Pittsburgh holds public hearing on five historic-designation resolutions

Pittsburgh City Council convened a public hearing Oct. 9 to consider five resolutions—Bill 21-52 through Bill 21-56—seeking historic-designation status for the Ross and Aspenwall Pumping Station (900 Freeport Road, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar), the Roberto Clemente Bridge (6th Street), the Andy Warhol Bridge (7th Street), the Rachel Carson Bridge (9th Street) and Schenley Park.

Katie Reed, principal planner with the Department of City Planning, presented all five nominations together and said the Historic Review Commission had earlier determined each nomination viable and issued positive recommendations; the Planning Commission likewise recommended approval. Reed said property owners support the nominations and that there is "no cost to the city" for the designations. Reed identified construction dates for the pumping stations — Ross (1904) and Aspenwall (completed 1914) — and recited the preservation criteria cited for each nomination.

Reed said the two pumping stations met criteria including their exemplification of important planning and urban-design techniques and their association with the city’s cultural and social history. The three downtown bridges met criteria including architectural distinction, association with significant designers or engineers, planning and urban-design importance, and status as distinctive visual features of the city. Reed said Schenley Park’s nomination cited its association with Mary Schenley and its architectural and design significance; she displayed maps showing included parcels and existing designated landmarks within the park such as Phipps Conservatory and the Westinghouse Memorial.

One registered speaker, Matthew Falcon, offered public comment in support of the nominations. "It's been all of these have been years in the making and, have been supported by the different community groups across the city," Falcon said, thanking the Department of City Planning and council for their consideration. No one from chambers asked to speak.

The hearing was informational; Reed and Falcon’s remarks were received for the record. The city council has yet to vote; Reed described the next step as a council vote on the resolutions. The presentation and testimony record notes owner support for each nomination and states the city would incur no cost as part of the designation process.