TheBurg

03.23 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 15 Two historic Pine Street homes were saved, as City Council upheld the validity of HARB's rulings against demolition. e Tracy Mansion on Front Street also dodged the wrecking ball. As for the Charles Howard Lloyd-designed Old City Hall on Walnut Street, now an example of adaptive reuse through its conversion into apartments, Historic Harrisburg "fought like hell to get that off the demolition list," Stuart said. As suburbanization was draining city centers, cities "realized they had to do something extraordinary," said David Morrison, executive director of Historic Harrisburg. "Of all the things that happened in Harrisburg, historic preservation wound up to be, in the long run, the most valuable strategy rather than redevelopment or urban renewal or any of those things tried around the country," he said. "Historic preservation proved itself to be not only economically sensible but also kind of what the people preferred." But enough of the "wayback machine." Today's Historic Harrisburg leads partnerships and gets calls from developers and agencies seeking guidance on historically sensitive approaches to their projects. PennDOT sought input on options for blending an unsightly conduit for utilities into its rehab plans for the Market Street Bridge. Historic Harrisburg's independently managed Community Historic Preservation Fund—created from funds earmarked after an agreement with a developer to preserve the façade of the Senate Hotel literally crashed to the ground—distributes grants for preservation projects, initiatives and advocacy. A consortium of historic and environmental preservationists is tracking the fate of the Harrisburg State Hospital's recreationally and historically significant grounds. "Historic preservation started out as kind of a fringe element of investing in the city, sort of a novelty," Morrison said. "Now, it's a mainstream concept that's embraced by government as something important that should be incorporated into comprehensive planning and individual development proposals." CHANGING PERCEPTIONS Morrison, who began his second stint as executive director in 2014, has led Historic Harrisburg's readiness to yoke preservation with urban revitalization. He credits a team effort of board members and volunteers in building membership, hosting events and "expanding our role and influence in the community." Today, Historic Harrisburg is leading a capital campaign to restore its own home, the former Central Trust Building in Midtown now known as the Historic Harrisburg Resource Center. Already a spot for history exhibits, community organization meetings and developers' listening tours, restoration is expected to elevate the circa-1893 building, donated in 1993, into an income-producing venue for receptions and other gatherings. Historic Harrisburg's annual "Preservation Priorities" list draws attention to historic properties endangered by neglect or imminent demolition. Harristown Enterprises checks the list every year for potential projects, said president and CEO Brad Jones. Historic Harrisburg has inspired Harristown's many adaptive reuse projects, which recently included the conversion of the Victorian-era Plum building downtown into three boutique apartments. "If we don't do that, maybe no one else will," Jones said. Preservation of yesterday's buildings creates opportunities for today's residential redevelopment amid the character that people crave, Jones added. "People love the architecture of Harrisburg," he said. Jones credits one of Historic Harrisburg's "most heroic efforts" in helping the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency expand while preserving a Front Street mansion and two small clapboard houses— charmers from a bygone era—on Locust Street. "In the long run, everybody wins in that kind of situation," Jones said. "ey did it collaboratively and thoughtfully together, still maintaining the ability to do an important project to create more economic development for the city but also in a way that preserved a pretty block." Now that Historic Harrisburg's original focus areas of downtown, Midtown, Shipoke and Olde Uptown "are far above and beyond crisis mode," Morrison said that he hopes to focus "more of Historic Harrisburg's energy" on the historically significant but maintenance-challenged Allison Hill. Historic Harrisburg has given tours to draw attention to the area and supported such projects as restoration of the Allison Hook & Ladder Company firehouse. "e cultural tapestry of Allison Hill is just amazing," Morrison said. At 13th and ompson streets, the breathtaking Christ Lutheran Church came to Historic Harrisburg's attention around 2018 through a window restoration project. e pastor, Rev. Drew Stockstill, said that tours that Morrison gave raised awareness of "this gem of a church" and, just as significantly, its free medical and dental clinics serving between 10,000 and 22,000 people a year. "David brought that whole community of the Historic Harrisburg board and people invested in Harrisburg and its architecture and its history, so we were able to showcase the physical building and the service it provides," Stockstill said. Gloria Vázquez Merrick, executive director of the Latino Hispanic American Community Center, serves on the Historic Harrisburg board and sees a place for preserving the built environment as a means toward teaching young people the stories and lessons of the past. "We're so busy trying to instill in our kids their heritage, their culture, but let's talk to them about their environment, where they grew up, how things have changed, and let them know that this will not always look like this," she said. Fifty years ago, Historic Harrisburg's first Candlelight House Tour—still going strong— attracted throngs of people pleasantly surprised that the once-flooded homes of Shipoke weren't teardowns but were beautiful arguments for moving back to the city. "Whatever little role Historic Harrisburg has played and continues to play in showcasing the city as something to embrace and not something to steer clear of is really something we've been doing from the get-go," Morrison said. "It's about changing people's perceptions. I think we've been very good at changing perceptions for 50 years and getting people to view the future in an optimistic way." Historic Harrisburg Association Resource Center is located at 1230 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.historicharrisburg.org. Historic Harrisburg Association Resource Center

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