2020 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards – Architecture Firm Credit
Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Awards continue a tradition started in 1979 to honor excellence in preservation. The annual awards recognize significant contributions in the field of historic preservation made by both individuals and organizations. The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards are presented annually by Preservation Pennsylvania.
Congratulations to the AIA Pennsylvania member firms that contributed to these award winning projects!
Third Street Alliance for Women and Children
Firm: Eclectic Architecture
Category: PUBLIC IMPACT
The Third Street Alliance for Women and Children in Easton inspires and equips women, children, and families to live, learn, and thrive. Their home is in the architecturally significant Simon Mansion (1902) and the Bixler Mansion (1923), part of Millionaire’s Row. With a dedication to preserving and sharing their beautiful and historically significant building with their clients and the public, they undertook a massive restoration of a laylight window situated above the main stair hall. The addition of a floor above the laylight in the early 20th century resulted in a failing support structure and deterioration of the caming matrix of the window. The window has now been carefully restored and serves as a point of pride and beauty for all to enjoy.
The Electric Shop
Firm: Studio for Spatial Practice
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS RESIDENTIAL/ SMALL PROJECT REHABILITATION
With the power of vision and creative reuse, the Electric Shop preserves the history of small rear alley structures in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny West neighborhood that served an important role in the late 19th and early 20th century as laundries, carriage shops, and trades. The Electric Shop served property owner, William Price and son George’s electrical contracting business started in 1895. Rescued from imminent collapse in 2017, the owner and design team stabilized the fire-damaged building and rehabilitated it into a cozy rental unit that maintains the integrity of the brick exterior and original windows.
Henry F. Schell House
Firm: Landmarks SGA, LLC
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS RESIDENTIAL/ SMALL PROJECT REHABILITATION
The G. Henry Cook Enrichment Center, located on Main Street of the Uptown Somerset Historic District, is the culmination of the commitment of Somerset Trust Bank to find a new use for the 1872 Henry F. Schell House and to rehabilitate it to its former glory. With a strong vision for historic preservation and the use of the federal Historic Tax Credits, the former nursing home was carefully researched. As the many later layers were removed, original doors, parquet flooring, and changes in floor plan were revealed guiding the rehabilitation work and reinforcing the reputation of Somerset Trust as a bank that cares deeply for history, community values, and reinvestment in downtown.
Brinker Lofts
Firm: Hemmler-Camayd Architects
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
The former Lehigh Valley Cold Storage Company in Bethlehem was a windowless brick 1893 Romanesque Revival style building with limited possibilities for reuse. The “windows” in this building are recessed blind openings. While at first glance it appears the brick was a later infill of a prior window opening, it is not. Removing the brick, or opening the “window”, and installing functioning windows was not an option and would not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. An innovative solution that introduced 67 new windows facing the interior courtyard has transformed Brinker Lofts into 30 apartments with retained industrial charm creating a “cool” place to live.
Distrikt Hotel
Firm: Strada Architecture, LLC
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
Once a residence for young women run by the Salvation Army, the historic 9-story structure in Pittsburgh’s downtown center gained new life as the Distrik Hotel through careful preservation and adaptation. Constructed in 1924 in the Gothic Revival style, it features limestone blocks, stained glass windows, and ornate vaulted beams. Major interior spaces were rehabilitated and transformed to create a new dramatic entry, lobby, restaurant, and bars that respectfully integrate the restored historic architectural details and materials. Today the Distrikt Hotel offers amazing views, 185 comfortable rooms, fine dining, and welcoming spaces and architectural details that are a reminder of its history.
Historic Lazaretto
Firm: VITETTA, Architects and Engineers
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
The Historic Lazaretto’s construction and use as a quarantine station to protect Philadelphia from yellow fever and other diseases for more than 100 years was not widely known. Preservation Pennsylvania included building on its 2001 At Risk listing because of impending development pressure. When the building was threatened with demolition in 2005, Tinicum Township purchased the building to protect it. After research and study confirmed its important history, the Township committed to rehabilitating the building for Township offices and a future museum that will interpret the fascinating history of this site.
MuseumLab, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Firm: Koning Eizenberg Architecture
Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel Architects
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
When lightning struck the clock tower of the 1890 Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny in 2006, causing a 3 ton piece of granite to crash through the roof, the library closed and the building sat vacant. Across the street, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh saw potential in what they called a “beautiful ruin”. They created a learning space for older children while uncovering original archways, columns, and mosaic floors. The result is a magical space known as the MuseumLab. The project combines the rehabilitation of a historic space while providing a holistic and creative environment for education. MuseumLab is a place where kids 10+ can have cutting-edge experiences in art, tech and making. It’s just the thing for their inquiring minds, increasing skills and independent inclinations.
