Recent News
- Mifflin Elementary School Dedication
PITTSBURGH, PA – Today at 1:00 p.m., students, teachers, administrators and friends will gather to dedicate the new addition to Mifflin Elementary School. District representatives, school board officials, Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators, and Strada Architecture will give remarks as teachers and students gather inside the new addition around the historic 1932 cast iron bell. There, they will bury a time capsule and hang a special plaque honoring the new addition. Students will also participate in projects throughout the day to commemorate their “Blue and Gold Day” and as well as “Take Your Father to Work” day. As part of the Pittsburgh Public School District, Mifflin Elementary School serves the communities of Hays, Lincoln Place, and New Homestead with 351 students in grades kindergarten through eight. The Mifflin School opened in 1898 in a log farmhouse that was replaced by a wood frame schoolhouse in 1901. In 1929, the school merged with Pittsburgh Public Schools and hired Link, Weber, and Bowers to design a larger building due to overcrowding. This new Art Deco school was completed in 1932 and is recognized as a city and state historic structure. The new addition and renovation of the original historic Art Deco school and 1956 building addition were needed to solve accessibility and space issues. Strada led the programming of the new addition creating accessibility, a new gym, cafeteria, and expanding classroom facilities. John Martine, AIA, principal-in-charge of design at Strada, incorporated elements of both the original art deco building and the “modernist” 1956 structure into the new addition. He preserved the original 1956 entrance and incorporated it into the new interior “street.” Alan Cuteri, AIA, principal-in-charge of the project at Strada, also incorporated green design elements into the new addition. “We used natural light to illuminate the interior spaces and gymnasium, provided natural cooling and ventilation through temperature and humidity relief dampers, and specified long-lasting, maintenance-free building materials.” Michael Stern, principal-in-charge of landscape design at Strada, created a new courtyard in the former service driveway/drop off area and designed new landscaping elements around the addition and entrances. Completed last Fall, the school has already received Historic Preservation Awards from Preservation Pennsylvania and the City of Pittsburgh. The new addition allows the community to use the gymnasium, cafeteria and atrium for sports leagues, meetings, and local events after school hours. More information about Mifflin Elementary School and Pittsburgh Public Schools can be found at http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/Mifflin.asp . Strada, an architecture, interior design, landscape, and urban design firm, is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Strada embraces projects that create places for people including academic buildings, master plans, mixed-use urban developments, corporate offices, and retail spaces.
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