One of the Many Victorian Homes in Oil City
One of the Many Victorian Homes in Oil City
| 9:00-10:30 | “Downtown Oil City” will present the full range of 19th century commercial architecture built in the historic North Side Commercial district from the pioneering 1860’s to three decades later when Oil City achieved its rich Victorian maturity in the 1890’s. Due to fires, floods and eventual great wealth, the early wood framed and clad structures used by the pioneering oil men were replaced by the large stone and brick Italianate commercial palaces symbolizing the institutional permanency of the developed oil industry. Contrasting vividly with the then existing collection of palatial Italianates, the radically different Chicago Commercial Block architecture of the 1890 National Transit Building with its Richardsonian Romanesque influence and the redefined classicism of the 1896 Annex Building gave a unique look to the town. — by Neil McElwee |
| 9:00-10:30 | “The Oil City Library” will be a general discussion of the late 19th and early 20th century library movement in terms of purpose, interior layout and exterior architectural expression as well as financing. A tour of the splendid, gas lit second floor lecture and performance hall, not open to the public, will be part of a general tour of the handsome, century-old Beaux Arts Oil City Library building. — by Lois McElwee |
| 10:45-12:15 | “The Downtown Walking
Tour” will be of interest to students and enthusiasts of both oil history
and architecture. The tour will take you back to the 19th century
when oil came down Oil Creek on flatboats to pass beneath, or wreck into,
the pier of the Center Street Bridge. The tour will start at Creekside
Park and will walk you along the Creek to the Jacob Vandergrift historical
marker where the role of the early Oil City shippers will be discussed.
Back at the corner of Seneca and Center, the 1860’s activities of oil industry
pioneers George Bissell
and Samuel Kier at that location and the later 1860’s Center Street activities of the Pittsburgh refiners – Lockhart & Frew, and the Cleveland refiners – Rockefeller, Andrews and Flagler will be discussed. Naturally, the tales of the fires and floods that swept over the Oil Creek flood plain will be recalled and the architectural development of the various later 19th century buildings will be pointed out. — by Neil McElwee |
| 10:45-12:15 | “Stained Glass Windows and Restoration” — Discover stained glass in its first years through Tiffany to the present. Louis Comfort Tiffany believed each person has his or her own talents and insisted that you should use your own brain and imagination to create beautiful things instead of copying the talents of others. He himself followed this suggestion. As well as being lovely to look at, Tiffany lamps give a pleasing diffused quality to the light. He has left a legacy to technical brilliance and bold originality in the form of decorative art that is increasingly appreciated and rising in value today. You will review the process to making art glass with a slide show and also see an actual stained glass demonstration by Russell Johnson. He will show you the process involved to make a lampshade. — by Russell Johnson and Debbie Neil |
| 12:15-1:30 | “Preservation Through Education” - This lunchtime panel discussion will explore how education can change a community’s sense of historical and architectural values and result in enthusiastic support and assistance, rather than opposition, in pursuing the preservation of a region’s cherished architectural assets, streetscapes and natural venues. — by Dick Castonguay, Neil McElwee, and Ron Shoup |
| 1:30-3:00 | “History of the National Transit Building” will take you from 1890 to 2003 and include information on the architecture of the building and the secession of ownership. At one time, 206 Seneca Street was one of the most well known addresses in the world. The National Transit Building was the first to house companies that used pipelines for the transportation of oil. The tour includes every floor of the main building and the Annex. Special features include three original fireplaces, the restored Great Room on the first floor, initials carved on the original glass of a second floor windowpane, original vault, the ornate entrance, and the Annex elevator featuring the same design as the elevator in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. We will finish the tour in the newly renovated alleyway. Pictures and artifacts of the National Transit Building will also be displayed. – by Jan Beichner |
| 1:30-3:00 | “Researching the History of Your House” — Did you ever wish your Victorian home could “talk” to you? There are many things your home can tell you! Join this two-part seminar discussing information available to you. The first presentation will focus on information contained in records filed at the courthouse. The second part of this seminar will be held at the Venango County courthouse where you will see books containing copies of deeds, mortgages, wills, and marriage licenses that have been recorded by persons who lived in your Victorian home! (Continued at 3:15 at the courthouse in Franklin.) — by Gary Edwards and Elissa Stuttler |
| 3:15-4:45 | “Christ Episcopal
Church,” an 1887 structure, exemplifies early Victorian Anglican Gothic
architecture. Designed by Enoch Curtis, the self-taught architect
who also designed the National Transit Building, the building is widely
recognized by the seven Celtic crosses on its roof and known for its recently
refurbished stained glass windows, which include Tiffany Studios work and
a Louis Comfort Tiffany altar window of Christ’s ascension. In addition
to a brief presentation about the windows, some early photos of the church
will be on display.
— by Mark Elliston, a fifth generation resident of Oil City and a member of Christ Episcopal Church. |
| 3:15-4:45 | “American Victorian Styles” will be a presentation of the formal Victorian architectural styles derived principally from the unique American experience. Included will be regional examples of Stick, Queen Anne, Shingle, Victorian Colonial Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque. Unlike the European derived Victorian architectures: Gothic Revival, Italianate – Italian Renaissance, and the Second Empire, the American Victorian styles reflect this young country’s immediate past and the technology that shaped its fortunes in the 19th century. The American tradition was overwhelmed by the classical revival Beaux Arts and 20th century Neo Classicism. — by Neil McElwee |
| 5:15-6:00 | “A Neighborhood Stroll” A pre-dinner walking tour of a two-block area around the Belles Lettres Club will include stories of West First Street homes and their families. These remarkable homes have long fascinated visitors and residents alike. This brief tour will explore cultural differences of their occupants, success stories in recent rehabilitations, and…regrettably….losses of important homes over the years. — by Bill Bowen (participants will meet at the Belles Lettres Club) |
| Keynote Address After 6:00 Dinner: “Heritage Education: Shaping Our Future With the Past” — Our Commonwealth has a rich heritage of stories from the past that tell the history of our nation. These tales can be discovered in the buildings, artifacts, landscapes and most importantly the people of Pennsylvania. Historical societies, historic preservation initiatives and heritage park programs have played an important role in collecting this information and in ensuring that it will be available to us in the future. Now we must take the critical next step and pass on this legacy to residents, visitors and the next generation. Heritage education is the next frontier, and there is good news to share about innovative regional educational programs across the country. If we take up the challenge, our past can be a path to the future. — by Brenda Barrett, Keynote Speaker |
Oil Creek as it empties into the Allegheny
at Oil City
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