Free Classes for Women at TechShop on March 8

Have you every wanted to try welding? Maybe you have always wanted to learn to build your own furniture or learn to use a 3D printer. If you are a woman in the Pittsburgh area, this is a great opportunity for you to try these classes for free.

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. TechShop is celebrating International Women’s Day by offering FREE classes to all women on Tuesday, March 8th.

TechShop-Womens-day

TechShop is a maker space located in Bakery Square. What’s a maker space you ask? I happen to work at TechShop and while I might not be qualified to use all of the equipment in the shop, I am more than qualified to tell you about all of the things you can do and make at TechShop.

Think of TechShop kind of like a gym or fitness center, instead of treadmills, free weights and an akward area where people are supposed to do situps, TechShop has all kinds of equipment that members can use for making things. Everything from laser cutting machines, to welding, to a woodshop, as well as a large area that is not-so-awkward where everyone can work on projects.

Once you are TechShop member, and you have passed the SBU class (SBU is TechShop speak for safety and basic use), you can come in to use that piece of equipment whenever you want. The SBU classes cost between $50 and $150, so this is not only a great chance to learn a new skill but also to check an SBU off your TechShop bucket list.

Free Classes for Women on March 8 @ TechShop Pittsburgh

Here is the schedule of classes for Tuesday, March 8. You MUST call the front desk (412) 345-7182 or come into the shop to register. The front desk is open from 8:30am to 10pm. The shop is open to members from 8am to 1am.

Interested in learning more about TechShop?

  • Everyone is welcome to stop by the shop for a tour.  Click here to sign up.
  • Friday, March 4 – TechShop Happy Hour from 5pm-8pm. Tickets are $10, or you can enter to win 2 ticket here.
Some related reading on entrepreneurship & makers…

#SaveAlbright Update: Public Hearing on Wednesday 3/2

[TL;DR – Wednesday 3/2 is the public hearing for historic designation for Albright, this could be the last best chance for the public to support saving this 109-year-old historic church in Bloomfield, please sign the petition & attend the public hearing.]

If you had told me a year ago, that I would be a regular attendee of the Historic Review Commission meetings for the City of Pittsburgh, I probably would have laughed out loud. In high school, I had an English teacher tell me I would never write an A paper. So I stopped writing and reading and spent all of my time in math and science. To the surprise of everyone, including our teacher, my team won second place in the Chemistry Olympics. It is still funny to me that I now spend a lot of time writing. And I’ve come to understand that I really love history, especially the industrial history of the City of Pittsburgh. I once, very briefly spent 2 days thinking I would move to Boston for a job. The job wasn’t the right one for me, but I also just couldn’t get into all of the colonial history of New England.

Albright-July-24-2015If you have been a long time reader of IheartPGH and/or a regular follower on Twitter, first of all, thank you, every reader, every comment, like and retweet is way better than an A on an english paper. You may have noticed that I have been writing and tweeting about the Albright United Methodist Church building. This grand old church sits at the corner of S. Graham Street and Centre Avenue (486 S. Graham Street), next to the Wendy’s and the building that now is a mattress store, but if you spent your high school years in Pittsburgh’s East End you are likely to remember it as the other Blockbuster Video.

Last fall, I nominated the Albright Church building for historic designation in the city of Pittsburgh. On February 2nd, the Historic Review Commission met and determined that the nomination will move forward. You can read more about the February 2nd hearing in the Post-Gazette -“Preservation fight begins for Albright United Methodist Church in Bloomfield” (February 4, 2016). Next week is the public hearing on the historic designation for the Albright Church Building.

Take Action to #SaveAlbright

Albright-Public-Hearing

Please help me make sure this building stays in our city for another 110 years by attending the public hearing on Wednesday, March 2, at 12:30 p.m., at 200 Ross St., on the first floor, and by signing the petition showing your support for historic designation of the Albright Church building.

  1. Attend the Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 and voicing your support for historic designation. RSVP & share the Facebook event for the hearing.
  2. Send the Historic Review Commission a letter of support (sample letters and details here).
  3. Sign the petition & share with your friends!http://bit.ly/AlbrightPetition.
  4. Tweet your support – use the #SaveAlbright and please cc @BillPeduto & @DebGrossPGH.

