Historic buildings vie for spot in Carnegie Science Center miniature village

Sometimes the smallest things can have a huge impact — just ask the people whose buildings were nominated for inclusion in the Carnegie Science Center’s Miniature Railroad and Village model.

Voting is open once again as the science center looks to add another model to its collection of iconic Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania landmarks.

Nominated this year are Bethel Township High School in Bethel Park, Garards Fort Post Office in Garards Fort and the Andrew Bayne Memorial Library in Bellevue.

Each building’s community members are rallying.

“I’m not gonna lie, we’re campaigning hard,” Ellen Goodman, director of the Andrew Bayne Memorial Library, said. “Everyone in the neighborhood, in general, is just really excited about it.”

How to secure a nomination

There is specific criteria needed to make it on the nomination list. The first is to be noticed by Nikki Wilhelm, manager for the Miniature Railroad and Village.

“This year, I was trying to find buildings that represented local municipal places, institutions that are government-funded and show people how they support and shape communities [and] why these government-funded institutions are important,” Wilhelm said.

Once Wilhelm picks a building, she then submits the proposal to the directors and they approve it.

Because the model railroad itself is more than 100 years old — originating with a man named Charlie Bowdish, who began making the models in 1919 as a hobby before selling them to the Buhl Planetarium, which later merged with the Carnegie Science Center in 1992, as described on the science center’s website — each addition must have historical importance from before 1940.

Andrew Bayne Memorial Library

The Andrew Bayne Memorial Library, built in 1885, was chosen because it began as a Victorian mansion that was gifted to the borough of Bellevue in 1912 by Amanda Bayne Balph, the daughter of Allegheny County Sheriff Andrew Bayne, according to a news release. Then, once the library opened to the public in 1927, roughly 1,000 people applied for a library card.

“Bellevue has undergone huge changes, I’d say, in the past five to 10 years. They’re really reinvigorated. There’s so much energy. And so seeing a Bellevue monument in the model would be huge for Bellevue, and it’s also huge for libraries in general,” Goodman said. “It’s been rough times a bit for libraries right now.”

Goodman said she learned of the library’s nomination through a patron, and since then, they have been posting about the vote on social media and encouraging people to participate.

Garards Fort Post Office

Garards Fort Post Office is known for its small size. The building is only 5 by 10 feet, totaling 165 square feet, and the interior has been untouched for more than 80 years. The post office is the smallest standalone post office in Pennsylvania operating and is only open two hours a day for six days a week, according to the news release.

Wilhelm said that voting for the post office did not pick up until the Carnegie Science Center posted on Facebook about it.

“It got a ton more votes and more people were learning about it,” she said.

No one at the Garards Fort Post Office could be reached for comment.

Bethel Township High School

Bethel Township High School was built in 1905 and was then sold to the Bethel Park Historical Society for $1, Bill Haberthur, the secretary for the Bethel Park Historical Society, said. The building is now home to several tenants, including Schoolhouse Arts Center and Reginald’s Coffee Roasters.

Wilhelm said she frequents Reginald’s and while she was there, she decided to nominate the building to be added to the miniature village.

“I used to go there [Carnegie Science Center] as a kid, and I think everybody within the Pittsburgh community would go to see this train exhibit and to be have our building there would just be like the cherry on top,” Haberthur said.

The vote

The vote runs until July 31.

Each person can vote for their location once a day.

Late afternoon on Friday, over 8,2oo votes had been cast — 51.4 % for the Andrew Bayne Memorial Library, 15.9 % for Garards Fort Post Office and 32.7 % for Bethel Township High School.

To cast a vote, visit the Carnegie Science Center’s website.