Introduction – The Borough of Sewickley Historic Buildings Survey
Big Pine Consultants LLC has been leading the charge in advancing historic preservation efforts in Pennsylvania by harnessing the power of technology. Working hand in hand with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA-SHPO) and the Borough of Sewickley, we successfully completed a thorough historic buildings survey documenting 1,764 locations throughout the Borough of Sewickley. Our survey leveraged the PA-SHARE system, including Surveyor Manager and ESRI Survey123, to collect crucial physical and architectural data, as well as photographs of nearly all structures in the borough. The collected data is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping future historic preservation endeavors within the community.
Fieldwork and Data Collection
Big Pine Consultants was the first consultancy in Pennsylvania to utilize a groundbreaking feature in PA-SHARE, pre-populating Survey123 with tax parcel data to streamline the field survey process. This innovative approach, beta-tested by our team in collaboration with PA-SHPO GIS staff, enabled us to efficiently collect the necessary survey data while moving from property to property in a systematic manner. The complete geodatabase, containing detailed information on each property, was delivered to the Borough for further analysis and presentation.
Public Engagement
In addition to our fieldwork, Big Pine Consultants spearheaded online survey initiatives using Survey Monkey to gather valuable insights from the Sewickley community regarding their knowledge, preferences, and aspirations for historic preservation. Having a solid public engagement component as part of any survey is paramount for a successful project. We facilitated two public engagement meetings at the Sewickley Library to discuss our work and gather feedback from local residents. You can read about our work in this Trib Live article.
Project Impact
Our delivery of the geodatabase comprising data on all 1,764 locations throughout the Borough of Sewickley opens up a multitude of possibilities for future historic preservation efforts. The data can be utilized to create interactive web maps with customizable filters based on architectural styles, roofing materials, foundation materials, and more. This information can aid in the establishment of new historic districts and guide architectural decisions to ensure consistency with design guidelines and preservation best practices. Big Pine Consultants eagerly anticipates how the Borough will leverage and showcase the collected data, with recommendations for next steps outlined in our comprehensive report.
Explore Our Services
To learn more about Big Pine Consultants LLC and their work in historic preservation, visit Big Pine Consultants LLC.
For detailed information on our Cultural Resources services, you can explore the Cultural Resources page on our website.
If you would like to reach out to us, please Contact Us today!
