University Times

A strategic piece of property adjoining the Pitt-Titusville campus recently was acquired by UPT for $130,000.

The historic Porter-Westgate house at the corner of East Walnut and North Brown streets is just north of UPT’s Bennett Davis Hall and west of the McKinney Student Union. (See X on map.) There are no plans for new construction on the site, but the property’s location makes it strategic for potential campus expansion.

The purchase was made possible by a gift from longtime UPT benefactor James J. Duratz.

The house, built by oil producer Harvey Benson Porter circa 1876, later was acquired by another oil industry executive, Theodore Westgate. The home is beyond restoration and must be razed, but the lot will be landscaped and reserved for future use, said UPT spokeswoman Katrina Mumford. UPT will place a historical marker on the property and preserve artifacts from the home to be displayed in any future structure that may be built on the site, she said.