Moon Lorn selected for preservation
Moon Lorn was the longtime residence of the late artist Malcolm Parcell.
Moon Lorn as it appeared in 1993 under the ownership of the Malcolm Parcell Foundation
Moon Lorn’s pulse is picking up.
The broken-down property, the once-idyllic home of internationally renowned artist Malcolm Parcell, has been selected for the 2017 Pennsylvania at Risk list of endangered historic properties.
The decision was announced today by Preservation Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg group that, according to its website, is the “only statewide, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historically and architecturally significant resources.”
Preservation Pennsylvania compiles a list of candidates before making its final choices in early February. The organization chose 11 locations statewide this year, but only three are in Western Pennsylvania. The other two, however, are within 30 miles of Washington: Monessen Savings and Trust and Ekin House in Elizabeth Borough.
The inclusion of Moon Lorn enhances the hopes of local supporters seeking a revival of the 14-acre plot in Prosperity, where Parcell lived and worked for 62 years until his death in 1987 at age 91.
Erin Hammerstedt, preservation services director for the organization, said each selection “helps draw attention to the property and allows us to really dive in to try to find or help implement a solution (to preserve it).”
Sandy Mansmann, coordinator of the Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation, nominated the property for the at-risk list in early November.
Preservation Pennsylvania listed and described the sites, and the main threat facing each, in a news release accompanying the announcement. The threat to Moon Lorn, it said, is “deterioration related to vacancy/disuse and vandalism.”
Moon Lorn has declined in the 2 ½ years it has been unoccupied. Thieves have stolen copper plumbing and wiring, furniture and a stained-glass window. Vandals have broken doors and locks, scrawled graffiti on walls and dumped trash. That prompted the owner, Consol Energy Land Resources Division, to step up security there last fall.
Consol has owned the property since June 2014, when it purchased the land, home, adjacent buildings and mineral rights for $270,000. The Southpointe-based company, which has been transitioning from coal to natural gas in recent years, has done no longwall mining there as previously planned.
The emergence of a buyer, or group of buyers, could be a viable option for reviving Moon Lorn. The preservation group said in its description of the site: “Local advocates hope to work with Consol to save the property.”
One area resident, who asked not to be identified, said he would be interested in buying or becoming caretaker of Moon Lorn, where he also would like to reside and relocate his business. Others also may be interested in the property, which is in south-central Washington County. A small group of supporters met recently in nearby Sycamore, Greene County, to discuss possible options.
Restoring the property to even near its halcyon state would be a challenge requiring time and money. But there is now a stronger case that Moon Lorn deserves the effort. Plus, a remake would be a major boost to the community,
A painter, Parcell crafted a work of art out of the land. He had played there as a kid, usually in an old log cabin, at the beginning of the 20th century. Years later, after establishing himself professionally, Parcell returned to the cabin and used it as a studio. He built room after room and lived there from 1925 until he died.
The Malcolm Parcell Foundation subsequently purchased Moon Lorn, with the intent of preserving the property and using it as a residence/studio for artists. That lasted for about a decade, until the home could no longer attract artists, and the foundation sold to Steven and Rosemary Rosepink in 1999. CONSOL purchased the property from the couple 15 years later.
Monessen Savings and Trust, 500 Donner Ave., faces “demolition following years of vacancy and neglect,” according to Preservation Pennsylvania. The facility, the organization said, “served the banking and business needs of the City of Monessen from 1905-1926 and stands as a living testament to the industrialists that helped shape Monessen and the Pittsburgh region … The City of Monessen owns the property, and City Council is strongly advocating for demolition.”