Each February, Preservation Pennsylvania embraces its February tradition of inviting some of our preservation family to share with us their valentine to a special Pennsylvania place. (You can browse them all if you click here or by selecting “PA Love Letters” from the category list on a NEWS page sidebar.)
This love letter practice started in conjunction with our winter appeal, since part of our mission is to help people save the places they love. Your financial support helps us provide advice to Pennsylvanians from Abbottstown to Zelienople who contact us with preservation questions. It allows us to pursue advocacy efforts to enact preservation-friendly policies (2024 is dedicated to enhancing the preservation tax credit). And it supports important programs such as the annual awards celebration and the transformative Pennsylvania at Risk program. We are Pennsylvania’s only statewide preservation nonprofit organization. Perhaps you’ll consider making a donation? Any amount is welcome; click the button below! (You may also choose to become a member – click here.)
LOVE LETTERS
Throughout the month of February, we’ll be posting tributes to beloved Pennsylvania places from our guest essayists. We’ll hear from
- Gina Douty, the founder of Gina M. Douty Historic Preservation Consulting. She has been a member of Preservation Pennsylvania for more than a decade!
- Marco Federico, who was honored at the 2023 PA Historic Preservation Awards, is Principal Conservator at Heritage Conservation Collective
- Brittany Reilly, of Preservation Pittsburgh and Chair of the Pittsburgh Modern Committee (check out our Centers for Innovation webinar for her insights on the PA at Risk Westinghouse R&D Center. Click here.)
As well as our three new Preservation Pennsylvania board members (learn more about them in our About section)
- Peter Brubaker, President of Hammer Creek Enterprises, LLC
- Michael J. Cuddy, PE, Principal and Senior Vice President at TranSystems
- Kim Hogeman, Director of Strategic Development for the York County Economic Alliance
(You may check out the Love Letters archive here, featuring an array of very special places: a former hotel that’s now part of a school, a beloved barn, a park, a scenic bridge, a Victorian museum, a vintage motor court on the Lincoln Highway, a planned neighborhood, and several historic buildings.)
SHARE SOME LOVE
We hope you’ll join in our Love-Fest for Pennsylvania’s special and historic places by sending your own favorites a valentine!
Is there a special business or commercial building you visit all the time?
Do you love [for example] your dry cleaner’s well-maintained mid-century building with its butterfly roof that sets your heart aflutter? Write them a postcard and let them know you appreciate them and their amazing building! We’ve made it easy to get started; click here to download our valentine postcard template.
Have you made a tradition out of visiting a legacy business or restaurant? Support them! Promote them!! Take a photo of the shop, share your story and post to social media using #LegacyLovePA and #PALoveLetter! We’ll try to capture what we can and share to help spread the word.
You can also gather friends together, each holding a valentine of appreciation, in front of a local museum, historic house, or legacy business. Take a photo of your love-in and share it on social media #PALoveLetter (or send to ssmith@preservationpa.org and we’ll share!) (Learn about the history of this expression of love at the National Trust for Historic Preservation website.)
Another way to share the love is to donate where you care! Support your local historical society or historic house museum. Donate to your local preservation organization (if you have one) or donate to our annual appeal and help support our work to help people across the commonwealth save the places they love. We offer preservation advice on all manner of questions from individuals and organizations; play matchmaker with needed services; we advocate for preservation-positive policies like an improved state tax credit; and so much more!
For Inspiration
Check out the love-fest that’s spreading across the city of Easton in Northampton County! The community-wide project “Love, Easton” aims to engage citizens in making and hanging 28,172 hearts (that’s one for every resident). There are heart making parties at local businesses and the local library (a great opportunity for strangers to meet and make friends).
There are locations across town where one may drop off home-made hearts for the cause and opportunities to volunteer to hang hearts in the windows of local businesses. As I write this, the heart count thermometer shows 20,564 hearts submitted so far. Check out their website at love-easton.com and get inspired! The website is also accepting Easton Love Stories.
What would you pick as YOUR favorite place in Pennsylvania? Let us know in the comments below!