Mexican War Street Expansion
Mexican War Streets Historic District Expansion Court Determination and Order
A recent court decision overturned the Pittsburgh City Council 2013 denial of the Mexican War Streets Historic District expansion. On October 24, 2019, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ordered that the Mexican War Streets Historic District Expansion be put into effect. The City filed a Petition for Allowance of Appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which was denied on April 21, 2020. The City has exhausted all legal remedies.
A timeline of the events that led to this decision is available here.
The Court decisions are available here:
A map of the boundary expansion is available here. View the interactive map in fullscreen here.
Virtual Public Meeting
The Department of City Planning hosted a virtual meeting regarding the expansion on Monday, June 15, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. The City presented the history of nomination, public hearings, and court processes; discussed how this affects property owners and provided options on moving forward; and held a Q&A session following the presentation.
If you were unable to participate or watch the meeting live, the recording is posted here for viewing now. A list of questions and answers from the meeting is available here.
How This Affects Residents
Due to the historic district requirements, all exterior alterations to the designated building(s) – alterations that are visible from a public street or way – must be reviewed and approved by the Historic Review Commission before they may take place. Please note that the Commission does not review interior alterations, nor does it review proposed uses for properties. Its jurisdiction is limited to the external appearance of structures and includes proposals for additions to buildings or for their relocation or demolition.
When reviewing applications for exterior changes, the Historic Review Commission will reference the Mexican War Streets Guidelines to determine the appropriateness of the proposed changes. These standards are available here.
A frequently asked questions handout is available here.
Additional information on the City's Historic Presevation program and how to apply for work to a historic property is available here.