A few reasons Albright Should Receive Historic Designation in the City of Pittsburgh

  • Built in 1906, the Albright church building will turn 110 years old this year.
  • The building was designed by architect Chancey W. Hodgdon.
  • The stained glass windows in the building are one of the best examples and most complete collections of stained glass created by the SS Marshall Glass company, which was located on the North Side.
  • The building located at 486 S. Graham Street has the original corner-stone from the previous church building, which was located downtown before the congregation moved to the East End. These are just a few of the reasons this building should be nominated for historic designation.

More information on the history of the Albright Church building:

  • Read more about the history of the Albright Church building the East Liberty Valley Historic Society’s fall newsletter here.
  • Read the entire historic designation application for the Albright Church building here.

Albright – An Opportunity for Historic Preservation & Community Space

SAVEAlbright-heartI have nominated this building for historic designation because I care deeply about the fabric of our neighborhoods. There was a point in time where these churches were used for much more than a worship space on Sunday mornings. Churches and settlement houses provided activities, meals and services for their members all week long. Many churches offered preschool classes and recreational spaces.  Before we shutter these buildings, and in many cases tear them down, might this be the time to talk about transforming these spaces into third places that continue to provide child care, recreations, or many other things that the community needs today.

The Albright church is technically in Bloomfield, but sits at the intersection where Bloomfield meets Friendship and Shadyside. This is the ideal location for a community space that can serve multiple neighborhoods and populations from students to seniors. We have an exciting opportunity to preserve this building and to transform this space into a space that continues to serve our community.

Some other examples of how churches have been preserved, restored and re-purposed in Pittsburgh area:

  • Union Project – located in Highland Park, this building now houses and arts program, office space and is rented for a variety of community events.
  • Neu Kirche – located in East Deutschtown, this church was built in 1889 and now house a contemporary arts center.
  • Calvary United Methodist Church – the Allegheny Historic Preservation Society is a group of neighbors that has successfully raised millions of dollars to support the preservation and restoration of this church.
  • Mr. Smalls – former church in Millvale has been re-purposedas a music venue that attracts artists from around the globe.

 

2016 Wilkinsburg Vacant Home Tour Planning Meeting

One of the most popular posts here on the blog last spring was about the Wilkinsburg Vacant Home Tour. Blogger Ray Bowman wrote a recap of his visit to the tour here.

I was able to stop by and check out a few of the houses featured on the tour, I was on the fence about the idea of bringing a bunch of people to see vacant homes in Wilkinsburg. I was impressed with many of the efforts behind this event and the amount of history that was shared on each of the properties.

The planning meeting for the 2016 Wilkinsburg Vacant Home Tour is on Thursday, March 3rd from 6-8pm at the PHLF Resource Center located at 744 Rebecca Avenue in Wilkinsburg. 

vacant-home-tour-planning meeting

Historic Preservation & Building Reuse in Pittsburgh

Interested in historic preservation in Pittsburgh? Here are some other links worth a look…

 

 

TUESDAY – City Planning Hosts Community Meeting on Enright Park

Sorry for the last minute post, but just learned about this meeting and wanted to help spread the word.  One of the more interesting discussions about public space in the East End over the past few months has been around the future of the Enright Parklet. A small public park located in East Liberty. Google maps shows that Enright Parklet is in the middle of the Penn Plaza green space, from the street, I am not sure if this space looks very green, so it would be easy to miss this little park if you were just driving down Penn Avenue.

Tonight, Tuesday, February 23, 2016, the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning will host a community meeting on the Enright Park. 

Facebook Event for Enright Park Community Meeting: http://on.fb.me/21dt2OF.

Read more about the community meeting the Post-Gazette here.

For more information on Enright Park check out EnrightPark.org, Save Enright Park on Facebook and follow @EnrightPark on Twitter.

Enright-parklet

Why We Need More Pittsburghers on the Train (and at the Table)

The MTP at the Denver, Colorado Station.

The MTP Train at the Denver, Colorado Station.

All Aboard. This post provides some background on my participation in the Millennial Trains Project and details for the MTP info session which will be held in Pittsburgh on Monday, February 1, 2016 at TechShop. Scroll to the bottom for the info session details.

This is one of my favorite topics to write (and talk about). There is so much more to share about this experience than I can pack into one blog post, each person I met, place I visited and each train car deserves their own post. So I hope this is a start to many more conversations on this topic.

