called the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award.
The Hamnett Historic District was also created during this time. This historic district was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 2010. This means it is recognized as a very important historical area.
New Projects for Hamnett Place
In 2015, PHLF and its partners started another big project. They teamed up with Falconhurst Development for an $11.5 million restoration. This project focused on restoring four empty buildings that were built around the early 1900s.
They also planned to build new townhouses in the same area by 2016. These new homes were also designed to be affordable for families, following guidelines from the United States Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD). Work on this exciting project began in late September 2015.
See also
