Preservation Opportunities

The architecture committee of the SVHS introduced a new category highlighting the historic architectural inventory of the Sewickley Valley in 2022.

Preservation Opportunities serve to elevate the importance of buildings, features, monuments, and spaces at risk of significant deterioration, demolition, or neglect. Scroll down to view our inaugural list of preservation opportunities, sites which exhibit the potential for preservation and community engagement.

Below are the Preservation Opportunities presented by the SVHS Architecture Committee for 2023 - 2024.Visit often to learn updates on their preservation status.

The first school building of St. James Parish was dedicated in 1913, with an enrollment of 80 students. The three-story, late nineteenth-century Gothic mansion on Broad Street was purchased from David C. Herbst. A bell and tower to complete the school house were added to the house, but have since been removed. The building was later used as a convent. The new St. James school was dedicated in 1954.

- Herbst House/St. James Convent history, October 2013 SVHS Signals Newsletter

7/14/2022 Update about the Herbst House:

https://triblive.com/local/sewickley/historic-herbst-house-in-sewickley-may-be-coming-down/

7/27/2022 SVHS Response: 

https://triblive.com/local/sewickley/letter-to-the-editor-preserve-the-herbst-house/

8/4/2022 Sewickley Herald Update:

https://triblive.com/local/sewickley/sewickley-historic-review-commission-denies-request-for-demolition-of-old-mansion-by-a-parish/

8/7/2022 Pittsburgh Post Gazette: 

https://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2022/08/07/herbst-house-demolition-sewickley-mansion-divine-redeemer-parish-st-james/stories/202208050102

 9/15/2022 Sewickley Herald: 

https://triblive.com/local/sewickley/sewickley-officials-once-again-delay-taking-action-on-parish-demolition-request-plan-structural-study-of-herbst-house/

9/15/2022 Pittsburgh's Channel 11/WPXI:

 https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/fate-historic-church-building-sewickley-hangs-balance/FDWVFEDV55EL3NPMBCQ7GA6NMI/ 

 4/12/2022 Sewickley Herald:

https://triblive.com/community/sewickley/sewickley-council-denies-request-to-demolish-historic-herbst-house/7863df254f2227c537d20335ab82197d/

 4/12/2022 Pittsburgh Union Progress:

https://www.unionprogress.com/2023/04/12/sewickley-herbst-house-avoids-demolition-at-hands-of-parish/ 

At first glance, a single building within a community may suggest a random or isolated structure, but under broader scrutiny a more robust story can emerge. Located along Beaver Road, the Blacksmith's House (1823) and Miller's House (1856) were once a part of Newington, a bustling rural estate and vital source of supplies and communication for pioneer residents as well as travelers between Pittsburgh and Beaver. To learn more about these properties, please visit the page dedicated to SVHS' response to Sewickley Academy's potential development of the sites. 

Designed in 1903 by nationally significant architects Alden & Harlow, the future of "Muottas" continues to be unresolved. Moved from its original hilltop site overlooking the Ohio River, it's now owned by Quaker Valley School District, part of property proposed for a new high school.