Discovering Historic Pittsburgh: November 2011

Monday, November 21, 2011

Wheeling, WV: Eminent Domain and Historic Building Demolition Craze

"City leaders are wrong to lead with an erasure, trying to rub out former greatness and pawn it off as a victory for today." - Jerome Poynton, resident of East Wheeling.

City leaders in Wheeling are making efforts to demolish a significant number of historic buildings in the East Wheeling Historic District. Earlier this year, I documented the large section of the East Wheeling neighborhood that city leaders seek to acquire by eminent domain. The intention is to bulldoze and replace the once elegant Civil War-era Victorian architecture with a ball park. There is currently a lawsuit filed by home owners in the neighborhood who wish to keep their homes, but the city still intends to raze these and the other homes in the area. You can see the pictures I took of the area the mayor wants to completely tear down here: Large Section of East Wheeling Historic District to be Demolished.

A large block of Civil War-era Victorian housing to be demolished in the East Wheeling Historic District.

Read more about the eminent domain case in East Wheeling here: http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/561873/Judge-Recht-Consolidates-East-Wheeling-cases.html?nav=515
In addition to the neighborhood clearance in East Wheeling, a large section of the 1100 block of Main and Market in Center Wheeling will also be demolished. Read more here: http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/561842/Bond-ordinance-for-1100-block-irks-preservationists.html?nav=510

The former Fort Henry Club, a 19th century landmark in downtown Wheeling, is also endangered. The club recently closed and the building is in the hands of the Episcopal Church next door, who seek to demolish the building if not sold within six months. Read more here: http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/562666/Former-Fort-Henry-Club-Has-6-Months.html

See the real estate listing for the Fort Henry Club here.

Demolition has also started at a Wheeling landmark, the Mount de Chantal, built in 1865: http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/561536/Demolition-Begins-At-Mount-de-Chantal.html?nav=515

Historic Mount de Chantal, Wheeling, WV (now being demolished)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

McKeesport: "Long-Abandoned Ruins of the Dreams You Left Behind"

McKeesport was once a bustling, working class city, with a population of over 50,000 people. It was the second largest city in Allegheny County, behind Pittsburgh. Downtown McKeesport was full of people during the day, from office workers and steel-workers to shoppers. McKeesport boasted several fine department stores, movie palaces, restaurants, and nightlife. The city was hit hard by surburbanization in the 1960s, when Eastland Mall opened and retail began trickling out. In 1976, several downtown landmarks and city blocks burned to the ground. By the 1980s, the collapse of the steel industry put the final nail in McKeesport's coffin. The city today is a hollow shell of what it once was. The population stands at 19,731, a far cry from its glory days. There are abandoned buildings all around, many with historic character and significance. Many more have fallen down and burned over the decades, leaving great empty parcels of urban prairie. Still, there are some gorgeous buildings left, like some of the ones I have photographed below.

McKeesport skyline, from Port Vue.

View of Downtown McKeesport.

Victorian overlooking Downtown McKeesport from Port Vue.

Abandoned Victorian Mansion at 626 Market Street, in downtown McKeesport. It has been deteriorating for years. The building is currently owned by the Redevelopment Authority of McKeesport.