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Old 06-30-2013, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Mishawaka, Indiana
7,010 posts, read 11,900,577 times
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There are a lot of gorgeous old buildings in Pittsburgh from this photo collection you have shared with us.

Voeghtly and East Lacock (North Side) is one of my favorites, it looks and feels like a building from another world, when things in this world were very different, feels New England in appearance, very urban.
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Old 06-30-2013, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 8,985,149 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdAilment View Post
There are a lot of gorgeous old buildings in Pittsburgh from this photo collection you have shared with us.

Voeghtly and East Lacock (North Side) is one of my favorites, it looks and feels like a building from another world, when things in this world were very different, feels New England in appearance, very urban.

It's very much like the architecture you see in York or Lancaster, where the old city centers and residential neighborhoods from the 19th century remain largely intact.
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Old 06-30-2013, 06:47 PM
 
Location: Mishawaka, Indiana
7,010 posts, read 11,900,577 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alleghenyangel View Post
It's very much like the architecture you see in York or Lancaster, where the old city centers and residential neighborhoods from the 19th century remain largely intact.
Yes! I didn't want to say it, but it kind of reminded me of European architecture. I hope more of these styles of buildings are preserved throughout the city. Pittsburgh looks very much like an east coast city, and it is far older than most people realize.
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Old 06-30-2013, 10:05 PM
 
Location: Troy Hill, The Pitt
1,174 posts, read 1,579,326 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by juliegt View Post
What a shame. Some of the places look to be in pretty good shape from the outside. But looks can be deceiving. There could be water damage, holes in the roof, stripped plumbing and electrical, vermin... I think I've driven past the house on Woods Run. Too bad there isn't some program that releases the new owner from any delinquent taxes and offers no/low interest loans to prospective buyers. It seems like a better way to save homes from deterioration and destruction. It would ultimately help restore the tax base to an area and keep neighborhoods intact.
There could be water damage - easy fix if it isn't structural
holes in the roof - yikes, although a new one will cost a few thousand.
stripped plumbing - easy fix
electrical - also easy
vermin - less than $1,000 of easy


Unless its structural (like the joists have rotted out, or the mortar through the brick is far too compromised) it isn't a terminal problem.

Not that I'm about to wax poetic about the wonders of renovating a home (especially one that ISN'T livable at the time of purchase), but a lot of these places don't have problems that render them beyond repair unless the problem is structural.
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Old 06-30-2013, 11:06 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 8,985,149 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Q-tip motha View Post
There could be water damage - easy fix if it isn't structural
holes in the roof - yikes, although a new one will cost a few thousand.
stripped plumbing - easy fix
electrical - also easy
vermin - less than $1,000 of easy


Unless its structural (like the joists have rotted out, or the mortar through the brick is far too compromised) it isn't a terminal problem.

Not that I'm about to wax poetic about the wonders of renovating a home (especially one that ISN'T livable at the time of purchase), but a lot of these places don't have problems that render them beyond repair unless the problem is structural.
I agree. Fixing up an old house is a challenge, but it's not rocket science. It requires a lot of labor and getting your hands dirty, and looking up how to do things on the internet, or watching Youtube videos with Bob Vila. It doesn't have to break your wallet, either -- not like the price of a new or previously renovated house, anyway. I have to laugh at some of those "renovated" row houses in upscale city neighborhoods selling for $200,000. They probably spent $20k-30k fixing these places up, max. Especially the ones with hollow doors.
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Old 06-30-2013, 11:29 PM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,621,387 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Q-tip motha View Post
There could be water damage - easy fix if it isn't structural
holes in the roof - yikes, although a new one will cost a few thousand.
stripped plumbing - easy fix
electrical - also easy
vermin - less than $1,000 of easy


Unless its structural (like the joists have rotted out, or the mortar through the brick is far too compromised) it isn't a terminal problem.

Not that I'm about to wax poetic about the wonders of renovating a home (especially one that ISN'T livable at the time of purchase), but a lot of these places don't have problems that render them beyond repair unless the problem is structural.
I'm not disagreeing, just pointing out that most are going to need more than cosmetic fixes.
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Old 07-01-2013, 05:27 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,262,075 times
Reputation: 19071
I nearly shed a tear while viewing these photos. The most tragic demolitions would be the rowhomes, as they'd leave "gap teeth" in our urban fabric that will never be able to be rectified. Here in Polish Hill we have several examples of new construction (Herron Ave. opposite Melwood Ave.) that stick out horribly in our otherwise historic neighborhood. They are much more aesthetically unappealing than the presumably vacant historic homes they've replaced, and we have to wait decades now for these homes to potentially come down.

Do you know if 3031 or 3033 Brereton are in danger of demolition, PreservationPioneer? I can see literally right THROUGH the rear studs of 3031.
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:44 AM
 
288 posts, read 509,059 times
Reputation: 169
How would someone get their hands on the Buena Vista or Strip District houses?
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Old 07-01-2013, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Western PA
3,733 posts, read 5,931,019 times
Reputation: 3189
I never realized how many of those little one-story cottages there were in the city. I imagine they were worker housing, since they seem to be concentrated on the North Side, and I've seen several on the South Side Slopes. Thanks for the photos.
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Old 07-01-2013, 08:51 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Morningside)
14,360 posts, read 16,870,700 times
Reputation: 12390
The Dinwiddie one is ironic, given it's only a block down from the portion of Dinwiddie which has seen extensive new construction, as well as retention/restoration of the shells of many of the existing houses (there are a lot of old stone houses on Dinwiddie, so a lot of work went into saving at least the external form).

Quote:
Originally Posted by rockthecasbah121 View Post
How would someone get their hands on the Buena Vista or Strip District houses?
The Strip District ones are theoretically for sale. There's a sign with a number on it you can see posted. I bike by them pretty frequently, and they don't seem too far gone to save, judging by the condition of the mortar and foundation.

According to Allegheny County Assessment, they're not all owned by the same people though. 3033 is owned by Renee Simmons. 3035 is owned by 30 30 Penn Associates. 3037 and 3039 are owned by Esther Palkovitz. 3041 is owned my Lynette Simmons (who also used to own 3033 until last year). Getting control of all of the units thus might be difficult.

I think they could, theoretically, be fixed up to be nice rental units. The worst thing I can say about them is they are literally surrounded by a parking lot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Geeo View Post
I never realized how many of those little one-story cottages there were in the city. I imagine they were worker housing, since they seem to be concentrated on the North Side, and I've seen several on the South Side Slopes. Thanks for the photos.
A lot of the one-story cottages are actually "downslope" houses. You go into the front door, and there are stairs going down into one or two half-buried stories. So they aren't as small as they seem. That said, there are a few of them in flat areas, like Troy Hill, as well.
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