Allegheny County Airport Cultural Resource Survey Update

Re-development of the Allegheny County Airport required the evaluation of the historical integrity of 11 buildings that had reached 50 years of age and could potentially qualify for inclusion within the designated Allegheny County Airport Historic District (AGCHD). The airport’s 2008 programmatic agreement stipulates that any buildings that later reached 50 years of age, was built within the period of significance (1931-1973), and possess material integrity be added as contributing resources to the AGCHD. The challenge has been to objectively evaluate the candidacy of 11 buildings while respecting the needs of the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) to re-develop the airport.

Rhea was contracted by McFarland Johnson to update information on the buildings included within the AGCHD. Rhea’s architectural historian reviewed the current condition of the 27 extant buildings identified as contributing resources in 2008 and evaluated the condition of 11 buildings that have reached the age criterion for contribution since 2008.

The objective of this work has been to update the previous architectural surveys, undertaken by Michael Baker International and to evaluate the buildings that reached the age of 50+ years since the preparation of the 2008 PA. These surveys involved evaluating the architectural and material integrity of the structures to determine whether they qualify for inclusion in the AGCHD.

In January 2019, ACAA requested that Rhea specifically evaluate Building 14’s eligibility for the AGCHD. This building had been identified in the draft Master Plan Update and publicly presented as a building that ACAA would like to remove to improve the airport’s utility.

Rhea concluded that two candidate buildings lacked the material integrity required for inclusion in the AGCHD. A third was recommended as non-contributing due to its architectural incompatibility with nearby historic hangars.

Eight buildings were found to be eligible for inclusion in the AGCHD. None of these buildings would individually be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but they contribute to the AGCHD due to their architecture, condition, and date of construction.

Rhea recommended that Building 14 be delisted from the AGCHD due to compromising modifications to its design, its exterior deterioration, its poor structural condition, and the presence of environmental liabilities.

Services: Cultural Resources Management

Industries: Aviation