Heinz Co. Threatens Pittsburgh Historic Site and Business:
The Heinz name is indelibly etched upon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's
historical landscape and it is inextricably linked to the preservation and
promotion of Pittsburgh's history through the Senator John Heinz Regional
History Center, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania's landmark
headquarters. The Heinz company, through its corporate offices, endeavors
to portray itself as a philanthropic entity devoted to the preservation of
history and culture in Pittsburgh and around the world.
The fuzzy public image Heinz issues differs dramatically from its corporate
business practices. Earlier this year, the Heinz company set its sights on
several parcels of land along the Allegheny River, adjacent to its historic
plant and headquarters. The Pittsburgh Wool Company - the last remnant of
Pittsburgh's once thriving leather industry and the last wool pullery in the
Eastern United States - occupies part of the land Heinz wants to acquire.
Rather than negotiate directly with Pittsburgh Wool owner Jeff Kumer (a
third generation wool puller whose family has been affiliated with the
120-year-old business since the first decade of the twentieth century),
Heinz officers approached Pittsburgh mayor Tom Murphy. The mayor's office,
along with the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, have begun proceedings
to have the Pittsburgh Wool property and adjacent tracts declared blighted
so that the city may obtain them through eminent domain proceedings that
will enable Heinz to proceed with its development plan. Heinz bluntly told
the city that it would take its warehouse plans elsewhere if it does not get
the tract.
For those familiar with Pittsburgh's dubious historic preservation track
record, this should come as no surprise. Although the nationally noted
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation has come on board as vocal
advocates for Pittsburgh Wool's preservation, the city - at Heinz's behest -
is proceeding on a fast track to clear the way for the Heinz expansion.
Despite the fact that the Pittsburgh Wool Company has been nominated as a
City Designated Historic Property (the final call is made by Pittsburgh City
Council) and serious questions surrounding the legality of Heinz using the
city's power of eminent domain to acquire the property it wishes, it appears
that the Pittsburgh Wool Company is fighting a losing battle. Furthermore,
because of various federally funded undertakings in its vicinity, the
Pittsburgh Wool Company has been determined eligible for listing in the
National Register of Historic Places (this determination may be useful if it
can be demonstrated that the city's URA is using federal funds in its
condemnation proceedings and in the implementation of its "development
plan").
Now, why should this concern anyone outside of Pittsburgh? Because it shows
how a large corporation (Heinz) can manipulate an economically insecure
local government and threaten unique historic resources. This is not just a
historic preservation issue; true, if the Pittsburgh Wool site is demolished
by this August (as the City of Pittsburgh hopes), the nation will lose an
active anachronistic industry and one of the last survivors of a vanished
sector of the American economy, as well as a remarkably preserved historic
structure. This is also a property rights issue that extends well beyond
the margins of historic preservation.
For more information on the efforts by the Heinz company, through the City
of Pittsburgh, to force Pittsburgh Wool off its property, the Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review has several articles available at their website:
< http://triblive.com/news/pheinz0602.html>
< http://triblive.com/news/pheinz0616.html>
Sometimes public input can make a difference. Although the City of
Pittsburgh doesn't care what folks outside of Pittsburgh think (and,
sometimes they don't care what Pittsburgh residents think -- witness the two
new stadiums under construction), Heinz may be a different matter. Heinz
products are available globally and the corporate image as a friend to
history and culture is one purveyed in all the company's markets. Please
help save Pittsburgh Wool. Write (or call) Pittsburgh city officials and
Heinz corporate offices. A few Pittsburgh historians and preservationists
may not make a difference, but if we can show Heinz that the entire world is
watching (The Associated Press has been covering the issue since I first
issued a news release May 13), they may change their tactics.
Contact Heinz at:
Anthony J.F. O'Reilly, Chairman of the Board
William R. Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer
H.J. Heinz Company
P.O. Box 57
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230-0057
Phone: (412) 456-6014
Contact the City of Pittsburgh:
Tom Murphy, Mayor
Mayor's Office
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
Phone: (412) 255-2626
Fax: (412) 255-2687
Thank you (and sorry for the long advocacy posting).
David S. Rotenstein, Ph.D., RPA
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David S. Rotenstein, Ph.D., RPA
Consulting Historian
Columbia, SC 29201
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://davidsr01.home.mindspring.com
Phone: (803) 376-1442
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