Paramount Pictures Film Exchange: Pittsburgh’s Newest Landmark
Posted On: February 22, 2010
Paramount Pictures Film Exchange, 1727 Boulevard of the Allies
On Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed the final legislation designating the Paramount Pictures Film Exchange to be a City of Pittsburgh Historic Landmark. Council had voted, 8-1, to designate the Film Exchange on Jan. 26th. You can see a copy of the legislation here: Final Bill Passage
YPA is grateful to Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle and the other Council people who voted in favor of this designation, as well as YPA’s Board, Advisory Committee, Members, and partners, such as the Uptown Community Partners, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and the Pittsburgh Film Office. More than 75 letters of support had been received in support of the designation.
YPA is especially grateful for Drew Edward Levinson, the 21-year-old film student who first called our attention to this important historic landmark. His video appears below (scroll down).
Last spring, YPA nominated the Paramount Pictures Film Exchange Building, at 1727 Boulevard of the Allies in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood, to be a city of Pittsburgh Historic Landmark.
On August 5, 2009, the City of Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission voted to recommend to City Council the designation of the Paramount Pictures Film Exchange to be a City of Pittsburgh Historic Landmark. The Uptown Community Partners, the leading community based organization in the Uptown-Soho neighborhood, endorsed the nomination, along with more than 75 supporters.
The building was recently sold to a developer who plans to rehabilitate the building. The building had been owned by UPMC Mercy since 2008. This is a win-win for the Uptown neighborhood, which is undergoing a revival, the City of Pittsburgh, and for the region’s film history. If it were not for a YouTube video about the film exchange produced by Drew Levinson last spring, Pittsburgh’s rich motion picture legacy would not have been told.
Historic Significance
Designed by R.E. Hall Co. Architects of New York City in 1926, the Paramount Pictures Film Exchange building meets the Historic Review Commission’s criteria for its association with important cultural or social aspects or events in the history of the City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic region, or the United States.
The Paramount Pictures Film Exchange Building is the last original remnant of Pittsburgh’s “Film Row.” From the 1920s until the 1970s and 80s, film exchanges were operated by movie studios that contained a film library of reels, offices, and private screening rooms. Theater owners could view a picture before booking them into their theaters. Pittsburgh’s film exchanges were all within a couple blocks of each other forming a “film row,” because it was very much a ‘one-stop shopping’ deal, where theater owners could go out of one exchange and immediately into the next—possibly to negotiate or book films from several studios. Now, Pittsburgh’s last one remains, the Paramount Pictures Film Exchange building.
History Captured in Film
This history came to light just this spring, when YPA held a historic preservation video contest for students under the age of 25. This year’s first-place winner was a student at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Drew Edward Levinson, who profiled the history—and possible threat—to the Paramount building.
Judges for the contest included a number of experienced preservationists who had never heard of this building, never knew of Film Row, and were fascinated by the video. The YouTube video is embedded below.
YPA held an awards ceremony on March 28th to honor Mr. Levinson and the video was shown before an audience of about 100 people at Carnegie Museum of Art. State Senator Ferlo encouraged Mr. Levinson to nominate the building for historic status, and YPA offered to assist. YPA’s board unanimously supports this nomination.
Here’s the YouTube video:
Here are two GigaPan interactive panoramas of the Paramount building:
YPA Letters & Testimony:
Testimony for 1-12-10
Letter to City Council 10-30-09
Paramount Pictures Film Exchange Building: Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet
Film Exchange Pamphlet Complete 6-30-09
Here’s the original historic nomination form:
Paramount Pictures Film Exchange Building Nomination Form
Articles:
City Council votes to designate Paramount building as historic landmark, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 27, 2010
Pittsburgh City Council designates Paramount Pictures building as historic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 26, 2010
Pittsburgh approves historic status for Paramount building, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 20, 2010
Sale of Paramount building slated for today, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 19, 2010
Uptown Paramount building historic designation debated, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 18, 2010
Public supportive of Paramount, The Duquesne Duke, January 14, 2010
Preservationists aim to save Uptown film exchange building, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 13, 2010
Dozens attend meeting about Paramount Pictures building, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 12, 2010
Historic Uptown building faces demise, The Duquesne Duke, October 1, 2009
Movie buff’s effort saves a building of paramount importance to film history, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 10, 2009
Historical designation for Uptown building OK’d, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 6, 2009
Pittsburgh’s Film Exchange gets historic designation, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, August 6, 2009
A bid to preserve part of Pittsburgh’s film history, WQUQ 90.5-FM, August 4, 2009
Group wants to save some of Pittsburgh’s Hollywood history, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 10, 2009
YPA Participates in GigaPan Workshop
Posted On: May 22, 2009
Thanks to support from the Fine Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University, YPA CEO Dan Holland participated in a two-day training program, May 21 & 22, 2009, to learn how to use the GigaPan robotic camera.
