City of Pittsburgh Demolition Postings - May, 2012 (York, Butler: buying a house, neighborhoods)

[PreservationPioneer]

http://www.jonathondenson.com/2012/0...-postings.html

These are the addresses of buildings that the City of Pittsburgh intends to demolish, as of May, 2012. If I have time, I will try to drive by and photograph some of these buildings before they are torn down. These buildings will disappear soon, so if you have an interest in any of them, now is the last time to see them. The Formosa Way row houses (in Homewood) are officially biting the dust.

[eschaton]

Did a quick Google Street View Tour.

The North Franklin one looks to be the most interest, which isn't surprising, given it's in Manchester. Shame someone couldn't turn it around, because that area has a lot of fixed-up houses and if left vacant I'm sure someone would restore it (even if they gutted it down to the brick) eventually.

I'm not sure what's up with the two houses on 38th Street. I know where all the condemned buildings are in Lawrenceville, and they aren't condemned. Looking at the property records, 170 is highly delinquent, but 168 1/2 seems to have been paid up. Maybe there was a recent fire I'm not aware of.

[PreservationPioneer]

I've been told by someone in the know that they are working to save the two houses in Lawrenceville.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I've been told by someone in the know that they are working to save the two houses in Lawrenceville.

Yeah. That section of 38th is pretty modest, but it's almost a totally intact row right now, with only one missing tooth. It would be a shame to see two more houses vanish.

It's a weird section of Lawrenceville in general. Although I don't know the entire zoning history, it seems it was once mainly residential, but then mostly rezoned industrial. As a result there's a patchwork of houses scattered a few blocks back on Butler, with warehouses, factories, and commercial buildings interspersed. So it's not quite cohesive enough to make a residential "mini-neighborhood" despite only being a few blocks back from a happening section of Butler.

[PreservationPioneer]

I love those houses on 38th. A friend of mine who is a house historian told me that those row-houses were built circa 1860. That's pretty amazing to think about. Antebellum architecture right here in Pittsburgh.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I love those houses on 38th. A friend of mine who is a house historian told me that those row-houses were built circa 1860. That's pretty amazing to think about. Antebellum architecture right here in Pittsburgh.

I think most of that block as built in 1885-1890. I know of two houses in Upper Lawrenceville built in 1868 however.

[andyt4579]

That house at the corner of Chateau St looks truly impressive, but it was dealt an awful hand by fate being where it is now.

[ferraris]

1321 Franklin is on page 3 of this PDF all the way back from 2008.

https://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp...n2_minutes.pdf

[ferraris]

I happened to walk by 1321 Franklin today and caught it mid-demolition. It's sad that nobody was willing, able, and aware of its demolition to save it.

[PreservationPioneer]

They should have at least saved the facade of Franklin. Then the row of houses would have been unbroken. Row-houses look terrible when they are chopped up, especially when they cover the exposed side walls with vinyl siding. This is actually why I lost interest in buying a house in the North Side. Some of those streets with the chopped up row houses look hideous.

I don't understand how a city like York can have a completely intact downtown area, where it's all 19th century row-houses in mostly well-maintained condition, whereas many of Pittsburgh's row-house neighborhoods look like a bomb hit them.