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

 

Ms. Jane Werner, Executive Director

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

10 Children’s Way - Allegheny Square

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212-5250

 

Dear Jane:

 

As a courtesy, this letter is to officially inform the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh that Friends of the Zeiss is placing The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science 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, the 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. You may recall that Mr. Smith was one of the concerned citizens (before the establishment of Friends of the Zeiss) who attended the meeting with you and the Children’s Museum staff in March of 2000.

 

Although Friends of the Zeiss continues to oppose the proposed conversion of the Buhl Planetarium Observatory into a Board Room, this is not the reason for the nomination at this time. Actually, the proposed conversion would be an internal renovation that falls outside of the jurisdiction of the Historical Review Commission, even if historic designation of Buhl Planetarium is approved.

 

Mr. Glenn A. Walsh first proposed historic designation of Buhl Planetarium in early 1989, as the Buhl Planetarium staff and management planned Buhl Planetarium’s 50th anniversary celebration for October of that year. The unknown future status of the building, at that time, prevented the nomination of the structure.

 

It was not until now, when the status of the building is clear and the exterior renovations have been completed, that we believe such a nomination would be accepted by the building owner, the City of Pittsburgh.

 

We, respectfully, ask support of this nomination by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, for the following reasons:

 

1)             External alterations to the Buhl Planetarium building are now complete, and hence, this designation will not adversely affect the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in any way;

2)             The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh publicly acknowledges, through public statements and on their Internet web site, that the Buhl Planetarium is a historic building;

3)             Voluntarily, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh submitted plans for review and public discussion to the Historic Review Commission of Pittsburgh, regarding proposed exterior alterations to The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh for this voluntary action;

4)             For more than twenty years, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has successfully operated another City Designated Historic Structure, the Old Allegheny Post Office;

 

 

Ms. Jane Werner                                  2004 December 29                                                Page 2 of 2

 

 

 

5)             A member of the staff of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation informs us that the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has agreed to mount a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation historic plaque near the original entrance of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. It is our hope that the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh will invite Friends of the Zeiss to the official unveiling of this plaque.

 

Within a week’s time, the nomination application, in its entirety, will be posted on the Internet web site of Friends of the Zeiss, 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)

gaw

 

Copy:     Tom Murphy, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh

                Dale Perrett, Director, Department of General Services, 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

                Larry Berger, Host, Saturday Light Brigade Radio Program