Local Organizations Seek Control of Fort Pitt Museum

The plot thickened today for the embattled Fort Pitt Museum when three different local organizations submitted proposals before State Senator Jim Ferlo and other members of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission (PHMC). The Friends of the Fort Pitt Museum (FFPM), the Heinz History Center and the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Museum (SSMM) are all vying for control of the building, which was recommended to be closed by the PHMC in March. Citizens of the Pittsburgh area also offered their support and suggestions for the continuation of the museum.

FFPM President Donn Neal wants his organization and the PHMC to team up with corporate sponsors to make a “seamless experience” of the Point by operating the park, the blockhouse, and the museum all under the same administration. He says though it may not be the “easy choice,” a public and private ownership would work best. “If the commission agrees, what will emerge by January 2010 is a bold new entity that will coordinate and expand interpretive services at the Forks of the Ohio, develop its own ongoing support, and serve as a model of how a creative public-private partnership can achieve lofty aspirations,” says Neal.

Heinz History Center President Andy Masich says the History Center already has a huge base of visitors, and that this base could easily be shared with the Fort Pitt Museum if it is put under their control. He says his group is in the business of running local museums. “The management of the Fort Pitt Museum seems a logical extension to us of our existing mission, a mission that we’ve been carrying out for 130 years now,” says Masich. History Center spokesman Ray Werner says his organization would place an enormous flag on the museum to increase visibility and would aggressively market the museum to their local customers.

SSMM President Ron Gancas says the problem with the previous administration of the museum was that it needed to be more assertive in its economic dealings. Gancas suggested a new director and a new museum board; despite their mission, he says, museums need to be run as businesses. “Soldiers and Sailors has the experience of going from a government-managed entity to an independent trust. We left Allegheny County December 31st of 1999; we now have 135,000 visitors a year. Our plan could initially save the state $1.5 million over the next five years,” says Gancas. He says that they have the resources available to make the museum succeed, but everyone involved in this process must act quickly.

After the scheduled commentary, Verona resident Doug McGregor revealed an off-beat idea to save the Fort Pitt Museum. He says the museum at Landis Valley, Pennsylvania is a “fabricated site” and should be cut before Fort Pitt and other institutions. “The site was a few barns and old farm equipment put together by collectors,” says McGregor. “Cut Landis Valley and save $1.9 million every year, as well as 32 jobs and our significant history.”

The Bushy Run Battlefield Museum in Harrison City is also up for closure; the hearing for that site will be held at 7 p.m., May 27, at the museum’s location on Route 993 in Penn Township, Westmoreland County.