TheBurg

14 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 03.23 W hen Tropical Storm Agnes descended on Harrisburg in 1972, the Shipoke home of Bob and Eileen Young flooded 8½ feet on the first floor. "It strips wallpaper beautifully," Young recalls today. "Let's look at the positive side." e Youngs and their determined neighbors fished another positive from the floodwaters—the 1973 founding of Historic Harrisburg Association. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary as a catalyst for historic preservation and urban revitalization, Historic Harrisburg can say that it has saved significant buildings and lost a few, led formation of the city's historic districts, and created a space where developers and preservationists alike can agree on the value of smart growth. In Historic Harrisburg's first days, the Youngs were in on the ground floor (yes, pun intended). e flooded homes of Shipoke were slated for demolition. Citizens rallied, canvassing door-to- door to raise awareness of the threat and packing City Council meetings. In response, the city adopted the first of its historic districts and created the Harrisburg Architectural Review Board to encourage historically sensitive maintenance of homes and businesses. "I think Harrisburg was one of the first in the state to enact municipal legislation," said Preservation Advisor Jeb Stuart, in those days a city Planning Bureau staffer fresh out of college. Historic Harrisburg Association incorporated on Feb. 22, 1973. Some of the same people cross- pollinated the city's planning bureau and this new historic preservation movement, bringing the two "together for a common purpose," Stuart said. Eileen Young got involved because she never wanted to look at a new development and wonder who once lived there. "I wanted to see those old homes stay there because they were the root of the history of Harrisburg," she said. "Even though they weren't the elite of Harrisburg in our neighborhood—they were working-class steel workers and shop owners—they were still a key part of what happened here." At about the same time, the official association took shape over the fight to save the State eatre movie palace on Locust Street in downtown Harrisburg. A battle raged, but the building came down in 1974. ("Poor choice for Harrisburg," opined a blogger on www.cinematreasures.org. "It would have made a wonderful downtown performing arts center.") ere were other losses. e original Penn Harris Hotel came down in 1973. But there were many wins, too. A PAST PRESERVED Historic Harrisburg Association celebrates 50 years of fighting, saving. BY M. DIANE MCCORMICK Tracy Mansion Shipoke Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Old City Hall

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