Hello All again,
I have it from two sources now that
the April 7 Zoning Board of adjustment hearing will be postponed until April
28. I will update you with the correct date as soon as the new date and time is
confirmed.
Dave Demko
412-488-7490 x234
From: Dave Demko
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011
2:48 PM
To: 'miked@scenicpittsburgh.org'
Subject: Huntington Bank Shows
Commitment to Pittsburgh
by Defacing Historic Landmark
Dear Friends of Scenic Pittsburgh,
Renowned architect Henry Hornbostel (1867–1961) must be turning
in his grave. On April 7 at 10;10 AM. The Pittsburgh
zoning Board of adjustment will hear a request from Huntington Bank, to place a
“High Wall Business Id Sign” on a Pittsburgh
landmark, the Grant
Building. www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_729620.html.
By framing this desecration as “representing (Huntington’s)
growth and commitment to Pittsburgh”,
Huntington Bank, based in Columbus
Ohio, will parasitically attach
itself to our city’s architectural heritage and claim our cultural
identity as its own.
Henry Hornbostel created the Grant
Building in the classic
Beaux Arts style to compete with the great high rises of the early twentieth
century. Developers spared no expense, cladding the building in Swedish Granite
at its base and topping the building with a flamboyant neon tower that spells
out P-I-T-T-S-B-U-R-G-H in Morse code. The Grant Building
succeeded the First National Bank Building in 1928 as the tallest skyscraper in
the city. Henry Hornbostel designed more than 225 buildings, bridges, and
monuments in the United
States; currently 22 are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. Nearly half of his works (110) were in Pittsburgh, where in 1904 he won the campus design
competition for Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Technical Schools (today's Carnegie Mellon University).
He also helped to establish Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture that same
year. His works include the Soldiers and Sailors
National Military
Museum and Memorial, Pittsburgh City-County
Building, Carnegie Mellon College of
Fine Arts, the Rodef Shalom Temple
and the Smithfield
United Church.
Huntington Bank is requesting a variance to locate the sign above the
roofline of the Grant building, which is currently prohibited by zoning code.
It is imperative we communicate to the Zoning Board, our opposition to this
variance request. Please plan to attend the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting
on April 7, 2011, at 10:10 AM, at 200
Ross Street, Pittsburgh.
Also, please take a moment to write to the Mayor (askpgh@city.pittsburgh.pa.us
), Councilman Lavelle (daniel.lavelle@city.pittsburgh.pa.us
), the Tribune Review (opinion@tribweb.com - 200 words
max) or the Post Gazette (letters@post-gazette.com
– 250 words max) and tell them how you feel about sacrificing
Pittsburgh’s skyline to corporate branding.
Keep up the good fight,
Dave Demko
412-488-7490 x234