Friends of the Zeiss                                    

P.O. Box 1041                                                                   

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230-1041 U.S.A.

Telephone: 412-561-7876

Electronic Mail: < friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc >

Internet Web Site: < http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org >

 

2004 December 29

 

Mr. Dale A. Perrett, Director

Department of General Services

City of Pittsburgh

526 City County Building

414 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-2458

 

Dear Mr. Perrett:

 

Under the terms of the Historic Preservation Ordinance of the City of Pittsburgh, this letter is to officially inform you, as Director of the City’s Department of General Services, that Friends of the Zeiss is placing The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, a City-owned building, in nomination to become a City Designated Historic Structure, under the rules governed by the Historic Review Commission of Pittsburgh.

 

On behalf of Friends of the Zeiss, this nomination is being officially entered by Mr. Jon Wilson Smith, who lives in the Banksville section of the City of Pittsburgh (20th Ward). His address is 2533 Dalemount Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15216-2825. Mr. Smith is a lifelong resident of the City of Pittsburgh.

 

Friends of the Zeiss has chosen this time as the best time to proceed with this nomination. The neighboring buildings, the Old Allegheny Post Office and the Allegheny Regional Branch of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (also owned by the City of Pittsburgh), were designated by the City as historic landmarks many years earlier on 1972 December 26 and 1974 March 15, respectively.

 

Although Mr. Glenn A. Walsh first proposed historic designation for Buhl Planetarium in early 1989, the unknown future status of the building, at that time, prevented the actual nomination of the structure. It was not until now, when the status of the building is clear and exterior renovations have been completed, that we believe such a nomination would be accepted by the building owner, the City of Pittsburgh.

 

As a courtesy, Friends of the Zeiss has sent a letter to the current tenant of Buhl Planetarium, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, regarding this nomination. A copy of this letter is attached.

 

Within a week’s time, the nomination application, in its entirety, will be posted on the Friends of the Zeiss Internet web site, for inspection by you and the public. We will transmit to you the appropriate Internet link at that time.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

 

Jon Wilson Smith                                                                                                 Glenn A. Walsh

(Nominator)                                                                                                           Project Director

                                                                                                                                (Application Preparer)

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Attachment

Copy:     Tom Murphy, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh

                Michael D. Eversmeyer, Chairman. Historic Review Commission of Pittsburgh

                Members of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh

                Tom Flaherty, City Controller, City of Pittsburgh