The Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh has named Connellsville's Aaron's building as one of the region's Top Ten Preservation Opportunities.
The city owns the condemned building at 139 N. Pittsburgh St.
The association created its annual list in 2003 to recognize endangered sites in western Pennsylvania with a good chance for survival and reuse. Criteria includes historical and architectural significance and the feasibility of restoration.
Association CEO Dan Holland said that of all the buildings designated as preservation opportunities throughout the years, only three have been demolished.
The Connellsville Board of Health has condemned the Aaron's building and has passed a resolution that city officials should demolish it or render it safe.
"We don't provide any money, but the designation helps market buildings," Holland said. "It interests developers and investors. Also, this type of listing is helpful when applying for grants."
Holland said dozens of endangered buildings have been transformed. He cited the former Armstrong Cork Factory in Pittsburgh's Strip District, which is now an apartment building.
Justin Greenawalt of Bullskin Township nominated the Aaron's building.
"This is perhaps the catalyst of revitalization in Connellsville," said Greenawalt, who recently completed a master's degree in historic preservation at Columbia University in New York.
"In 1996 or 1997, I was about 11 and standing in front of the Troutman's building as it was demolished. I was so sad to see it go," Greenawalt said.
"The city needs to step back and take stock of what we have. Connellsville is at a critical impasse," he said. "Preservation works. I'm not on a crusade to rail against the city. Not every building can be saved ... but some can and should be. The Troutman's building was irreplaceable, and it's gone."
At the Aaron's building, Greenawalt talked about its significance.
Myer Aaron, an immigrant furniture dealer and a board member of Citizens National Bank, built the Aaron's building around 1905. The architect for the six-story, Classical Revival-style building is unknown.
Bricks have fallen from the south wall, presenting a safety hazard. "You would expect this in a building with no maintenance for 40 years," Greenawalt said.
Walking around the building, Greenawalt outlined some outstanding features, including huge plate glass windows, now covered by plywood, that would have been very expensive in 1905. He pointed out electric light fixtures in the glass-domed foyer that would have contrasted sharply with the gas lights of the times. Several sides of the building feature iron-spot brick.
"Bits of iron were placed in the brick mixture and it exploded when put in the kiln. It's a lost technology," Greenawalt said.
He pointed to egg-and-dart molding of terra cotta and a cornice, probably of pressed steel, in good condition. "The building exudes wealth in a time of wealth for Connellsville," Greenawalt said.
Pamela Gerome, an architectural conservator with the New York firm WASA/Studio A, said the building is "absolutely salvageable."
It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Greenawalt said the city should pursue the listing and seek federal grants to restore the building.
In May, council voted to shift $83,700 of 2008 Community Development Block Grant money for demolition and $21,300 for code enforcement. The state has to approve the change, which would have the money in place should the building have to come down.
Greenawalt hopes a developer emerges with a plan. "To think the city could spend $100,000 to make a vacant lot, it's disheartening," he said.
Council has not asked the city redevelopment authority or the Downtown Connellsville Program liaison, McCarthy Public Relations of Connellsville, to market the building.
Councilwoman Marylin Weaver, head of health and public safety, said the city has several months to decide its fate.
