Chatham University

Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Chatham College Campus Preservation Plan Part 1of 2 (PDF) 58MB

Chatham College Campus Preservation Plan Part 2 of 2 (PDF) 39MB

Founded in 1869 as one of the first liberal arts colleges for women, Chatham University occupies a 32–acre campus comprised primarily of historic estates built by some of Pittsburgh's wealthiest industrialists. Chatham has a longstanding commitment to its landscape, which was certified by the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta as Chatham Arboretum in 1997. Funding will allow the college to undertake a comprehensive preservation plan for the campus.

Historic Designation(s): Woodland Road Historic District containing 9 significant buildings (eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places).

Chatham University received a Getty grant in 2003 for $115,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Background

The school was founded in 1869 as the Pennsylvania Female College and renamed the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1890. Renamed again in 1955 as Chatham College, the school counts environmentalist Rachel Carson among its graduates. The 32-acre campus is comprised primarily of historic estates built by wealthy industrialists, and includes landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Berthold Frosch, and Olmsted Brothers. The American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta certified the campus as Chatham Arboretum in 1997. Since 1997, Chatham received Preservation Awards from Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission for rehabilitation of two mid- to late-nineteenth-century properties: Howe-Childs Gate House as a visitor center; Beatty (or Rea) House for alumnae and development offices.

Planning Process Used

• Assembled an interdisciplinary steering committee of 18 from various college departments: Finance and Administration, Facilities Management, Landscape Architecture, Arts and Design, College Communications, Alumnae Affairs, Library, Archives, Academic Affairs, and Development
• Employed three student interns, particularly to survey and inventory the school’s collection of photographs and architectural drawings
• Consultants created an illustrated school chronology
• Reviewed previous campus master plans and related archival material
• Employed NPS standards and methodologies to assess the significance of each building and landscape area
• Documented and analyzed the historic integrity of significant campus elements
• Consultants made preliminary treatment recommendations to the interdisciplinary committee, including treatment of the campus as a single historic district
• Developed two academic curricula: landscape architecture; preservation in the context of art history
• Committee finalized campus preservation plan
  • Incorporated priorities of the 1997 Campus Master Plan
  • Recognized maintenance needs identified in 2000 Facilities Assessment Survey
• Plan materials provided as a resource to facilities management staff

Outcomes: Products

• Inventory of relevant Chatham College holdings--architectural drawings and photographs--organized by building, landscaping, or planning project
• Inventory of relevant Olmsted Brothers materials in the collection of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• Curricula (course outlines and reading lists) regarding landscape architecture and preservation in the context of art history: Understanding and Planning for the Preservation of Old Buildings; Preparing Cultural Landscape Reports
• Illustrated campus chronology
• Typology of landscape characteristics and associated campus features (noted as contributing or non-contributing)
• Priority preservation actions (with particular focus on the campus’ Mellon Estate)
• General treatment recommendations plus building-specific recommendations
• Recommendation to enhance the content, procedures, and expertise related to the college archives
• Resource list

Outcomes: Plans

• Observation that historic designation would install state or federal oversight for some campus projects but that the campus would also become eligible for Pennsylvania Keystone Preservation Grants supporting historic preservation projects

Outcomes: Policies and Practices

• Recommendation of regular facility assessment and elimination of the maintenance backlog (i.e., financing and budgeting sufficient to eliminate the backlog).
• Recommendation to enhance the content, procedures, and expertise related to the college archives
• Curricula (course outlines and reading lists) regarding landscape architecture and preservation in the context of art history: Understanding and Planning for the Preservation of Old Buildings; Preparing Cultural Landscape Reports

Unique Features

• Issues and guidelines concerning arboreta
• Discussion of the impact of winter salt
• Recommendation to establish a hardware salvage area
• Inclusion of student interns on the project roster
• Observation that historic designation would install state or federal oversight for some campus projects but that the campus would also become eligible for Pennsylvania Keystone Preservation Grants supporting historic preservation projects