[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ACHIEVES NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK STATUS

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                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 18, 2000

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I inform my colleagues that Emmanuel 
Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA, was recently designated a National 
Historic Landmark.
  In order to be designated at National Historic Landmark, a structure 
must be determined to be ``historically, architecturally, or 
technologically important to the nation as a whole.'' Emmanuel 
Episcopal Church certainly meets this standard.
  Emmanuel Episcopal Church is the last church designated by the famous 
American architect, Richard Henry Hobson Richardson. It is an enduring 
example of his widely acclaimed ``Richardson Romanesque'' style. 
Emmanuel Episcopal Church is the only Richardson-designed church in 
Pennsylvania, and it is one of three striking buildings in Pittsburgh 
that Mr. Richardson designed. Emmanuel Episcopal Church is often 
referred to as Richardson's ``small masterpiece'' because it was built 
on a lot measuring only 50 feet by 100 feet in size. Since Emmanuel 
Episcopal Church was the last church that Mr. Richardson designed, it 
can legitimately claim to be one of the most advanced examples of this 
distinguished architect's singular vision. Mr. Richardson himself 
claimed that his Pittsburgh buildings--Emmanuel Episcopal Church, the 
Allegheny Courthouse, and the Allegheny County Jail--were his best 
work.
  The church was dedicated in 1886 and cost only $12,000 to build, but 
it is characterized by intricate brickwork, a steep slate roof, well-
proportioned windows and doors, and a plain rounded apse. All of the 
buildings' original features--with the exception of its wrought iron 
gas chandeliers, which have been replaced with electric lights--have 
been faithfully preserved.
  I should note that this important accomplishment was primarily the 
result of the efforts of one long-term Pittsburgh resident, Mary Ellen 
Leigh, with the support of Emmanuel's Vicar, the Reverend Don C. Youse, 
Jr., and the church's congregation. I commend her for all of her hard 
work and her dedication to this important project.
  I am pleased that Emmanuel Episcopal Church has been designated a 
National Historic Landmark. It is my hope that this designation will 
help in efforts to preserve this important architectural treasure and 
help to promote the cause of historic preservation in Allegheny County 
and across the country.

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