Welcome to the 30th anniversary of the Pennsylvania At Risk program! Each year, our Pennsylvania At Risk program spotlights threats to special historic places across the commonwealth, raises awareness about the challenges to their long-term survival, and highlights trends that may pose a broader threat. Some years, we have focused on specific topics or types of resources, such as metal truss bridges or historic schools,
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2022 Pennsylvania At Risk
Hanby Farm (Delaware County)
Immaculate Conception Church (Allegheny County)
Peebles Homestead (Cumberland County)
Westinghouse R&D Center (Allegheny County)
Our review panel, made up of experts within the cultural resources sector, felt that these places met the criteria for Pennsylvania At Risk, yet together they represented broad, recurring threats in one or more categories. While Pennsylvania At Risk generally defines our work priorities for the year, in 2022 we’ll use these places as a starting point for exploration and discussion about the bigger issues they represent in several key topic areas.
- Reuse of Former Church Buildings.
- Rapid, Permanent Loss of Agricultural Land Due to Development Pressure (especially warehouses).
- Appreciating and Advocating for Mid-Century Modern Architecture,
We’ll offer webinars and essays from guest experts over the next several months that will expand your knowledge of these places as well as the larger issues connected with their preservation. At the end of 2022, the collected essays will be published as a resource guide.
Hanby Farm (Delaware County)
Built in 1824, this 13 acre property is the last farm and largest open space remaining in Upper Chichester, yet it is threatened with demolition to make way for 100,000 square foot warehouse development.
Immaculate Conception Church (Allegheny County)
While Pittsburgh has a number of outstanding houses of worship in various styles, the Immaculate Conception Church, in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, is unlike any other religious building in the region. Its tight urban site, tucked along an alleyway, along with its innovative construction methods, towering stained glass windows, imported altar mosaic, and numerous site specific sculptures and furnishings, culminate in a building that is truly a remarkable work of mid-century modern design. The church was recently closed by the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh, though a neighborhood group has petitioned the Vatican to reverse this decision. Assuming the church remains closed, the building faces several challenges, including intense development pressure in the neighborhood, pressing maintenance issues, and the challenges of finding an appropriate reuse.
Peebles Homestead (Cumberland County)
Built in 1775, the Peebles Homestead sits in the middle of 156 acres of pristine farmland. The home is currently vacant, but the land, barn and outbuildings are used by a local dairy farmer. Commercial development pressure threatens the homestead. Recently, numerous historic homes along the Interstate 81 corridor have been demolished for warehouse construction.
Westinghouse R&D Center (Allegheny County)
The former Westinghouse Research and Development Center sited on 150 carefully curated acres in Churchill Borough, Pennsylvania, 10 miles from Pittsburgh’s Point, holds a noteworthy place in the history of architecture, design, industry and science and is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The multiplex modernist corporate campus and landscape, designed through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, and exemplary of midcentury suburban R&D facilities with parklike surroundings, is at risk for complete demolition with an impending redevelopment plan that gives no consideration to reuse.