Sewickley Academy likely to preserve 'Blacksmith's House' in Edgeworth

Sewickley Academy officials have no plans to demolish what is known as the Blacksmith’s House in Edgeworth.

Head of School Ashley Birtwell addressed those concerns, as well as rumors of the nearly one-acre lot at 627 Beaver Road being repurposed as a parking lot, at a borough planning commission meeting Wednesday.

“We’re still exploring options there,” Birtwell said. “We have no plans at this point in time. There are no intentions to take it down (or) remove it.”

The Academy purchased the lot in early April for $825,000, according to the Allegheny County real estate website.

The lot includes a two-story, red brick home with a side porch, as well as a wooden barn and a nearly 40-foot flower bed.

The property is next to Morrow-Pontefract Park and the Quaker Village Shopping Mall, specifically the Heritage Valley Heart and Vascular Center, along Village Drive.

Academy spokeswoman Jennifer Donovan said at the time that the purchase was made because of its proximity to the athletic fields.

She reiterated Birtwell’s comments about the property Thursday afternoon. Donovan said she was unaware of any possible uses for it or its condition.

Edgeworth Manager John Schwend also confirmed no plans have been submitted for the property by the academy, or any development discussions with borough officials.

Jim Miller, Sewickley Academy director of buildings and grounds said at the planning commission meeting evaluations of the property were ongoing.

“We have no intention of doing anything other than trying to figure out how to restore the building for usability sake,” Miller said.

According to Sewickley Historical Society records, the Blacksmith’s House was built in 1823 and part of a 19th century estate known as Newington.

Another piece of the estate was the Miller House, which was built in 1856.

That two-story home sits on another site along Beaver Road owned by Sewickley Academy, Nichols Field.

Nichols Field plans

Updated renovation plans for the field were presented at the planning commission meeting.

Plans include new benches, backstops, batting cages, fencing, synthetic turf for a baseball infield, new baseball and lacrosse scoreboards.

Formal documents are expected to be submitted to the borough by the end of the month so the committee can vote on the proposed project in April. There are no plans to demolish the Miller House.

Mike Cevarr, resident and member of community group Preserve Edgeworth, said they were happy to hear about the homes staying put.

“While we were heartened by Ms. Birtwell’s comments,” Cevarr said, “we await a more affirmative statement that Sewickley Academy is committed to protecting these two historic Edgeworth homes.

“Given that the Miller’s house was slated for demolition, we were encouraged to hear the Sewickley Academy is considering options to make improvements to the structure.

“If they were to destroy either the Miller’s or the Blacksmith’s homes, there would be an uproar in the community, and it would do serious harm to the Academy’s reputation.”

Preserve Edgeworth is a citizen-led group formed when the two homes were threatened with demolition.

More than 150 people purportedly signed a petition in opposition to demolition of these homes last year, Cevarr said.