Lets talk about trains, and ideas and Pittsburgh. One of the many valuable things that I have gained from the readers of this blog, was the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Millennial Trains Project in the summer of 2013. Not only was it an incredible personal experience to travel across the US on a vintage train, but it allowed me to bring many ideas back to Pittsburgh and share more of the Pittsburgh story with other leaders. And I am proud to report that we have had a Pittsburgher participate in the Millennial Trains Project each year.

What is the Millennial Trains Project?

Hard to sum up in one sentenance, MTP is a cross-country train trip, where some impressive, creative young leaders spend a week travelling across the country, with an amazing group of mentors, learning about great things happening across the US. Each passenger crowdfunds a project that they work on and research as the train moves from city to city.

A Tale of Two Patrick Dowds & The Generous Readers of IheartPGH

Outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. One of my favorite photos from the trip.

Outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. One of my favorite photos from the trip.

Years ago, I worked on political campaigns, and I had a Google alert set up for pretty much every elected official, including then city-councilman Patrick Dowd. Most of the time this Google Alert sent me links to a blog of some Canadian man named Patrick Dowd and I started deleting the emails before I read them. One night, I couldn’t sleep and was flipping through all of the emails in the not-so-important email file and I saw an article about another Patrick Dowd. Trains Patrick Dowd, had been a Fulbright Scholar in India and had participated in the Jagriti Yatra, a cross country train trip in India. Trains Patrick returned to the US and wanted to create a cross country train trip here. Even better, the first MTP journey was scheduled to stop in Pittsburgh.

I had just a few weeks to crowdfund my project to join the trip. I blogged, I emailed and I Tweeted. Thanks to the generosity of Pittsburghers from across the US, I was able to participate in the first cross-country train trip.

Not only did Pittsburgh make it possible for me to participate in this trip, but many people helped to make the Pittsburgh stop a great experience.  The passengers visited both ThrillMill and TechShop. And a huge thank you to Scott Smith from East End Brewing, who with less than 24 hours notice agreed to host all of the train passengers at the brewery for a happy hour.

Why We Need More Pittsburghers on the Train (and at the Table)

Not only was a cross country train trip via vintage rail and incredible experience, but it was an important learning experience for me that we need to make sure we have more Pittsburghers at the table telling the stories of this city to other young and not so young leaders. I wrote an essay titled “Five Things I Brought Back From My Cross Country Train Trip” that I shared with those who donated to my crowdfunding campaign.

Here are the highlights and you can read the entire essay here.

  1. Pittsburgh Needs More Third Places
  2. Innovation Beyond Startups
  3. The Value of Breaking Good Bread Together
  4. Lets Talk About Leadership Training
  5. Pittsburghers Need to Talk about Pittsburgh, Outside of Pittsburgh

I hope you will take the time to read the whole essay and I welcome your thoughts and feedback in the comments on the page.

The MTP 2016 Trip Starts in Pittsburgh

An exciting opportunity to show off our city to an incredible group of “passengers” from around the globe, in 2016 MTP will run two trips, one of which will start in Pittsburgh!

mtp-2106

MTP Pittsburgh Info Session – Monday, February 1, 2016 @ TechShop

MTP-2016I will be joining Matt Verlinich & Catherine Tsavalas who have also been passengers on the Millennial Trains Project at TechShop on Monday for an information session about the trip. Please come and learn more about how you can participate in the 2016 trip.

I am committeed to helping other Pittsburghers who want to participate crowdfund for their trips.

If you are not able to attend, but have questions, please feel free to send me an email lindsay – at -IheartPGH.com and I would be happy to help.

MTP Information Session
Monday, February 1, 2016
6:30-8:30pm
TechShop Pittsburgh, 192 Bakery Square Blvd. 15206
Please RSVP here. Facebook Event page here.

Applications are open now and close when enough people have reached their crowdfunding goal or April 15.

Arriving in Pittsburgh by Train

One of the most iconic, well at least my favorite views of Pittsburgh, is coming into the city from the airport, the view of the city unfolding as you come through the tunnel. I have on more than one occasion, driven through the tunnel and been so captivated by the lights of everything, that I immediately change course and drive to Mt. Washington to take a photo.

So, the day that the MTP train was scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh, I set my alarm to wake up and see what the city looks like when you arrive by train. I know that I won’t often be coming into the city by rail and wanted to see what it looks like.

Here is the video of what Pittsburgh looks like when you arrive by rail.