Saturday, March 20, 2010

Article About Old Stone Tavern



This is from POP CITY Media.....


West End's Old Stone Tavern was granted historic status last week in a unanimous vote by Pittsburgh City Council, supported by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The building, at 434 Greentree Rd., was nominated in February and may be the oldest commercial structure in the city. Old Stone Tavern's cornerstone is etched with the date 1756; however, the building's age has not been authenticated, and some historians believe it to be built in the 1780s. The Fort Pitt Block House in Point State Park, which was built in 1764, has long been regarded as Pittsburgh's oldest building.

"Old Stone Tavern has been standing during every single American presidency," says Michael Shealey, an architect with the Pittsburgh Housing Authority--and avid amateur historian--who drafted the historic designation nomination. Shealey says Pittsburgh has so few buildings this old due to the "Great Fire" of 1845, which wiped out much of Downtown.

Old Stone Tavern was built shortly after the American Revolution by Daniel Elliott, who served in the war. It was continuously operated as a restaurant or bar until a few years ago, when it was purchased by Lee Harris, the owner of Harris Masonry, which is adjacent to the property. Harris intended to demolish the tavern and replace it with a parking lot, but has been "so understanding and supportive and civic-minded" in the preservation efforts, says Shealey.

This historic designation means Harris is not permitted to demolish the structure or make changes to the exterior, but it does not dictate how the building should be used. However, it definitely will play a central role, Shealey insists, in the West End's current master plan process, which issued a request-for-proposal last spring. Shealey says the possibility of getting the Old Stone Tavern on the National Register of Historic Places is being investigated.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Well, Well, Well........

I've been posting a few things here and there, but somehow they ended up on http://westendelliott.blogspot.com instead of http://elliottwestend.blogspot.com..........I have no idea what I did or how I did it. I'll make sure it is correct from now on.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Mayor To Hold Meeting on Libraries

Below is an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There will be a meeting in Lawrenceville discussing the closing of the West End Library and 4 others. If you find this cause close to your heart, then please show up.

You can also read Brian O'neill's opinion on this matter HERE.

Mayor to hold community meeting on library closings
Monday, October 19, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced today that he will be holding a community meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lawrenceville to hear residents concerns about Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's board's decision to close five libraries.

The meeting will be at St. Mary's Lower Lyceum, 321 45th St.

The Mayor has invited the library board and Director Barbara Mistick to the meeting.

"I have spoken with residents from all impacted communities and have answered as many questions as I can in regard to the board's decisions," Mr. Ravenstahl said in a statement issued today. "Residents deserve to have all of their questions answered concerning these very unfortunate circumstances."

The board has approved closing the Lawrenceville, Beechview, West End and Hazelwood branches and merging Knoxville and Carrick branches.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09292/1006721-100.stm#ixzz0UQurxCP4

Monday, July 6, 2009

Thank You Pittsburgh Hoagie

If you're a resident of Elliott, please read the most recent blog post from the pittsburgh Hoagie. This is something that really bothers me about the neighborhood. I hope the city does something about these properties. The worst part about this is, it's only a fraction of the run down, abandoned properties in the neighborhood.

PITTSBURGH HOAGIE

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

EWEAA SCHOLARSHIPS

Two $500 College Scholarships to be awarded

The Elliott West End Athletic Association is now accepting applications for our College Scholarships. This year, due to generous donations, we are able to award two $500 scholarships for the fiscal year.

Applicants may complete the application process listed below and mail the complete application packet to the Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Courtney Glass, at:

EWEAA College Scholarship

1745 Barr Ave

Pittsburgh, PA 15205

A. Purpose: To provide financial aid to students attending technical, undergraduate or graduate programs at colleges, universities, or technical schools in the United States of America.

B. Eligibility requirements:

1. The applicant must have played at least four years of sports in the EWEAA in one or more of the following: baseball, softball, and/or soccer.

2. The applicant must be accepted to, or already attending the institution to which this scholarship money will be sent.

C. Application Procedure:

1. No formal application form is used.

2. The application letter and documentation shall be submitted no earlier than January 1 and no later than April 15. Scholarships will be awarded in May and applied to the fall school year.

3. The application shall consist of a typed letter in which the applicant will discuss the following subjects:

a. The sport and year the applicant participated in EWEAA and elaborate how the participation affected the applicant

b. Community service/personal achievements

c. Intended career field the applicant will pursue

d. Any subject the applicant considers relevant pertaining to scho

ol or the scholarship

D. Required Documentation:

1. A high school transcript if the applicant has not completed one year of college, university, or technical school. If the applicant has completed one year of college, university or technical school then a transcript from this institution is required in lieu of a high school transcript

2. An acceptance letter or other documentation showing the applicant is attending or planning to attend an accredited school

3. A reference letter from an accredited teacher or professor

4. One or more of the following: a photo copy of the applicants Student Aid Report (SAR) containing the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) number, a photocopy of the Financial Aid Package letter from the institution the applicant will be attending, or a statement detailing how family income or circumstances has kept the applicant from receiving other scholarships, grants, or loan funds

E. Criteria used for awarding the EWEAA Scholarship:

1. Overall academics of the applicant

2. Reference

3. Essay

4. Community involvement, personal achievements, awards, leadership, in addition to school related involvement and extra-curricular activities

5. Financial need

6. Participation within EWEAA





Thursday, June 11, 2009

Dog Fighting in Elliott????

Scarred pit bulls seized in Elliott; dog fights suspected
Thursday, June 11, 2009
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Animal control officers removed two pit bulls from a home in Elliot last night after receiving reports of dog fighting.
The owner of the dogs likely will face criminal charges, said Gerald Akrie, a supervisor with Pittsburgh's animal control department.
The dogs both had scars "all over" their bodies from fighting, Mr. Akrie said. They were taken from a home on Navajo Way around 5 p.m. yesterday.
Police are investigating, Mr. Akrie said.

Here is a VIDEO from WPXI.




Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Trying to Get Back

Well it’s been about 2 months since my last post. I’ve been so busy with work, trying to coordinate and raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis great strides walk that took place in May, and then there are these damn Penguin games taking up all my time.

I would love it if more people would like to contribute to this Blog. My vision for this is to be a TRUE neighborhood website, not just one person’s ideas and opinions. Kinda of a “by the people for the people” kind of thing. Please let me know what ideas you might have. I am going to try and keep this blog updated the best I can.

In the mean time, let’s see what’s been going on the last few months in our community.

From May 7th, a nice little video discussing the research of the history surrounding the Old Stone Tavern

http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/?videoid=101790

Also from May 7th, an Elliott man gets sentenced 15-30 years in a stabbing death.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09127/968477-100.stm

Here’s is a link to the story of the garbage truck accident that happened directly in front of the above mentioned Old Stone Tavern
http://kdka.com/local/fatal.garbage.truck.2.1005530.html

Here is a great blog excerpt about Townsend Park in Elliott from the Pittsburgh Hoagie. I couldn’t agree with him more. I would actually like to walk around the neighborhood with my digital camera and find similar stories. Great Job Matt.

http://matth614.blogspot.com/2009/06/townsend-park.html