Thanks for contributing this!
It seems to me that one of the morals of Shadyside West is that those of
us who have reservations about historic designation should organize to
canvas the whole neighborhood ourselves. I understand that the Historic
Commission is supposed to do this as a final step in the process but it
seems to me that it makes more sense for it to be done early in the
process. If a neighborhood association spends $10k - $30k on the
'nomination', what are the chances of the H.C. shooting it down, after
all?
I'm from Powelton, not Spruce Hill. Powelton is also considering
seeking the designation, so that's why I'm interested.
Ben Dugan
> Anthony West wrote:
>
> Architecturally, demographically and economically the Pittsburgh
> neighborhood of Shadyside West is one of University City's closest
> matches in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shadyside West is a
> middle-class Victorian community that lies beside the large inner-city
> campuses of Carnegie-Mellon and Pitt.
>
> In 1990 a civic association proposed a Historic District for Shadyside
> West whose lines closely modeled the recent Spruce Hill plan. As in
> Spruce Hill, strong resistance to HD status then arose in the
> community. An ad hoc group, the Steering Committee to Preserve
> Property Rights, canvassed the area and showed that residents were
> against it by 70% to 30%. That HD proposal was abandoned and has never
> been touched again.
>
> What fate awaits a community like ours that spurns an HD? Wil tin men
> swarm in to slap aluminum siding over its elegant gables? Will real
> estate values slide as crude property owners deface their
> architectural heritage? For answers I contacted Bill Aiken, senior VP
> of Howard Hanna, a leading Pittsburgh real estate firm that
> specializes in traditional prestige communities. Aiken now heads the
> firm's Shadyside office and his 30 years of experience encompass posh
> Allegheny Co. communities like Sewickley and Fox Chapel.
>
> Even without an HD the last 12 years have been kind to Shadyside West,
> Aiken said. He estimated that houses go for at least twice what they
> did in 1990. Architectural degradation seldom appears in his market,
> he said: "People who buy around here seem to have a sense of style."
> Historical designation hasn't been popular in Pittsburgh's upmarket
> communities, Aiken noted. "It has been strenuously opposed as people
> realize how much their hands are tied by the regulations."
>
> -- Tony West
>
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