The GigaPan camera creates very high-resolution panoramas by stitching together hundreds of individual photos. Once the images have been “stitched” and uploaded to the GigaPan website, a user can zoom in to specific features of the image.
The camera is a powerful tool for multiple applications, including architectural surveys of historic properties, land-use management, urban design to create models for new buildings as well as old, archival for future generations, promoting specific sites, and education.
Some sample GigaPans are embedded below. Keep checking this site for additional GigaPans of historic sites from around southwestern Pennsylvania.
Wheeling Through History Bike Tour a Great Success
Posted On: April 17, 2009
YPA’s Wheeling Through History Bike Tour: South Side Edition, held on May 19, was a smashing success.
A group of 15 cyclists joined Geof Comings from the South Side Local Development Company on a ride through history along the South Side Trail and Eliza Furnace Trail.
Short narratives were provided at a few stops along the trail to provide riders with an experience with history–while on the bike.
Accompanied by perfect weather, the ride was well-received by all as a great way to spend an evening with friends.
Above, crossing the historic Smithfield Street Bridge.
After the ride, YPA joined Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc., and the Pittsburgh Young Professionals as part of the New Pittsburgh Collaborative (NPC) quarterly HUB event at a reception at OTB Bicycle Cafe on Carson Street.
The NPC gang – a group of diverse young professionals dedicated to regional progress – networked with drinks, appetizers and tips for utilizing regional amenities during a down economy.
Tom Baxter, Executive Director of Friends of the Riverfront, and one of Sustainable Pittsburgh’s outdoor recreation partners, spoke at the event (below).
YPA’s next bike-friendly history tour will be a collaboration with Bike PGH and Venture Outdoors:
Friday, June 12, 2009
Car Free Friday Bike From Work Tour
In recognition of the launch of car-free Fridays (every Friday) BikePGH, Young Preservationists Association and Venture Outdoors will lead a leisurely urban bike ride exploring the roads and riverfront trails of the North Side and South Side. Guest speakers from the YPA will provide historic information along the route from their Wheeling Through History Tour. The ride will end at OTB Bike Cafe on the South Side for a happy hour of specially priced drinks. This event is FREE to members of BikePGH, YPA and Venture Outdoors. Non-members are encouraged to join one or all of the three groups ($60 for memberships to all three groups the day of the program!). Pre-registration is encouraged. BikePGH and YPA members can call the Venture Outdoors office to receive the Members price.
Price does not include bike rentals. Bike rentals are available through Venture Outdoors for $8.00. Reservations for rentals should be made by calling into the office, 412-255-0564 ext. 21 after registering for the program.
Location: Kayak Pittsburgh – Downtown (right under the Sixth Street “Clemente” Bridge, by PNC Park)
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:45 PM
Cost: $10.00 non-member
Organization: Venture Outdoors
Homewood Grade School Teacher Selected for Promise Award
Posted On: March 28, 2009
The Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh has selected Dawn R. Webb Turner to be the 2009 Promise Award winner.
The Promise Award was presented at YPA’s Preservation Awards Reception, March 28, 2009, at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
YPA’s Promise Award, started in 2005, will go to one person, organization or place that is undertaking a new preservation initiative that represents great promise for advancing historic preservation in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Ms. Webb Turner’s work with YPA over the past year as a volunteer to develop the Pittsburgh region’s first African American history tourguide, as well as her efforts to preserve the National Negro Opera Company first home, and her extensive experience, education, and community involvement makes her an ideal awardee.
