Getty grant in action on campus

For months, Seton Hill University (SHU) has been expecting the arrival of surveyors from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF). In July, the Getty Foundation gave a $200,000 Campus Heritage grant to PHLF, which was in turn distributed between SHU and three other schools to assist with historic conservation.

Surveyors have started visiting SHU to create conservation plans that would help the university maintain its historical value while also adjusting to its growth.

By Valerie Masciarelli,

News Editor

For months, Seton Hill University (SHU) has been expecting the arrival of surveyors from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF). In July, the Getty Foundation gave a $200,000 Campus Heritage grant to PHLF, which was in turn distributed between SHU and three other schools to assist with historic conservation.

Surveyors have started visiting SHU to create conservation plans that would help the university maintain its historical value while also adjusting to its growth.

Working on the landscape portion of the program is surveyor Ron Block, of PHLF, who discussed in an email interview some key points that he and his team will consider in their survey.

“It may seem odd to consider landscaping when thinking about preservation. But we are looking at not just the landscaping, but the landscape. This means the setting of the campus, the layout of the buildings, the spaces between the buildings, the views, and the notable trees,” said Block.

“Well-placed and well-tended trees can live for generations, bringing continuity to the landscape,” said Block. However, when trees start to die and require removal, that continuity is broken. Even if a new tree is planted in the place of the old tree, it will still take many years to mature.

For reasons such as this, Block said it is, “crucial to try to look ahead 50 years and see what the landscape might look like and plan accordingly.”

Another surveyor is Tom Keffer, property and construction manager for PHLF, whose role is, “review, assessment, and recommendation for the near term maintenance of the buildings and grounds,” said Keffer in an email interview.

Buildings will be reviewed thoroughly, with special note towards masonry, windows, roofs and any safety concerns that might be observed.

Keffer also takes photographs to review the lighting around campus and makes suggestions about where to add more light, such as in the gardens or around artwork. He encourages students to also look for more ways to brighten up the campus with green energy lighting, he adds.

This will, “reduce costs of energy being consumed on ineffective lighting,” Keffer said.

Some members of SHU’s faculty and students are already getting involved with the Getty program.
Bernadette Fondy, a professor of biology, intends to follow Block around on his next visit to campus to learn a new approach to landscaping.

“I know it from a scientific point of view, but he approaches it from a historical perspective. I just want to learn from him using his point of view,” said Fondy.

Maddie Gillespie, a freshman and a SHU archives work study, helps by searching through old photographs and building records.

“I’m researching the growth of buildings and the development on the Seton Hill campus,” said Gillespie. “The pictures are especially awesome.”

The goal of the surveyors is to create a conservation plan that will aid in SHU’s master plans for growth and development. The suggestions made in the plan are not mandatory, according to Carol Billman, grants writer, but she believes they will be very useful in playing up some of SHU’s unsung qualities.

“We have a lot of really cool things here that a lot of people might not know about,” said Billman.