Much needed Freedom Corner restoration coming

Date Published: 
Sunday, October 19, 2014

The engraved names of local civil rights pioneers Vernell Lillie, Aaron Levinson, Nancy Lee and Robert R. Lavelle lay submerged in brackish rainwater that has collected where the stones have cracked and subsided around a clogged drain.

The touch screen for the never-installed computer, which was supposed to display historical information about the site and those honored there, was smashed more than six years ago and remains that way, as does one of the audio speakers mounted on the same kiosk.

Three of the five lights aimed to highlight artist Carlos Peterson's soaring sculpture at night have been smashed more recently, a rock still lying in one, and their broken glass scattered to the far side entrance of the monument where damaged pole lights lean at various angles.

This is the Freedom Corner Monument today. Barely more than a decade after opening, it appears few have cared for it, or about it. But that appears to be changing.

On Oct. 10, monument architect Howard Graves met with Pittsburgh Department of Public Works Project Manager Casimir Pellegrini, and Don McDevitt of Graciano Construction to evaluate the site and determine how to proceed with repairs.

"Our intention is to restore the whole monument; clean and re-point the masonry, polish the metal," said Pellegrini. "We want it to look like it did when it was brand new. This site is too important not to."

Well, perhaps not "brand new," because as Graves recalled, construction on the monument was not complete when it opened in 2001.

"The New Jersey-based company contracted to cut the marble, cut mirror-images of several of the larger pieces. So we had to fight about that until they got it right. It was a nightmare," he said. "Had it had ongoing maintenance, you would see this (level of deterioration). But for a site that's had essentially no maintenance for almost 14 years, it's held up remarkably well."

Initially, maintenance on the site was performed by McCormack Baron, owners of the adjacent Crawford-Roberts development, then afterwards by the Hill Community Development Corporation. In 2003, then Councilman Sala Udin, and Freedom Corner Committee chair, established a $56,500 fund for site maintenance, but never spent any of the money because he said a community group was cleaning the site for free. He never said why the money wasn't spent for repairs.

In 2008, his successor Councilwoman Tonya Payne, moved the money in to the general fund for the council district in order to "make sure that (Udin) doesn't get his grubby paws on it." Two months later she had ownership of the monument property transferred from the Urban Redevelopment Authority to the city.

Since then, maintenance funding has allowed for little more than grounds keeping, sweeping away debris and snow removal. The 2014 budget shows $20,000 allocated as an addendum to the $1.2 million "Land & Buildings" line item for the Bureau of Management and Budget.

There is no such addendum in the newly released 2015 budget, but Pellegrini said that doesn't mean anything.

"I've been told that council will be allocating funds for this work and it could come from any number of funds in different departments, like walls and steps--it has walls and steps--or perhaps Citiparks," he said. "I don't know how much, but then I don't know how much we'll need either. That's why we're here today."

Armed with Graves' original site plan drawings, Pellegrini and McDevitt also noted some deviations during their examination. One difference was the thickness of the engraved paving stones. The drawings list them at two inches thick. They are only one and one-eighth inches thick. Pellegrini said they would review different repair and restoration options before making a cost estimates. As yet, he has no timetable for the project.

(Send comments to cmorrow [at] newpittsburghcourier.com.)

by Christian Morrow of the New Pittsburgh Courier

For further details go to: http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2014/10/19/much-needed-freedom-cor...