FARRELL State board will consider classifying area historical

The state said too many old homes had been razed to consider a second district.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- The city is seeking a historical designation for a two-block area of Shenango Boulevard.
The Pennsylvania State Review Board will consider the Shenango Land Plan Historic District for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places at its March 16 meeting in Harrisburg.
Mayor William Morocco said the city submitted applications for two proposed residential historical districts -- The Shenango Boulevard area and a Wallis Avenue area that at one time had a lot of "company homes."
However, the state said that so many of the Wallis Avenue-area homes have been razed over the years that it wouldn't consider that location, the mayor said.
The state is interested in the Shenango Boulevard area as a historical neighborhood, Morocco said.
The two-block section is bounded by Shenango Boulevard on the east, Park Avenue on west, Buhl Terrace on the north and Farrell Terrace on the south.
What's required
He said the neighborhood must be accepted and listed on the National Register of Historic Places before the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will grant it a Pennsylvania historical designation.
Getting the designation doesn't mean property owners in that area will have to adhere to any strict construction or rehabilitation code, Morocco said.
The designation would assure that any proposed federally assisted project that might affect that neighborhood would first be reviewed by the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
The area would also be eligible for certain federal tax breaks and federal grants for rehabilitation of historical properties, should any federal funds be available for that type of work.
Property owners can choose not to have their property placed on the historical list, he said.
Any property owner opposed to having their property on the list should submit a notarized statement of objection to Jean H. Cutler, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 400 North St., Harrisburg, Pa. 17120, by March 16.