Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Designed Kendall, Zippo, Fretz buildings Preston Roger Abbey, 90, of 670 East Main St, passed away July 10, 2014 at the Bradford Ecumenical Home following a brief illness. Born on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924 in Smethport, he was a son of William Hugh and Geneva Belle (Owens) Abbey. On June 24 1950 in Port Allegany, he married Lois A. (Hanna) Abbey. Preston graduated from Port Allegany High School and entered the U.S. Marine Corps where he served on the USS Guam during WW2. Upon returning from the War, he studied architecture at Williamsport Community College for two years. After completion, he did an internship with Raymond Hall Archetects. Once Preston passed his architectural boards, he decided to move to Bradford with his young family and worked for Earl Wheeler. He later established Abbey, Hemingway and Coatsworth and in 1980 renamed the firm Preston R. Abbey and Associates Inc. He designed numerous banks, schools, churches, and hospitals. Among his accomplishmen...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s KOA Art Gallery will feature the work of Bradford architect Preston Abbey this month. The show, featuring original drawings of campus buildings as well as landscape paintings by Abbey, will be open Sept. 12-23. The gallery, located in Blaisdell Hall, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays. The show will also be open for those attending Pitt-Bradford’s Arts Endowment Gala Sept. 17 in Blaisdell Hall. After serving in the U.S. Marines during World War II, Abbey returned home to Port Allegany and began an apprenticeship in architecture with Raymond Viner Hall. Abbey would finish his apprenticeship with the Bradford architect Earl Wheeler, who was designing both the Zippo Manufacturing Co.’s headquarters on Barbour Street in Bradford and the new Kendall Refining office building at the time of his death. When Wheeler died, Abbey finished those projects and took over his practice. After designing a dr...