The holdup on construction on the entryway to the Marilyn Horne Museum & Exhibit Center has been resolved.
At Tuesday’s meeting, City Council members voted unanimously to award a certificate of appropriateness to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford for construction on the entryway, among other things. Pete Buchheit, director of facilities management for Pitt-Bradford, attended the meeting, but did not address council.
The museum will be in the ground floor of Marilyn Horne Hall, as the Seneca Building has recently been renamed.
In June 2015, the city’s Historical Architectural Review Board had approved a marquee design for the building’s entryway. However, the design was not approved by the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission.
The design was changed, and approved by the PHMC, but was not taken before the city’s HARB for approval before work began. In February, the city’s building inspector, Mike Cleveland, issued a stop-work order until the situation could be resolved.
HARB approved the design change on Feb. 27, but Bradford City Council was not prepared to move forward with the certificate at the meeting on Feb. 28.
The certificate approved indicated Pitt-Bradford has permission to install signage to the front and rear of the building, on the storefront glass of the front and side of the building, and to install a newly designed marquee. The sign on the front will be on the glass above the main entrance, and will reach “Marilyn Horne Hall.” The same name will be on the rear of the building, but will “consist of individual letters adhered to the building’s surface,” the measure passed by council read.
Also at the meeting, council approved a $50,000 revolving loan agreement with HLH Asset Management LTD. Sara Andrews, executive director of the Office of Economic and Community Development, said attorneys Dan Lang and Sean Hvizdzak are purchasing 8, 10 and 16 St. James Place and plan to make site improvements.
“They plan to open offices in the former unemployment office on St. James Place,” she explained.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 28.
