WE PLANT FLOWERS.

WHAT GROWS IS A REVIVAL.

Where preservation, creativity, and education work together to rebuild a town — from the ground up.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

OUR CHALLENGE

A row of old brick buildings with various architectural details, including arched windows, decorative cornices, and a mix of colors from yellow to beige and gray. There are utility wires and traffic signals in the foreground.
Black and white photo of a historic building with a clock on top, labeled 'Monongahela National Bank'. The building features ornate architectural details, columns, and large windows. Two men in suits stand outside, near a sidewalk with some barrels and a coiled hose.

Brownsville helped build America — through river commerce, coal, coke, and steel.

That legacy is not behind us.
It is the foundation for what comes next.

Like many historic towns, Brownsville has faced disinvestment and loss.


Brownsville is not waiting for rescue.
It is rebuilding from within.

OUR RESPONSE

We connect public art, creative placemaking, digital preservation, and education into one community-led renewal effort.

Public Art in Downtown Brownsville PA

Public Art & Placemaking

Murals and creative placemaking reclaim vacant spaces and strengthen civic pride.

Digital Preservation of the Union Station Building Brownsville PA

Digital Preservation

Historic buildings are digitally documented and modeled by students — preserving memory while building real skills.

A person's hands pointing at a street view of buildings on a tablet at a wooden table. On the table, there are a black coffee cup, a takeout coffee cup with a black lid, and three small salt shakers. The tablet screen displays a street with buildings.

Workforce & Technology Pathways

Students gain hands-on experience with advanced tools, building portfolios and pathways into higher education and future careers.

RECOGNITION

Recognition strengthens our ability to invest in Brownsville’s students and public spaces.

A True Champion of Fayette County’s Bright Future - the 2024 Fayette Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit of the Year!

— Muriel Nuttall, Executive Director, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce

Three young people planting flowers outdoors on a sunny day, all wearing purple t-shirts, with a tree, parked cars, and houses in the background.

This is a wonderful example of dynamic architectural thinking and issue-awareness that the profession can bring to our communities. It addresses future and past simultaneously and acts a catalysts for collaboration and visioning with the goal of enriching the community.

- Jury Comments, AIA Pittsburgh, 2021 Social Impact Design Award

A woman in glasses and a purple shirt standing in front of a large map with various colorful markers, pointing at it with her right hand and smiling.

OUR IMPACT

  • A large, historic brick house with a tower, surrounded by trees and a road, rendered with an upside-down color effect.

    35+ ACRES OF HISTORY DIGITALLY PRESERVED

  • Two people, one with short brown hair in sunglasses wearing a purple shirt and the other with gray hair in a black shirt and glasses on his head, are looking at a tablet outdoors near water with boats and a bridge in the background.

    450+ STUDENTS ENGAGED

  • Smiling woman with sunglasses planting red flowers in a garden with another person working nearby.

    10,000+ HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

Four workers in hard hats and masks working on renovation of a building's interior. One worker is on a ladder, others are on the ground near the staircase, which is under construction or demolition.

THE PORTALS PROJECT

Through the Portals Initiative, students use advanced digital tools to document and preserve historic spaces while building workforce-ready skills.

The program connects heritage preservation to real economic pathways — preparing the next generation for careers in technology, design, and cultural tourism.

What began in Brownsville is now recognized nationally — but it remains rooted here.

PRESERVING HISTORY. BUILDING FUTURES.

LEARN ABOUT THE PORTALS INITIATIVE

WHY IT MATTERS

Hands writing on pink and orange sticky notes placed on a digital map of Brownsville, Tennessee, with streets and landmarks visible.

If it can work here, it can work anywhere.

Brownsville is not a case study. It is a town reclaiming its future.

Too many legacy communities are written off as finished.
Brownsville refuses that story.

Here, preservation is not nostalgia. It is students documenting their own history before it disappears.

Public art is not decoration. It is vacant lots becoming gathering spaces.

Education is not abstract. It is hands-on, place-based, and connected to real opportunity.

When neighbors plant flowers, when students model historic buildings, when public spaces fill again — renewal stops being theoretical. It becomes visible.

This is how a town rebuilds from within.

SUPPORTED BY THOSE INVESTING IN BROWNSVILLE’S FUTURE

The Perennial Project is sustained through partnerships with educators, designers, institutions, foundations, technologists, and neighbors who believe Brownsville’s future deserves long-term investment.

Together, they are helping build a new model for community-led revitalization rooted in education, preservation, and public space.

Across education, preservation, technology, and civic leadership, these institutions are helping shape Brownsville’s next chapter.

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

AUTODESK & CASE TECHNOLOGIES

THE BENEDUM FOUNDATION

EQT

FAYETTE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FAYETTE COUNTY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

An elderly man standing on a truck bed, receiving a plant from a man wearing a black shirt with 'Americon Construction' written on the back. The truck bed has flowers and leaves scattered on it, with a background of trees, a bridge, and a cloudy sky.