Ms. Webb Turner is currently a third-grade teacher at Pittsburgh Faison Arts Academy in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. A Pittsburgh native, Ms. Webb Turner is a graduate of Westinghouse High School.
She received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating Cum Laude. She has held positions as a Branch Manager for Three Rivers Bank and Assistant Vice President for PNC Bank. Ms. Webb Turner is currently developing the George A. Webb Sr. Learning Institute that will teach financial education and entrepreneurship to elementary-school aged children and older. She is also the Steward of Homewood North under the Clean Pittsburgh Commission, and started the “Let’s Clean Up Our House Committee,” a group of youth, residents, and block club members who are dedicated to cleaning up areas in the community.
Previous Promise Award winners have included The Union Project (2005); Braddock Mayor John Fetterman (2006); Sandee Umbach, director of Wash Arts (2007); and Tansy Michaud, a senior at Norwin High School (2008).
Preservation Video Awards Announced
Posted On: March 28, 2009
On Saturday, March 28, the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh awarded $500 to four student-produced videos about saving historic sites in southwestern Pennsylvania. The winning videos were selected among entries for YPA’s Preservation Video Contest, begun in December 2008.
Each of the four videos was produced by young people under the age of 25 who are students at schools in southwestern Pennsylvania. Conest awardees include a student at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 16 middle school students from Riverside Middle School in Ellwood City, a college student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a high school student at Ringgold High School.
Each of the videos is a call to action to save threatened historic sites. The short videos were uploaded to YouTube, the video-sharing website. Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo sponsored the financial awards for the students.
See a program from the Preservation Awards Reception: Preservation Awards Reception
Watch all four videos here:
First Place ($250):
Site: Paramount Pictures Film Exchange, City of Pittsburgh (Soho)
Winning Student: Drew Edward Levinson
School: Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Nominating Teacher: Lorraine Heidekat
Second Place ($125):
Site: “Save the Strand,” Strand Theater, Zelienople, Butler County
Winning Students:
Bethany Bettencourt
Selena Blair
Michaela Burr
Alex Deep
Connor Domhoff
Tyler Falk
Christian George
Austin Hall
Rachel Hunter
Justin Kording
Morgan Marion
Cole McDonough
Austin Ridgley
Hailey Vey
Chelsea Alberth
Kayla Hart
School: Riverside Middle School
Nominating Teacher: Mrs. Rebecca Erin
Third Place ($75):
Site: Old Indiana County Courthouse, Indiana, Indiana County
Winning Student: Brandon Roudebush
School: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Nominating Teacher: Dr. Erick Lauber
Fourth Place ($50):
Site: The Longwell House, Monongahela, Washington County
Winning Student: Caci Lignelli
School: Ringgold High School
Nominating Teacher: Mr. Don Roberts
YPA Secures Black Opera Company House
Posted On: November 24, 2008
More than 20 volunteers spent three hours cleaning up the abandoned house on Apple Street in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, better known as the first home of the National Negro Opera Company, on Saturday, November 29, 2008.
YPA teamed up with RenewPittsburgh to board up and clean up the 7,000 square-foot Victorian. The board-up/clean-up effort was an important step toward the restoration of the historic house.
In addition to RenewPittsburgh, YPA is grateful to PA State Senator Jim Ferlo and Operation Better Block.
Built in 1894, the house on Apple Street was first purchased by Pittsburgh numbers king Woogie Harris, in 1930. Woogie Harris was the brother of famed photographer Teenie Harris. The house served as the home of the first black opera company in the United States. The NNOC was started by Homestead native Mary Cardwell Dawson in 1941. The NNOC grew to include a number of chapters around the country. First Lady Elanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson were honorary board chairs. Among the people who came through the house include Ahmad Jamal and Lena Horne. The house also hosted a number of Steelers, including Roy Jefferson, John Nesby, and Marvin Woodson, as well as Roberto Clemente.
