Perspectives From An Outsider

Meghan Leinbach and Ashley Noia are interns with YPA this summer. They were asked to write their impressions of historic preservation for YPA's blog. In the photo at left, Ashley prepares for YPA's Preservation Month Celebration held on May 21st at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty.

Ashley's blog entry is below.

As a Californian native, moving to Pennsylvania was not just a scenic change, but also a cultural discovery. Growing up in an environment where shopping centers, malls, and new residential and commercial developments sprouted up faster than their demand, more often than not one’s childhood park or restaurant became unrecognizable as change was an expected norm. Although change in moderation to fit the needs of the community is a good thing, the process in which one implements this change is another aspect entirely. As the recent decline in California’s economy has spawned blighting in businesses and neighborhoods throughout the state, one might infer that some of these issues are a result of over development and over consumption of resources.

This July will mark a year of my life that has been spent living in Pittsburgh, and the last few weeks with the Young Preservationists Association. From my short time here, I have learned the importance that preservation plays in order to protect Pennsylvania’s unique past, as well as act as a model for states like California, which tends to build and expand instead of restoring what exists and reusing standing structures. By no means are the efforts in Pennsylvania perfect, but the first step to preservation is that there is actual effort in existence.

The Pittsburgh region of which I have had the most intimate interaction with over the past year offers the state of Pennsylvania a rich cultural milieu. Not only does Pittsburgh maintain the decadence of four seasons, it also retains the architectural structure of the 1800’s and industrial spirit of which other cities and states depended, a historical picture for its citizens to enjoy and reflect on in the future. Most inspirational to me is the pride that the Pittsburgh citizen has in one’s community and state, a trait that is often lost in the transient cities in states like California.

Pennsylvania’s long history creates a playground of living history for its residents through the preservation of its most influential and unique buildings and landmarks. Preservation of one’s history through physical materials and structures allows for future generations to learn from the past so that they too may positively impact the future. From this outsider’s perspective, Pennsylvania is “Bringing History to Life,” and hopes the great western state might follow.

Ashley Noia is a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College

Old is not Scary

Meghan Leinbach and Ashley Noia are interns with YPA this summer. They were asked to write their impressions of historic preservation for YPA's blog. In the photo at left, Ashley (far right) and Meghan meet with the Mayor of Braddock, John Fetterman.

Meghan's blog entry is below.

The first time I went to Homestead was by mistake. A freshman at Pitt, just trying to get to Target to buy some easy mac, I took the 61C and just never got off. I ended up somewhere on Eighth Avenue and was left to wander the streets in attempts to find a way back to the Waterfront. Too scared to ask for help, I followed the train tracks back. At the time, all I wanted to do was get away from the abandoned buildings and forgotten empty lots and back to the safe space of the Waterfront. My eighteen-year-old self just wanted to be near the familiar chain stores that I was raised on and escape the streets that I was warned to stay away from.

Homestead did not make a good first impression on me. And why would it? As a non-native to Pittsburgh, I knew nothing about the decline of the steel industry and the destruction of communities that the mill closings caused. The formerly thriving neighborhood was now abandoned due in part to the opening of the stores that I visited in the Waterfront. I did not see the worth in historic Eight Avenue; all I saw were abandoned buildings.

Since my freshman experience in Homestead, I’ve visited all the neighborhoods I was warned to stay away from. I’ve realized since then, that exploring the gritty places, which we are warned to leave alone, is way more exciting and worthwhile than frequenting the industrialized mall-parks we have come to accept as a society.

It’s in Nancy B’s Bakery where you can eat the world’s best chocolate chip cookies, not in Costco. It’s in the antiques stores along Eighth Avenue, not Target, where you can find the unique lamp you’ve been dreaming of that pulls your living room décor together perfectly. In the Tin Front Café you can have an Americano made by hand, not by the push of a button like in Starbucks. Now I travel to Homestead intentionally. I’ve learned that there’s nothing generic about Homestead, there’s nothing sterile about Homestead and there is definitely nothing scary about Homestead.

Meghan Leinbach will be a senior at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall. She is a double major in History of Art and Architecture and German, minor in Philosophy.