04/08/2021
Hancock Architecture is honored to once again be a part of a local community project - Irish-Townsend House! Such a beautiful treasure that is waiting to be brought back to its original glory. The New Brighton Historical Society is working hard to raise the funds to move forward with the renovation and can sure use your help! See information below on ways to donate to this valuable community asset.
IRISH-TOWNSEND HOUSE UPDATE
Even though it has been cold, snowy and we all have been impacted by the pandemic a lot has happened at the Irish-Townsend House.
We hired Hancock Architecture to inspect, measure and create initial drawings. These allowed them to create “to-be” pictures. It will be an impressive building when it is restored (see picture). They also prepared a “building code review” that detailed what will be required to obtain the necessary building occupancy permits. It had good news and not so good but suffice it to say all doable.
On New Year’s Eve “day” Arrow Engineering, a structural engineer inspected the House. Arrow is owned by Mike Howell, a New Brighton native. The report they created pointed out several structural issues. They will have to be fixed so we are able to obtain the necessary permits.
Our last hire was Mindy LeBelle, project manager for Christine Davis Consultants. She prepared a Historic Resource Survey. This 60-page report detailed the physical location, the property ownership history, and the rich past of the Irish and Townsend families. The acceptance of this report by the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) is the first step towards listing the House on the National Historic Landmark list. Acceptance also means that we are allowed to apply for state grants. The great news is that SHPO has accepted our application and we are eligible for listing and as important eligible for grants. With that news we applied for a Keystone grant, but won’t hear anything till later in the year.
So, we have actually been very busy during these wintry months and now as spring finally makes itself known we are gearing up for “work” on the IT House. We are creating a list of to-dos that will need volunteer help. Once we have a complete list, we will put the call out for workers. Stay tuned.
A final word, fundraising, don’t stop reading, we know this is a point that people don’t like to discuss, but as of the beginning of March we have raised almost $24,000 of the $75,000 goal, that’s quite an achievement. However, to obtain occupancy permits it will mean we will have to meet that goal and more. We will continue our efforts to solicit funds through many avenues; individual contributions are very important to this effort; if you have already contributed, we thank-you and if you haven’t it’s time to considering helping.
The Irish-Townsend House will be an important asset to New Brighton and the surrounding communities, but it takes energy on all our parts to make that happen.
There are currently 3 ways to donate to the Irish-Townsend House. Please help us out by donating.
1. Here is the Go Fund Me Link to donate
https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/irish-townsend-house-restoration-phase-1
2. If you want to send a check, please make your contribution payable to:
New Brighton Historical Society
P.O. Box 408
New Brighton PA. 15066
3. You can order online at https://www.mycandyfundraiser.com/discount/HISTORICAL Orders must be paid by credit card when ordering. Orders can be shipped to your home or sent as a gift for $9.95. You can also pick up your order at the store for free. Rosalind's will contact you when the order is ready for pick-up, usually 2-4 days. Orders must be placed by March 21, 2021. If the link doesn't work just type the link in your search bar.
When completing the order make sure the discount code HISTORICAL shows on the order. We will not get credit if the discount code is not applied. You do not need to enter a seller name on the order.
If you would like to order but are not comfortable ordering online, you may order directly from the store, Nancy or Lori will take your order at Rosalind's at (724) 843-1144. Make sure you tell them you are ordering for the Historical Society fundraiser.