Richards Medical Research Laboratory
Firm: Atkin Olshin Schade Architects
Firm: EYP Architecture & Engineering
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
Designed by architect Louis Kahn and constructed between 1957 and 1963, the Richard Medical Research Laboratory on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia is a series of three eight-story towers attached in pinwheel formation to a central fourth tower that houses mechanical systems, stairs, and elevators. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2009.
The design of Richards, while groundbreaking, never fully served the original laboratory program to its best advantage. The University embarked on an ambitious restoration and renovation project for the buildings that included replacing the exterior glazing and mechanical/electrical systems and established design and preservation standards for interior renovations. The work involved adapting research spaces for individual research groups each with specific spatial needs and technology requirements while respecting Kahn’s original design. Richard Medical Research Laboratory building is once again as functional as it is beautiful. Faculty and staff can work in a space that meets their needs and is filled with light, form, and beauty.
Simon Silk Mill
Firm: Artefact, Inc.
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS - REHABILITATION
What once was a dilapidated eyesore along a gateway entry to the City of Easton, the former R. & H. Simon Silk Mill is now a bustling hub of residents, diners, shoppers, and outdoor enthusiasts, breathing new life into a long-ignored section of the city. After decards of efforts between public and private partners, the 13-acre site has been transformed into 150 apartments, 30-plus small businesses, event space, and pedestrian access across the creek to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. Using historic tax credits and an approach that keeps the feel of its industrial history intact, the charm of the old brick, large windows and courtyards create a welcoming space to live and work.
Centre County Soldiers & Sailors Memorial & Curtin Monument
Firm: APA Architects, LLC
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS – RESTORATION
The Centre County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Curtin Monument in Bellefonte was dedicated in 1906 to honor the sacrifices of the many local men and women who have served in the U.S. military from Centre County and to memorialize Bellefonte native, Andrew Curtin, Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Over time, the granite, bronze, and cast iron were in a state of deterioration from exposure to the elements and poor repairs made in the 1970s. With the help of a Keystone Historic Preservation Grant, through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the monument was restored remaining open during the conservation process so the community could watch the progress. A perpetual maintenance program was developed to guide annual inspections and care for this symbol of patriotism and heritage.
George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital
Firm: Warehaus
Category: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AWARDS – RESTORATION
The Centre County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Curtin Monument in Bellefonte was dedicated in 1906 to honor the sacrifices of the many local men and women who have served in the U.S. military from Centre County and to memorialize Bellefonte native, Andrew Curtin, Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Over time, the granite, bronze, and cast iron were in a state of deterioration from exposure to the elements and poor repairs made in the 1970s. With the help of a Keystone Historic Preservation Grant, through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the monument was restored remaining open during the conservation process so the community could watch the progress. A perpetual maintenance program was developed to guide annual inspections and care for this symbol of patriotism and heritage.
Governor Wolf Historical Society
Firm: Benjamin Walbert Architect
Category: INITIATIVE AWARDS - COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Community involvement has been key to the Governor Wolf Historical Society’s success since 1979 when it formed by joining three smaller historical societies. Since that time, they rehabilitated three buildings, the 1785 Stone Wolf Academy, the 1795 Ralston-McKeen House, and the 1967 Monocacy School to house their many programs. The Society and its volunteers play a big part in community involvement and preservation. They encourage community interaction, community respect for each other and their history, and pride for local heritage and architecture giving Bath residents of sense of place and belonging.
Phipps Conservatory, Exhibit Staging Center
Firm: FortyEighty Architecture
Category: SUSTAINABILITY IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Originally a windowless cinderblock warehouse, the Phipps Conservatory has adapted a former City of Pittsburgh public works building into a sustainable building that offers a yoga studio and meditation room in addition to the needed workshop and storage required to create the props needed for the seasonal flower shows. The site now consists of lush gardens, efficient and beautiful buildings, and a rain-fed lagoon with a thriving aquatic ecosystem. The Exhibit Staging Center proves that the greenest buildings can be ones that already exist. With the right priorities, even the most unhealthy spaces can
become ones that are good for the people who inhabit them and beneficial to the environment.