R.I.P. Phineas Street (Photos) (Pittsburgh: 2015, hotel, houses)

[PreservationPioneer]

DEMOLITION LIST: These historic homes on the south side of Phineas Street are to be demolished next week for a new hotel project by October Development. Although Phineas Street is one of the oldest surviving streets on the North Side, with homes possibly dating to the 1830s, the street is not designated as a historic district. This means that the buildings, in spite of their age and interest, are not protected from demolition. What does it say about the historic designation process when one of the oldest streets in the city is not considered eligible?

*NOTE: These are my photos. I am re-posting them from my blog. Thank you.

[szug-bot]

Pres Pio, you of all people should know - it has to do w/ the SIGNIFICANCE of it. Am I right? Maybe there is someone here who works in the city government who might be able to answer.

I thought there were criteria - not just age, but the value of the architecture or the building to our local history, and the architectural style itself.

Sorry, I see these homes and although I would love to see them restored, I do not think it is the last of Pittsburgh's incredible bank of history, exactly. But I do understand your frustration. Apparently, these structures do not meet the approval for saving.

[Herodotus]

The first house is nice, but the others are kind of blah. The frame houses have been remuddled to the point of worthlessness.

[ditchdigger]

These historic homes on the south side of Phineas Street are to be demolished
next week for a new hotel project by October Development.

This one, apparently:

Corbett announces $3M grant to kick off $20M ARC House project by October Development - Pittsburgh Business Times

I dunno. It seems like a fair tradeoff for the positive impact it'll have on that prominent corner of east Ohio St.

[Moby Hick]

The first couple seem nice, but if you even put Insulbrick on a house, you've pretty much condemned it to being torn down when the Insulbrick wears out.

[eschaton]

Is it confirmed all of these houses are being torn down?

The first one you linked to has not been boarded up. It's also not owned by October Development or anyone in the Depasquale family. This leads me to think it perhaps not in danger.

The rest though, I saw were boarded up back in the fall, and I feared the worst for at the time.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

The first couple seem nice, but if you even put Insulbrick on a house, you've pretty much condemned it to being torn down when the Insulbrick wears out.

Can you elaborate on this? How is it different than say say vinyl or aluminum siding?

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Can you elaborate on this? How is it different than say say vinyl or aluminum siding?

Mostly because of how ugly it is, but also because it's harder to get off, thus raising the cost of replacement when it wears out. Putting vinyl siding on a historic house certainly doesn't help.

[Pghuser]

All but one of those homes look terrible, I would want them razed if I lived near those.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Pghuser

All but one of those homes look terrible, I would want them razed if I lived near those.

All of the brick homes could have been fixed up and made into something nice. Plenty of similar homes in the Mexican War Streets and the western part of Deutschtown have been.