YPA coordinated the replacement of a state historical marker in 2007 (the original one had been ripped down). That same day, both the Mayor of Pittsburgh and City Council issued proclamations honoring the National Negro Opera Company. The house became a City Historic Landmark in spring 2008 and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
A condemnation notice was issued on November 7, 2008, which inspired YPA to take action to ameliorate the condition. YPA has also established a separate fund for the house’s restoration. Donations can be directed to the YPA NNOC Fund and sent to our Homestead headquarters:
Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh
110 East Eighth Avenue
Homestead, PA 15120
Inquiries can be directed to youngpreservationist@gmail.com
Wheeling Through History A Great Success
Posted On: September 23, 2008
YPA’s Wheeling Through History, held on Saturday, September 20, 2008, was a great success for all who attended. YPA’s core tour, the North Side Tour, was supplemented with two new tours, South Side and Strip District-Lawrenceville.
Cyclists joined YPA, Venture Outdoors, and Rivers of Steel as they embarked on a journey through history on information-age bikes on a sunny, warm Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Visitors were afforded a contemporary view of Pittsburgh’s most historic neighborhoods by neighborhood residents, such as the Neighbors in the Strip, Lawrenceville Historical Society, Rivers of Steel, Mexican War Streets Society, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and the Manchester Historical Society.
Among the responses from tour participants was, “I had no idea! There’s so much history I didn’t know about, and it was so fun to learn.” Another participant said, “I had SUCH a good time! Thanks for putting it together! Would love to bring some folks to take the Wheeling Through History tour… now that I know how absolutely cool it is!”
YPA is grateful to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield for sponsoring the tours. Support also came from City Councilman Patrick Dowd, the Heinz History Center, Rivers of Steel, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. YPA thanks all those who volunteered their time to make the three tours a great success.
City Council Honors YPA
Posted On: September 16, 2008
September 16, 2008. Today, Pittsburgh City Council honored the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh with a Proclamation supporting YPA’s Youth Heritage Festival and Wheeling Through History Bike Tours to be held this fall.
The Proclamation was sponsored by Councilman Patrick Dowd. The Proclamation commends YPA for its “important work in shaping informed, responsible, and active future leaders.”
Accepting the Proclamation on behalf of YPA was YPA’s CEO Dan Holland and intern John Burgess. YPA is grateful to Councilman Dowd, as well as his staff, Elaine Zelmanov and Sean Capperis, who was a YPA intern in 2004 and served on the YPA Board.
YPA-Sponsored Students Visit Fallingwater
Posted On: September 11, 2008
The generosity of Board and Advisory Committee members of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh enabled 9 college students to attend the world-famous house in Fayette County, Fallingwater, on Friday, September 5, 2008, free of charge.
The students represented the following schools: California University of Pennsylvania, Geneva College, Robert Morris University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed masterpiece is a central attraction for rural southwestern Pennsylvania, but few young people get to experience it in this detail.
YPA held a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Fallingwater during an enchanted late summer evening. Guests shared wine, cheese, and good food, as well as a calm dusk tour of the popular house. For this special occasion, photos were allowed inside the house.
YPA invited guest speaker, the Pittsburgh architect, Jerry Morosco, to provide a brief overview of his experience at Wright’s Taliesin. Morosco is the immediate past chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and an accomplished South Side-based preservation architect.
Student Colleen Schmidt of California University of Pennsylvania had this to say about the experience:
“Because of [YPA's] generosity, I was able to experience a truly unforgettable evening at Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater location.”
YPA is grateful to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for co-hosting the event.
More photos here: #mce_temp_url#
2008 Top Ten Report
Posted On: July 23, 2008
YPA released its latest report, “Top Ten Best Preservation Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Area.” The report highlights historic properties in the Pittsburgh region that are good candidates for preservation and reuse. The Top Ten report is released annually. This is the sixth edition.
Read the report here:
How the sites are selected
YPA receives nominations from the public and then scores them according to five criteria: 1) is it 50 years old or older? 2) historic and architectural significance; 3) threats to the site; 4) community input; and 5) feasibility of the solution. YPA places more emphasis on criteria 4 and 5. YPA also adds bonus points for sites located outside of the City of Pittsburgh, located outside Allegheny County, and sites that are in low- and moderate-income or minority communities.
YPA seeks nominations to its 2009 list. Nominations are due on March 20, 2009. Download a nomination form here: