Classroom

Fort Duquesne was known for the strategic location in which it was place, it could govern all three rivers, and thats why it was such a focal point of the war.&lt;sub&gt;1&nbsp;&lt;/sub&gt;The French were forced from the region during the Battle of Fort Duquesne in the fall of 1758. The French repulsed the initial attack but were deserted by their Native allies and forced to retreat. Before they did so, they destroyed the fort. The British took control of the area in the wake of the French retreat and constructed a much larger fort (Fort Pitt) on the same site.

In 1958, the Fort Duquesne stamp was released in Pittsburgh. This marked 200 years after the fort was burned and abandoned by the French at the juncture of the three rivers.

The fort was built buy the French in 1754 at the site where the Allegheny and Monogahela river meet and turn into the Ohio River. The French occupied the fort during the first years of the French and Indian War.

Fort Duquesne

This walking tour starts at Point State Park and heads west through the heart of downtown Pittsburgh with stops at many of the historical markers and landmark buildings along the way. The tour also includes several museums and cultural sites. Enjoy!

Point State Park is a representation of the modernization and beautification of the city of Pittsburgh post-World War II. The National Historic Landmark is located at the tip of the “Golden Triangle” where the Alleghany, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers converge. As steel corporations continued to power the city, leaders realized the critical need to clean up the environment. The massive steel production had been collectively degrading the environment for many years, creating a dense smoke that hovered above the city. It was at this point in 1943 that city planners and civic leaders worked together to create an adequate infrastructure and restore the city.As the war continued, these leaders began to focus more attention on the future of the “Smokey City”. The Alleghany Conference on Community Development, led by Richard K. Mellon, consisted of one hundred and fifty community leaders with goals of developing a plan for the city. Between 1945 and 1947, the state legislation decided to allow the conference to begin the renewal of Pittsburgh. Architects, such as Robert Moses, worked together to create a plan that would highlight the geographical and historical significance of the Point in which they would rejuvenate the city. So, in the 1940s, these people rallied together to transform the busy industrial area. In 1946, the city began purchasing land that would cost them nearly $8 million. Altogether, one-hundred thirty-three properties were purchased, totaling to sixty acres that would soon be used to urbanize Pittsburgh. Thirty-six of the sixty acres were used to create Point State Park. Demolition began on May 18, 1950, and by late-1954, the area was filled with green space. In August of 1974, Point State Park officially opened, becoming the focal point of Pittsburgh.Placed at the very tip of the park stands the grand fountain with a basin of two hundred feet. The fountain is driven by three 250-horsepowered pumps, propelling 800,000 gallons of water nearly 150 feet into the air.&nbsp; Surprisingly, the fountain does not accumulate water from any of the three rivers surrounding the area, but from a glacial aquifer located below the fountain known as Pittsburgh's "fourth river." The water is accessed through a 54-foot well. It is known as "Pittsburgh's Front Door," because it’s the first thing that catches the eye of visitors as they arrive from the Fort Pitt Tunnel or the West End. Today, the fountain is a major tourist attraction for festivals and recreation. Many events are held, such as regattas, concerts, sporting events, and city celebrations. &nbsp;&nbsp;

As World War II contributed to the mass steel production of Pittsburgh, the city became a “commercial slum” throughout the 1940s. However, city leaders came together to modernize the area and make their city beautiful again. The creation of Point State Park in 1974 is one of the many projects during this period of urbanization that helped transform the city. 


Point State Park

The various European fortifications constructed at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers played a key role in colonial and international relations in the eighteenth century. The first such construction, the French Fort Duquesne built in 1754, prompted the expedition under Virginia militia colonel George Washington that set the Seven Years’ War in motion the same year with the Battle of Jumonville Glen. It was also the target of the ill-fated Braddock Expedition under British General Edward Braddock, who fell along with almost five hundred of his men at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755. After Duquesne finally fell to British forces under General John Forbes in 1758 the victors constructed new fortifications from 1759 to 1761 and named them Fort Pitt after Prime Minister William Pitt. The new Fort Pitt took the form of the popular pentagram shape of the eighteenth century, with bastions at the five star-point corners to enable defenders to rain enfilading cannon fire down on attackers.Fort Pitt played a key role in British colonial expansion over the remainder of Britain’s rule on the eastern seaboard of North America. Its position on the Forks of the Ohio at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers allowed British forces to command the most important trade and travel routes in the region, connecting the eastern seaboard and the St. Lawrence River Valley with the trans-Appalachian West. Its prominence also made it a magnet for Native activities of a military, economic, and diplomatic nature. It almost immediately became a target for anti-colonial indigenous forces after the Seven Year’s War ended, with a coalition of Native fighters under the Seneca leader Guyasuta besieging the fort in 1763 as part of Pontiac’s War. When Native efforts to drive British forces from the French holdings they had taken over in the Seven Years’ War failed during Pontiac’s War, they turned to trade and diplomacy. Fort Pitt soon became a frequent stop for indigenous visitors, who entered the British fortifications secure in the knowledge that they could obtain manufactured European goods there at more or less reasonable prices compared to those offered by traveling traders. When the American War for Independence broke out in 1775 Fort Pitt rose even further in prominence in the region, with agents for the new United States Congress treating continuously with Native representatives throughout the conflict. Most notably, Congressional Indian agent George Morgan and the Delaware leader Koquethagechton (White Eyes) negotiated the 1778 Treaty of Fort Pitt at the location, which included a stipulation for the creation of an indigenous state in the new nation that would receive full Congressional representation. With the United States’ effective boundaries beginning to expand after they gained their independence in 1783, Fort Pitt’s importance as a border fortification gradually declined. The US Army decommissioned it in 1797 and over the next century and a half the city of Pittsburgh grew to replace it. Part of the original structure, a brick redoubt called the Blockhouse built in 1764, remains to this day under the operation of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is the oldest building west of the Allegheny Mountains. The rest was excavated by archaeologists in the early twentieth century and part of the foundations of the fort were rebuilt during the construction of Point State Park. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission operated the rebuilt fort as a museum starting in 1969, but the site began gradually to fall into disrepair due to budget constraints and other factors. The trenches surrounding the fort long served as temporary shelter for individuals experiencing houselessness and graffiti, debris, and litter were common sights outside the museum. When the museum faced bankruptcy in 2009, the Heinz History Center purchased and began operating it as part of its larger museum system in the area. The state of Pennsylvania has also done much to renovate Point State Park and the parts of the museum under the auspices of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources starting in 2006. The museum offers two permanent exhibits. The first covers the daily life of the 18th century residents of the upper-Ohio River Valley and features a diorama, fur trader's cabin, a replica cannon, and soldier's barracks. The second exhibit, "Fort Pitt: Keystone of the Frontier," includes two audio-visual presentations on the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution, dioramas of the various iterations of forts that occupied the Point, and numerous artifacts that deal with 18th century diplomacy, war, and trade. The museum also offers living history events on summer weekends that demonstrate the proper way to load and fire a musket, 18th century music played by the museum's own fife and drum corps, and the firing of a British Light six-pounder cannon. Finally, also located at the museum is the original blockhouse or redoubt that was built in 1764. It is thought that this is the oldest surviving building is all of Western Pennsylvania.The Fort Pitt Museum is a living reminder that the city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania were built on a history of colonial expansion and European-Indian relations. Its rise and fall in prominence follow the progression of the United States as it grew westward and came into conflict with indigenous communities in North America. Today, it plays a key role in Pittsburgh’s historical community and represents important connection to the region’s past. Anyone interested in that past may visit the museum from 10 AM to 5 PM on a daily basis.

The Fort Pitt Museum is an indoor/outdoor facility located in Point State Park at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers where the Ohio River forms. First opened in 1969, the museum is a recreation of the original Fort Pitt constructed by British forces during the Seven Years’ War in 1758 alongside the nearby outline of the French Fort Duquesne that remains in existence by the museum today. Although initially operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the site has been under the purview of the Heinz History Center since its bankruptcy and sale in 2009. In both iterations, the Fort Pitt Museum has testified to the integral role colonial expansion and European-Indian relations played in Pittsburgh’s history. Anyone interested in that history can visit the museum during its regular operating hours from 10 AM to 5 PM daily.

Fort Pitt Museum

The Burke Building
is nothing if not a survivor.&nbsp; This
is due to the fact that the building has survived numerous and varied threats
to its existence.&nbsp; Firstly, it survived
the Great Fire of 1845 which torched over 1,000 buildings in the downtown area.&nbsp; It then survived not one, but two urban
renewal projects known as Renaissance I (1946-1973) and Renaissance II
(1973-present).&nbsp; Part of Renaissance II
included the construction of the massive glass and steel complex, PPG Place,
right next door to the Burke Building in 1984.&nbsp; And while the complex abuts the Burke Building,&nbsp;it survived&nbsp;demolition yet again.&nbsp;
The two buildings, side-by-side and separated by 150 years and 600 feet
in height, provide a sharp contrast between modern and mid-19th
century architecture and technology.

The building
has undergone two periods of renovation and refurbishment.&nbsp; The first occurred after a 1900 fire caused
moderate damage to the interior and the other in 1996 after it was purchased by
the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.&nbsp; However,
certain elements of the original building remain, to include its central
staircase, much of its pine, tulip tree and white oak plank flooring and
rafters, tin ceilings in some of the rooms, interior pocket shutters on the
front windows and a unique double-door safe on the second floor. 

While it’s
not known exactly how many and what types of businesses have occupied the Burke
Building over the years, it is known to have been home to a daguerreian (early
photography) shop, an art studio, an insurance agency, a barber shop and a
restaurant which closed in 1990.&nbsp; It then
sat vacant until purchased by the Western PA Conservancy in 1996.&nbsp; The conservancy then spent the better part of
a year renovating the builing and converting it into an LEED green
building.&nbsp; The conservancy sold the
building to Burke Building Enterprises in 2010, but not before granting an
easment to the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation to ensure its
preservation.&nbsp;

The Burke Building, built in 1836, is Pittsburgh’s oldest surviving office building and is surpassed in age by only the Fort Pitt Blockhouse (1764).  This three-story, five-bay, Greek Revival building was designed by English architect John Chislett for attorneys Robert and Andrew Burke.  It has since hosted numerous businesses, the last being the headquarters of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy which vacated the building in 2007.  It was designated as a Pittsburgh Historic Landmark in 1970, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and is part of the city’s Market Square Historic District.

Burke Building

The bank,
originally known as the Pittsburgh Dollar Savings Institution, was founded by
Charles Colton in 1855 and rented space along 4th Avenue.&nbsp; Colton’s goal was to create a savings and
investment institution for the city’s working class which was experiencing a
tremendous growth rate at the time and by all accounts, he was successful in
this endeavor.&nbsp; He later changed the name
to the Dollar Savings Bank in 1858 and it has remained such ever since.&nbsp; Plans for the building began as the Civil War
ended in 1865 and lots were purchased between Wood and Smithfield Streets for
$12,000.&nbsp; The bank hired architect Isaac
Hobbs from Philadelphia to design an ornate building that would inspire
confidence among its patrons and construction on his design began in 1869.

The original
building, prior to expansion, was built using 14,000 tons of Connecticut
brownstone, pink granite from Massachusetts and Black and white marble for the
interior flooring.&nbsp; The most prominent
features of Hobbs’ building are its four massive Corinthian columnns, its large
entryway and the lions.&nbsp; Dollar Bank
contracted with sculptor Max Kohler to carve two lions to sit at the entrance
of the bank to serve as ornamental guardians of the people’s money.&nbsp; Kohler then sculpted each lion, one couchant
and the other recumbent, from single blocks of brownstone. &nbsp;As for the original lions, they were shipped
off to Ohio in 2009 for restoration and now reside within the bank, safe from
the ravages of the elements.&nbsp; The lions
that currently sit at the bank’s entrance were carved by Nicolas Fairplay and
are exact replicas of the originals.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The bank’s Victorian
interior features a grand central room that measures 38 x 60 feet with a
soaring 30-foot ceiling, complete with large chandelier and a diagonal Black
and white floor pattern.&nbsp; It also
encompasses a large, rectangular teller counter.&nbsp; A $37,000 board room and executive offices
were added in 1896 and east and west wings, designed by Pittsburgh architect
James Steen were added in 1906.&nbsp; The bank
also houses the Dollar Bank Heritage Center which displays antique banking
machines, examples of vintage Dollar Bank advertising through the years, portraits
of former bank officers and trustees, and original hand-written bank ledgers
complete with authentic signatures of early depositors.&nbsp; The Center also provides examples of how
Dollar Bank has contributed to and invested in various local communities since
its inception.&nbsp;

Completed in 1871 and located in downtown Pittsburgh, the Dollar Savings Bank Building is still the Pennsylvania headquarters for the venerable bank.  Construction on the Beaux Arts style building was delayed by the Civil War and the lack of building materials afterwards.  The Dollar Savings Bank, which was founded in 1855, began construction on their building in 1869 at the corner of 4th Avenue and Smithfield Streets in Pittsburgh’s financial district and expanded the building in 1906.  The building was designated a Pittsburgh landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 1970 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.      

Dollar Savings Bank Building, Pittsburgh

Founded in 1865 by English Methodist pastor William Booth in London, the Salvation Army is an intentional non-profit organization and part of the Protestant Christian Church with the mission to bring salvation and assistance to poor, marginalized, and under accommodated individuals without discrimination. After leaving the traditional concept of preaching at a church pulpit, Booth began preaching to the homeless and the destitute in the streets of London and training evangelists throughout England to help spread Christianity and provide amenities to the less fortunate. Reaching over 1,000 volunteers, Booth originally penned the name of the organization as "The Christian Mission," but later changed it to "Salvation Army." Booth and his volunteers, known as Salvationists, expanded their message internationally. With the help of a young protege of Booth, Eliza Shirley and Booth's daughter and the fourth general of the Salvation Army, Evangeline Booth, the Salvation Army reached to the United States, and the women spread the word about the organization's services and goals. Today, the Salvation Army continues to serve people in over 100 countries.In 1924, local architect Thomas Pringle constructed the Salvation Army Building in a Late Gothic Revival style. The 10-story building originally served as a recreational and residential space for veterans coming back from WWI, the homeless, and the poor. The building originally housed several amenities for both the residents and the employees, such as dormitories, a swimming pool, laundry rooms, an auditorium, storage and basement space, kitchen, and a dining room.Later, in 1927, the Evangeline Residence for Young Women was added onto the Salvation Army Building for young professional women in the Pittsburgh area. With its 180 rooms implemented into the building, the residence offered young, working women without housing a place to stay and its services. The residence was different than other non-profit social organizations during the time because the residence offered housing to both women in need and women who are working with full-time careers or are studying at school. The Evangeline Residence for Young Women operated for a 30-year span, however in 1981, the residence closed due to a financial loss, which left long-time residents displaced without a home. The part of the building was utilized as an emergency center for families in crisis.The building continued to be the headquarters for the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania until in 2008, the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania move its operations to a two-story office building in Carnegie Park. Later in 2014, the Green Realty Holdings purchased the former Salvation Army Building for $2.8 million dollars. In 2016, the former Salvation Army Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its contributes of providing amenities as a charitable social service institution for member people in need within the Pittsburgh area. In 2017, the building was renovated and redeveloped into the Distrikt Hotel. The hotel has 186 rooms, including restaurants, bars, dining lodges, business center, a fitness center, valet parking, and limousine service. One of the bars is named Evangeline, a historical reference to Evangeline Booth, the women who helped developed the history behind the building.

Constructed in 1924, this downtown Pittsburgh building served as the headquarters for the Salvation Army branch of Western Pennsylvania for many decades and has recently been repurposed as a hotel. Throughout the 20th century, the building had multiple functions as a residential and recreational space for veterans of World War I, temporary quarters for visitors and newcomers, and a place of refuge for the poor and homeless citizens within the Pittsburgh area. Throughout its time as the Salvation Army Building, the building also had another section called the Evangeline Residence for Young Women. Named after the fourth general of the Salvation Army and the daughter of William Booth, Evangeline Booth, the residence gave accommodations for young, professional women. However, this residential area for women closed in 1981 due to funding, a situation that led to the displacement of many women. In 2008, the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania relocated its headquarters to Carnegie. In 2016, the former Salvation Army Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its contribution to the Pittsburgh community. In 2017, the building was renovated and redeveloped into the Distrikt Hotel. 

The Salvation Army Building, Pittsburgh (Distrikt Hotel)

The
Allegheny County Courthouse is actually the third one to grace the Pittsburgh
cityscape.&nbsp; The first was a wooden
structure built in 1794 and the second, sturdier courthouse was severely
damaged by fire in 1882 and soon after razed.&nbsp;
The county then requested designs for a new courthouse and Richardson’s
submission was selected in 1883.&nbsp;
Construction on the new courthouse began in 1884, at the same location
as the old, and was completed in 1888 (the jail was finished in 1886) at a cost
of over $2 million.&nbsp; Unfortunately,
Richardson, who died in 1886, was not around to see the completion of what he
considered to be his finest design.

The
courthouse features grand, marble staircases, one of which spans four interior
stories, large frescos on the walls and ceilings, arched windows and doorways, and
ornate woodwork throughout.&nbsp; Richardson
also included a five-story spire that towers over the building proper and was
designed to house archival records.&nbsp; The
building’s interior courtyard was designed to permit light and fresh air to
reach the interior offices and was, for a time, converted into a parking
lot.&nbsp; It was restored in the late 1970s
and now contains a central fountain.

The Courthouse
is connected to the Old Jail via a pedestrian walkway modeled after the Venetian
Bridge of Sighs and goes by the same name.&nbsp;
It was used to securely transport prisoners from the jail to court
appearances and vice versa.&nbsp; The Old Jail
was replaced with a modern facility on Second Avenue in 1995.&nbsp; The Old Jail has been converted into the juvenile and family sections of the Common Pleas Court.

The
courthouse has undergone numerous alterations over the years with the most noticeable
being the removal of the large, exterior stairway, at the main entrance, to
allow for the widening of Grant Street in 1928.&nbsp;&nbsp; Visitors now enter the courthouse via the
basement which is far from Richardson’s original design.&nbsp; Many of the courtroom’s high ceilings have
been lowered to accommodate modern conveniences, such as air conditioning.&nbsp; In 2013, the county executive announced restoration
and fund raising plans for the courthouse.&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Designed by renowned American architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, the Allegheny County Courthouse was completed in 1888.  Built around an interior courtyard, the five-story building was constructed with rusticated granite blocks that meld Syrian, Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles…what has become known as “Richardson Romanesque.”  The buildings convey a sense of simplicity, dignity and strength and while the courthouse is still in use, the Old Jail is no longer used as an incarceration facility.  Both were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as National Historic Landmarks in 1976.

Allegheny County Courthouse and Old Jail

During the French and Indian War, in 1758, Major James Grant's force, which was part of a larger British force led by General John Forbes was ordered to scout the area around the French Fort Duquesne. On September 14 of that year, Grant made the fateful decision to attack the fort with his force of 850 British and Colonial soldiers. The combined force of French and Indian soldiers, led by Francios-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery, quckly surrounded and overwhelmed the outnumbered forces of Major Grant.Grant himself was captured (and later released) and his forces suffered over 340 casualties.  Grant's remaining force then retreated back to Fort Ligonier. As for the French, Lignery soon realized the size and strength of Forbes' army and decided discretion was the better part of valor. He had his force burn Fort Duquesne to the ground and left the upper Ohio Valley for the safety of French controlled Canada in November of 1758. The British quickly occupied the land, rebuilt the fort, renamed it Fort Pitt (after the British Prime Minister) and established the town of Pittsburgh.

"Despite orders to avoid an engagement with the French, Major James Grant and his force of Scottish Highlanders attempted a brazen frontal attack on Fort Duquesne on September 14, 1758. To Grant’s surprise, French troops and Indian warriors poured out of the fort and surrounded the British on a nearby hill. More than half of Grant’s 850 troops were killed or captured." The historic marker is located on the corner of the Allegheny County Courthouse, at the corner of Grant Street and Fifth Avenue.

Site of Battle of Fort Duquesne, September 14, 1758

In the late
19th century, Pittsburgh’s downtown area continued its
transformation from a residential center to an industrial and business hub.&nbsp; As a result, the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Pittsburgh decided to relocate its mother church from downtown to the growing
suburbs, in this case, the Oakland neighborhood.&nbsp; It then sold the land occupied by its
original church to Henry Clay Frick.&nbsp;
Frick then used part of the acquired land to build an 11-story building
that included 240 shops and galleries on its first four floors and office space
on the remaining levels.&nbsp; The remaining
space is now home to the William Penn Hotel.&nbsp;


Frick
employed Frederick Osterling as the architect and he designed a distinctive
structure in the Flemish-Gothic style.&nbsp;
The exterior of the square building (it measures 255 feet x 255 feet) features
a mansard roof with terra cotta dormers and, in a nod to the Catholic church that
once occupied the space, two short towers on its roof that resemble church
spires.&nbsp; Inside, Osterling centered the 517,000
square-foot structure around a 150-foot rotunda that is capped with a large circular
stained-glass window.&nbsp; It features marble
floors, mosaic tile ceilings, additional stained-glass windows at both main
entrances on Grant Street and 5th Avenue, a 400-seat theater and two
massive vaults, one with a 55-ton door, in its basement.

The building
was sold to the Union Trust Company in 1923 and its first four floors were
remodeled.&nbsp; It has been known as the Union
Trust Building ever since.&nbsp; It was then
sold to the one-time owner of the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Penguins,
Ed DeBartolo Sr. in 1983 and then to the California based Mika Realty Group in
2008 for $24.1 million.&nbsp; The building was
then largely abandoned for a time until it was sold at a sheriff’s auction to
the Boston based real estate and development firm, Davis Companies, for $14
million in 2014.&nbsp; 

The building
then went through a 2-year, $100 million renovation, to include the addition of
a 190-space subterranean parking garage, a fitness center, conference room for
up to 75, and a reception room that can seat 100.&nbsp; In addition, the exterior façade was cleaned
and restored as was the building’s roof, elevators and 10th floor
theater while over 50 exterior terra cotta pieces were replaced using original
molds found in the basement.&nbsp; Finally,
large 10’ x 34’ photographic collages of Pittsburgh’s cityscape have been added
at various public spaces within the building.&nbsp;
The lower floors still house retail space to include several
restaurants, while the upper floors remain largely the home of various
corporate offices.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Constructed in 1916 and financed by Henry Frick, one of America's leading industrialists the Union Trust building is an indoor shopping complex and office building that was known as the Union Arcade in its early years. The building was designed by architect and Pittsburgh native Frederick Osterling with a Flemish-Gothic design reminiscent of the Municipal Hall in Leuven, Belgium.  The building is perhaps best known for its twin, chapel-like towers which sit atop its mansard roof.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and designated as a historic site by the Pittsburgh Historic Landmark Foundation in 1968.  Today the Union Trust Building is a mixed-use structure, with retail and office space.

Union Trust Building

With a budget of $6 million, local architects, Benno Jannsen and Franklin Abbott were contracted to design The William Penn Hotel, and the George A. Fuller Company was hired to construct the building. After a year of construction, the William Penn Hotel was open for business. On the opening night of the hotel, the annual Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce Gala was held in the main lobby. Covering approximately half a block of the western section in Mellon Sqaure, newspaper during the time were saying that the hotel was the "grandest hotel in the nation" due to its complex deign and size. Inspired by European architecture, the 23-story building has elements of Gothic Revival, Mediterranean, and Italian Renaissance. With the help of industrial architects, Henry Clay Frick and Joesph Urban, the building had 1600 rooms, a multi-layered lobby, a ballroom, several public rooms, and several dining halls by the late-1920s.Originally, the hotel was originally owned by the Pittsburgh Hotel Company, but in 1928, the hotel was bought by the Eppley Hotel Company. The company then financed the expansion on another block of the eastern section in Mellon Square. However, the Epply Hotel Company lost control of the hotel during the Great Depression, and the Statler Hotel Company was brought in to help the Epply Hotel Company to manage the building from 1940-1951. Eventually, the hotel was later renamed the Penn-Sheraton Hotel after the Sheraton Hotel Company bought the hotel from the Epply hotel Company in 1956, and the deal between the companies went down in history as one of the largest hotel deals in the nation during the the time period. Later in 1968, Sheraton sold the hotel to a group of investors, and they greatly reduced the number of rooms to make new renovations for the building. Later, the Westin Hotel Company was brought in to help manage the building to which the building went under another name change, the Westin William Penn.Among the various changes of ownership and name, the hotel was a favorable hot spot for movie stars, politicians, and socialites to stay, dine, or host events. For example, some of the hotel's presidential guest list included Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. In addition, the hotel was also the site of comedian, Bob Hope's 1934 wedding proposal to American singer and actress, Dolores Reade.In 2001, Omni Hotel and Resorts bought the hotel, and changed its name to its current status, the Omni William Penn Hotel. While the hotel boasted 1600 guest rooms in the 1920s, today the Omni William Penn Hotel has 597 guest rooms and 38 suites, a reflection of the expectations of modern travelers who demand larger rooms and private bathrooms. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 with a nomination that emphasizes both architecture and its status as a Pittsburgh institution and one of the grandest hotels beyond New York City at the time of its completion.

The 23-floor William Penn Hotel was one of the largest hotels in the United States when it was completed in 1916 at the cost of $6 million dollars. The building was designed by local architects, Benno Janssen and Franklin Abbott and constructed by the George A. Fuller Company. The hotel's design is mostly comprised of Gothic Revival, Mediterranean, and Italian Renaissance architectural elements and Art Deco furnishings. Throughout the years, the ownership of the building changed, which led to several name changes including the Penn-Sheraton Hotel and Westin Penn Hotel. The hotel was listed in both the Pittsburgh History and Landmark Foundation in 1972 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Currently, the building is owned by Omni and Hotel Resorts. 

Omni William Penn Hotel (William Penn Hotel)

In the late 1940s, urban planning&nbsp;studies identified the block now containing Mellon Square as one of five locations where the city would&nbsp;construct a parking garage. Not satisfied with just another downtown parking&nbsp;garage, Richard King Mellon envisioned an entirely new project he believed would become a centerpiece of downtown Pittsburgh.In planning two new buildings for Alcoa and U.S. Steel, Mellon envisioned much-needed open space to anchor a major urban commercial, historic, and retail/entertainment district. With the right plans, Mellon saw this space spurring economic development and helping motivate vital businesses to remain in Pittsburgh while also reducing traffic congestion.&nbsp;The Square was designed by the distinguished landscape architecture firm Simonds &amp; Simonds and architects Mitchell &amp; Ritchey. Groundbreaking occurred in 1953 and the Square was dedicated on October 18, 1955. Thousands attended the dedication ceremony and hundreds of thousands of residents and guests annually come to Mellon Square to attend special events or simply enjoy&nbsp;this&nbsp;oasis of beauty and serenity above the din of the city streets. More than 50 years after its dedication, Mellon Square was named one of&nbsp;America’s Ten Great Public Spaces&nbsp;by the American Planning Association. The Square is also listed on the&nbsp;National Register of Historic Places. At the same time, this iconic landmark's luster was showing significant wear and tear because of a lack of resources for maintenance. Corrosion, broken systems, failed drainage infrastructure, and absent or dying trees and shrubs all contributed to Mellon Square's deterioration over time. In&nbsp;2009, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, with a team led by Patricia O’Donnell of Heritage Landscapes, crafted a plan based on historic research and restoration planning to begin a restoration project to return Mellon Square to its intended design. This multi-year plan looked to significantly increase Mellon Square's economic impact to the surrounding area, and restore its vibrancy as a public space.In 2011, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy hosted groundbreaking ceremonies that launched the $10 million restoration of Mellon Square. Included were a new terrace above Smithfield Street that increases usable space by 15%; thousands of new plantings and specially constructed soils to capture rainwater and minimize runoff; and new high-efficiency pumps for the fountains that drastically reduce the park’s consumption of water and electricity. But perhaps most important is the vision to create a long-term maintenance fund, guaranteeing that Mellon Square will never again suffer from a lack of ongoing care.

Mellon Square became the first modern garden plaza to be built atop a parking garage when it opened in 1955. The park remained a vital spot for downtown’s workforce and an increasing number of residents, but began to show signs of deterioration around the turn of the 20th century. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, with $10 million in funding from area foundations, restored Mellon Square between 2009 and 2014. The fundraising effort includes an endowment that will provide permanent funding for future maintenance. 

Mellon Square

Gimbels was a chain of department stores throughout the United States. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1914, Gimbels Department Store was opened to the public. The store was considered a "flagship" store and received nationwide attention However, in the early 1930s, as racial tensions began increasing throughout the nation, it was discovered that the store refused to hire African American women. In 1935, a protest was held by young, African American women. They picketed the store wearing signs that called the store "UN-AMERICAN" and exposed the truth about the stores hiring policies.&nbsp; In 1997, the store, now called the Heinz 57 Center after Gimbels went out of business in the late 1980s, was added to the list of historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.

Gimbels Department Store was a part of the Gimbels chain of department stores from 1914 to the late 1980s. In 1935, the store saw protesters picketing the store for not hiring African Americans. 

Protest Against Gimbels Department Store, 1935 

The Ewart
Building is built on a section of the original Fort Fayette which was built in
1792 as a replacement for Fort Pitt and served to defend Pittsburgh from the
threat posed by Native Americans.&nbsp; Fort
Fayette is perhaps best known as the staging area for the 1803 Lewis and Clark
expedition.&nbsp; It was eventually abandoned
by the army in 1814, near the conclusion of the War of 1812.&nbsp; As the city expanded, lots from the former
fort were sold to local businesses and Sam Ewart purchased several in 1891 and
built his company headquarters at the corner of Liberty Avenue and 7th
Street.&nbsp; The multi-story building, which
was the first to use electricity in the area, is considered by many to be the
earliest example of a modern office building in the city.

The Ewart
Building features many elements of the Richardson Romanesque style, which is
named after one of the most famous architects in American history, Henry Hobson
Richardson, and combines classical and romantic styles.&nbsp; Richardson was born in Louisiana in 1838 and is
responsible for designing some of the nest significant buildings in the country
to include Boston’s Trinity Church and Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County Courthouse.&nbsp; He died in 1886, five years before the Ewart
Building was built.&nbsp; Ewart’s façade is
constructed of rusticated, or rough-hewn, granite and three five-story arches extend
from its two-story base that are capped with a Romanesque arch as are the
individual triple windows on the ninth floor.&nbsp;
Its articulated cornice supports a triangular pediment in its center bay
on which “EWART” is prominently carved.&nbsp; 

The Ewart
family owned the building until 1969.&nbsp; It
was eventually purchased by Matthew and Marion Weisberg sometime during the
following decade and then sat vacant for twenty years, until 1998.&nbsp; During these years of abandonment, it
suffered from neglect until it was purchased by the Rugby Realty Company from
the Byzantine Catholic Archdiocese of Pittsburgh.&nbsp; Rugby Realty, in conjunction with the
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, renovated the old building, which included
removing the heavy layer of soot that had accumulated over the decades while it
stood in the Steel City.&nbsp; They also
modernized the interior to make it more attractive to potential tenants.&nbsp; They were quite successful in that endeavor
as the restored office building was fully occupied by 2000 and is today an
enduring example of a unique, 19th century office building within Pittsburgh’s
downtown and cultural district.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

When the Ewart Building was completed in Pittsburgh in 1891, the nine-story building was one of the tallest in the city.  This office building was constructed by wholesale grocer, Samuel Ewart, along Liberty Avenue and is now squarely in the heart of the city’s cultural district which sprang up around it.  Designed in the Richardson Romanesque architectural style, the building served as the headquarters for Samuel Ewart and Company and was owned by the family until 1969.  Today, it still serves its original purpose as an office building and retail space and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

Ewart Building

Between 1926-1927, James Bly Clark, the vice-president of the Stanley-Clark Motion Picture Company and the founder of the Pittsburgh branch of the firm, financed three million dollars toward the the construction project of the Stanley Theater and Clark Building. Clark contracted Hoffman-Henon, the nation's most predominant architecture firm during the twentieth-century that specialized in constructing movie theaters. In 1928, the construction for both the Stanley Theater and Clark Building were completed and opened for business. The Stanley Theater was operated by both Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and Stanley Warner Theater, a circuit division of Warner Bros. Theaters. The theater was the first Pittsburgh theater to release Warner Bros. films. The Stanley Theater and Clark Building were proven as a revolutionary design because it was one of the first theaters to utilize a more "modernistic" or Art-Deco style. In addition, the design included an office space (the Clark Building), which was a new feature for movie palaces during the time period. In the design, a grand auditorium and lobby, 90 chandeliers, torchieres, and sconces, and 3,800 seats were all incorporated for the theater.During the Great Depression, the theater lifted the spirits of people of Western Pennsylvania because it had a special deal. If moviegoers came before noon, the tickets were only 25 cents instead of the regular price of 65 cents. In addition to movies, the Stanley Theater also featured vaudeville shows and live musical numbers and performances. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the theater hosted some of the biggest names of swing and jazz, such as Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, the Andrew Sisters, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lawrence Welk. However, in 1946, the Stanley Theater ended its stage shows around 1946. The Stanley Theater kept operating as a movie palace, until the theater was purchased and remolded by Cinemette Corporation in 1976. In 1977, DiCesare Engler Productions bought the theater and began hosting rock 'n' roll performances and concerts. Some of the biggest names of rock that performed at the theater include Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, KISS, Queen, the Clash, Prince, the Grateful Dead and Journey.During the DiCesare Engler years, the Stanley Theater was listed by Billboard Magazines as the "Number One Auditorium in the U.S." several times. In 1985, both the Stanley Theater and the Clark Building were listed in the National Register for Historic Places for their Art-Deco design and leading forces of bringing quality entertainment to the Pittsburgh area. In 1987, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust financed $43 million dollars for restoring the theater, converting it into the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. The Benedum Center was purposed to serve as a performing art center where musicals performances are hosted.Today, the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts continues to hold numerous musicals performed by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Some of the shows that were hosted at the Benedum Center included Grease, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cats, The Nutcracker, The Lion King, The Great Gatsby, and Wicked. In addition, The Benedum Center also held some numerous concert performances since its inception, such as David Bowie, Jackson Browne, and Pink Floyd. The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is the sole surviving theater design of Hoffman-Henon, and it is a symbol of both its twentieth-century Art-Deco design and its contributions to Pittsburgh's entertainment history.

Constructed in 1928, the Stanley Theater (later renamed the Benedum Theater) was once the largest movie palace and music hall in Western Pennsylvania. The building was designed by Hoffman-Henon of Philadelphia, one of the nation's leading architectural firms specializing in the design and construction of theaters during the twentieth-century. The Art-Deco design of the Stanley Theater was designed to complement the adjacent Clark Building. This office tower was named in honor of James Bly Clark, a vice-president of the Stanley-Clark Motion Picture Company and the founder of the Pittsburgh branch of the firm. Numerous musical acts performed at the Stanley Theater including Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, the Andrew Sisters, Frank Zappa, the Clash, Prince, and Journey. In 1985, the Stanley Theater and Clark Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as some of the earliest buildings to utilize the Art-Deco design in the region, as well as their significance in the history of Pittsburg. In 1987, renovations were made by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and the building became the Benedum Center for Performing Arts. Today, the Benedum Center holds musicals hosted by the Pittsburgh Civic Live Opera and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Company. 

Benedum Center for Performing Arts (Stanley Theater and Clark Building), Pittsburgh

Although Czech and Slovak immigration to what became the United States began in the earliest years of the European colonization of North America, it would not hit its stride until roughly half a century prior to the outbreak of the First World War. The first wave of Czech immigrants to the United States during this period arrived in the immediate aftermath of the failed Revolutions of 1848, but subsequent and larger waves reached American shores with the lure of cheap land and industrial employment. Slovak immigrants, meanwhile, sought to escape the overpopulation and unemployment at home starting in the 1870s. Concurrently, both ethnic groups (like many in Europe over the course of the nineteenth century) began to embrace a growing sense of national identity at odds with the political aims of their overlords within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Slovaks in Hungary faced an aggressive policy of “Magyarization,” by which government authorities sought to erase their culture and force their adoption of a Hungarian identity that might secure their loyalty to the Empire. Czechs in Bohemia similarly faced Germanization, albeit to a less systematic extent. In response, immigrants from both areas clung more fiercely than ever to their ethnic identities as time went on and, as a result, arrived in the United States as firm nationalists with a drive to oppose Austro-Hungarian rule from afar.This drive coalesced in the early twentieth century with the creation of two separate organizations devoted to the creation of independent nations for Czechs and Slovaks living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first stemmed from a meeting of Slovakian community organizations and newspapers in Pittsburgh on April 4, 1907, which called for a National Slovak Congress and prompted a similar gathering in Cleveland on May 26 that resulted in the foundation of the Slovak League. Secularist Czechs in Chicago formed the second, the Bohemian National Alliance, on September 2, 1914. Although working towards similar ends, the question of how closely they might align themselves with one another remained up for debate. Some in both camps perceived their shared Slavic roots as cause for joining forces in the fight against Austro-Hungarian rule, a fight neither might be capable of winning without the other. Others expressed concern that such a union might threaten the cultural and ethnic independence for which they fought. This was particularly true of many Slovaks, who faced the possibility of minority status in a combined nation with fears born from generations of living under the threat of Magyarization. Any alliance between the two groups would thus hinge upon an agreement by the Czechs to respect Slovak autonomy in any future Czechoslovakian nation. Support for an alliance between the Bohemian National Alliance and Slovak League reached their zenith with the outbreak of World War I. The assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalist Gavirlo Princip not only struck a blow for ethnic nationalism in the Empire, it pulled European Czechs and Slovaks into a military conflict neither group had chosen. With those events in mind, representatives from the Bohemian National Alliance and Slovak League met on October 22-23, 1915 at Bohemian National Hall in Cleveland, Ohio to sign a document that has since come to be known as the Cleveland Agreement. In it the supporters of Czech and Slovakian independence swore to join forces in the struggle for a nation separate from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a nation ruled by democratically elected leaders that would respect Slovak autonomy and culture. The Cleveland Agreement met with widespread approval among Czech and Slovak leaders outside of the United States, chief among them Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (a prominent Czech nationalist and politician with a Slovak mother). Although short on specifics, the Cleveland Agreement provided enough of a foundation for a combined Czechoslovakian independence movement to rise in leaps and bounds as the war progressed. The need for a more detailed agreement between Czech and Slovak nationalist became more and more pressing as it became increasingly apparent that the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its Central Power allies might lose the war. Masaryk in particular had spent much of the war seeking to convince the Entente Powers in Great Britain, France, Russia, and later the United States to support Czechoslovakian independence. He had even gone so far as to aid the Russians in recruiting a Czechoslovakian military unit known as the Czechoslovakian Legion, a unit that would eventually include over 40,000 recruits. Many Czech and Slovak nationalists, including Masaryk, believed that Entente leaders could be convinced to make Czechoslovakian independence a stipulation of any potential peace with the Central Powers as a means of weakening Austro-Hungary in any future conflict. With this thought in mind, a convention between representatives of the Bohemian National Alliance and the Slovak League was called in Pittsburgh to coincide with a visit by Masaryk to that city on Labor Day 1918. After Masaryk’s procession through the city on May 30, 1918 for an estimated crowd of 10,000, the Czech and Slovak representatives met the following day under the auspices of the Czecho-Slovak National Council in America (meant as a US counterpart to a similarly named organization in Europe). Their goal was to create a detailed blueprint for the governing of a combined Czechoslovakian state. If they thought that task would be easy, however, they were quickly disabused of that notion by the activities of Slovak journalist and activist Jozef Hušek. As editor of the Catholic Slovak newspaper Jednota, Hušek had long opposed unity with Czech nationalists since so many were avowed secularists. With Czechoslovakian independence seeming increasingly likely in 1918, however, he had agreed to at least attend the negotiations taking place at Pittsburgh with the understanding that Slovak autonomy would be formally recognized in any final document. Many of those attending, including Masaryk, considered it unwise to enumerate specific Slovak rights in that document and consequently made early drafts deliberately vague when addressing the exact nature of the future relationship between Slovaks and the Czechoslovakian government. When Hušek threatened to withdraw from the proceedings and publicly proclaim his opposition to any agreement that resulted from them, Masaryk agreed to the inclusion of stipulations for a separate government administration, legislative assembly, and courts system in Slovakia as well as acknowledging Slovak as an official language of the future nation. Having reached an accommodation, Hušek and Masaryk both affixed their signatures along with over twenty others that day to a document that has come to be known as the Pittsburgh Agreement. The Pittsburgh Agreement would go on to form the basis for Masaryk’s declaration of Czechoslovakian independence with the support of the Entente Powers in October of 1918. It also formed the basis for the provisional Czechoslovakian Constitution of 1918. Unfortunately for the cause of Czech-Slovak unity, Masaryk renounced the provisions of the Pittsburgh Agreement shortly after his election as the first president of Czechoslovakia in November of 1918. Over the course of his four-term presidency between 1918 and 1935, Masaryk continued to undermine Slovak autonomy. His policies ensured that the nation he helped create would remain united in name only. Slovak opposition to the national Czechoslovakian government only increased as the twentieth century progressed. The Slovak Republic declared its independence from Czechoslovakia with support from Nazi Germany in 1939 and, despite Czechoslovakia’s reunification by the Allied Powers in 1945, support for an independent Slovakian state remained high throughout the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 provided that support with an outlet. After a peaceful series of negotiations between Czech and Slovak leaders over the course of several years, Czechoslovakia was dissolved into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

The historical marker here commemorates the signing of a document known as the “Pittsburgh Agreement” that described the government of a potential Czechoslovakian state should the Czechs and Slovaks achieve independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Signed on May 31, 1918, the Pittsburgh Agreement was the result of decades of resistance to Austro-Hungarian rule in what became Czechoslovakia that culminated after the empire’s defeat in the First World War. The most notable signatory to the document, Czech politician Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, became president of an independent Czechoslovakia shortly thereafter and receives much of the credit for the Pittsburgh Agreement, but it would not have been possible without the cooperation of Slovak activists in the United States like Jozef Hušek as well. Regardless the Pittsburgh Agreement was a foundational document guaranteeing the rights of the Slovak minority in the union with their Czech neighbors and, when those guarantees were not upheld, later became a justification for a division of Czechoslovakia. The historical marker commemorating this event is open to the public twenty-four hours a day.

The Pittsburgh Agreement, May 31, 1918

As
Pittsburgh progressed and expanded into the 20th century its
business district began to transform from a manufacturing and warehouse center
to that of the headquarters and office space for the various companies than
called the city home.&nbsp; To that end,
office buildings became the structure de jour for the times and the Century
Building was no different.&nbsp; The Century
Land Company was headquartered there and opened up the rest of the 68,000
square feet within their building to other tenants.&nbsp; 

The architects
decided upon a Beaux Arts design that was quite popular in the U.S. at the turn
of the century.&nbsp; Derived from the École
des Beaux-Arts school in Paris, the design of the Century Building includes
many of the style’s mainstays, to include ornate cornices, a flat roof,
pilasters, arched windows, and classical details.&nbsp; The narrow building also features a Pompeian
brick and terra-cotta façade and floors four through ten are sandwiched between
its two deep and rich cornices and its numerous windows are separated by four
tall, thin, external pilasters.&nbsp; 

Over the
past 100 years the Century Building saw the cultural district spring up around
it and it eventually became an almost totally free-standing structure with only
a theater complex at its rear.&nbsp; Unfortunately,
the building also fell into a state of disrepair as the 20th century
turned into the 21st.&nbsp; Help
arrived in the form of the collaboration of over 30 corporations, foundations
and individuals who reimaged the venerable building into residential,
commercial and office space.&nbsp; Headed by
the Trek Development Group with designs from Julie Eizenberg and Hank Koning, the Century
Building underwent an $18 million renovation in 2009 which included a total
restoration of the façade and floor-to-ceiling windows with unique copper window
bays.&nbsp; 

The primary
goal of the new Century Building was to provide mixed-income housing for 
Pittsburgh’s working classes and the 61 affordable and workforce units included
in the renovations do just that.&nbsp; The building
now features an open-loop geothermal heating and cooling system, a 2,000
square-foot green roof deck, a fitness facility, community center, and a bright
green bike commuter center created from recycled shipping containers that
affords the building’s residents year-round bicycle storage.&nbsp; The
renovated building has also won numerous awards to include the American
Institute of Architects Pittsburgh Award of Excellence for Historical
Preservation in 2010, the Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Model of Excellence Award
in 2012 and LEED Gold accreditation.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pittsburgh’s twelve-story Century Building was constructed in 1907 by the Century Land Company, hence, its name.  Located in the city’s central business and cultural districts, it served as an office building for the vast majority of its life.  At the time, the Beaux Arts building was one of the taller structures in the city, but as the age of steel dawned, it would soon be dwarfed by buildings around it.  Today, the building houses a first-floor restaurant, two floors of office space and 61 affordable residential lofts.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.  

Century Building

Construction of the Gayety Theater began in 1903 and the theater held its grand opening on Halloween night in 1904. For the first 25 years, the Gayety was one of Pennsylvania's most popular theaters and its stage hosted Vaudeville performances and other touring shows. Between the mid-1890s to the early 1930s, Vaudeville houses were very popular and offered various forms of entertainment with a mixture of comedians, magicians, musicians, acrobats, and dancers. Each individual performance usually lasted for about five to ten minutes during which other performers would change into costumes for their next act. A precursor to the variety shows of the World War II era, vaudeville was known for stars such as Ethel Barymore, Gertrude Lawrence, and Helen Hayes, who each performed here when they came to Pittsburgh. The Gayety was one of the leading theaters in the region and was constructed at a cost of about $130,000. Local citizens spoke with pride about the ornate design of the theater which included stained glass windows, copper cherubs and other statues, imitation gold leaf, and Italian marble covering the plaster columns. Today, the entrance hall includes some of the building's original mosaic tile and fixtures that date back to the earliest years of indoor electric lighting.  By the 1930s, the theater was renamed the Fulton and primarily served as a movie theater. This change was common throughout the United States and reflected the rising popularity of movies that supplanted the more expensive touring stage shows. The theater continued to thrive in the post World War II era, but by the 1960s more residents of the city were attending theaters that were built in residential areas. In 1968, the soon-to-be-classic thriller Night of the Living Dead was filmed in Pittsburgh and held its world premiere at the Fulton. The celebration of the premiere was soon met with increased competition from multi-plexes and the decline of the Fulton. In 1990, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust purchased the theater and began the first of four planned phases of renovation. In 1991, The Fulton was reopened and was unique in the use of the original hemp ropes and sandbags to work the scenery rigging technique until 1999, when the new modern rigging system was installed. In 1995 the Fulton was renamed the Byham Theater in recognition of a gift from William C. and Carolyn M. Byham. The Byham's gift funded the second phase of renovations which included new restrooms, marquee, box office, an elevator, lobby enhancements, and repairs to the building's exterior. The old Fulton marquee was preserved and is now on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. In 1997, the lobby was restored to its original historic appearance complete with cherubs and other furnishings. In 1999, the third phase of renovations took place, which updated the theater rigging system, enlarged the orchestra pit, and allowed for a new heating ventilation and air conditioning system for the entire building. Today, the Byham Theater is home to performances that include concerts, theater, film, dance, and many other events that are held throughout the year. The building is maintained by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust which plans to further restoration efforts while also making improvements in terms of technology and accessibility.

Pittsburgh's Byham Theater was built from 1903 to 1904 and opened as the Gayety Theater. At that time, the Gayety was home to touring Vaudeville performances and its opulent design was a source of pride for local citizens. During the late 1920s and the era of the Great Depression, the theater showed Hollywood films and was renamed the Fulton. Local citizens were usually able to attend screenings of contemporary movies at the Fulton during these years as the cost of showing movies throughout the day was much lower than hosting traveling performers. As movie theaters were constructed in suburban neighborhoods, downtown theaters like the Fulton struggled to stay in business and many of the historic theaters were demolished. The Fulton was saved from this fate thanks to the efforts of preservationists and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust who purchased this theater and restored it to something closer to its original purpose, hosting live performances. The theater was renamed in honor of a leading donor and can be accessed through the Renaissance Hotel.

Byham Theater 

The Fulton
Building served originally as an office building after its completion in 1906
and has housed various businesses since then.&nbsp;
Those businesses include a World War II veteran’s hospital, and a trade
school.&nbsp; However, its most (in)famous
former occupant was a 1980s nightclub called Heaven that specialized in glitter
and drugs.&nbsp; After Heaven closed in 1984,
the Fulton Building hosted a number of nightclubs from the Cotton Club to the Troubadour
and back to Heaven again in 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Fulton
features a 30-foot, 20-ton rotunda which was covered with a rubber material during
World War II as buildings were “Blacked-out.”&nbsp;
That material remained in place for almost 60 years.&nbsp; When the building was renovated at the turn
of the century 300-pounds of coal dust was&nbsp;
removed from the rotunda and all the floors above the lobby were gutted.&nbsp; The workers also removed 300-pound lead
panels from the former hospital’s x-ray lab on the sixth floor. 

Today, as in
years past, the Fulton is best known for a unique architectural feature called
a light well, the seven-story arch carved out of the middle of the
building.&nbsp; It was designed to allow light
and cool river air to reach the interior rooms.&nbsp;
Now, it serves to make the Fulton one of the most recognizable buildings
in Pittsburgh, especially for those sitting in PNC Park just across the
Allegheny River via the Roberto Clemente Bridge.&nbsp;

Located in downtown Pittsburgh, the historic Fulton Building was completed in 1906 and is currently home to the Renaissance Hotel and serves as the entrance to the Byham Theater.  The 13-story building was designed by well-known Pittsburgh architect, Grosvenor Atterbury in a Renaissance Revival style, and funded by prominent industrialist Henry Phipps.  It is named after steam boat inventor Robert Fulton and went through a $45 million renovation prior to the opening of the hotel in 2001.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Fulton Building

From 1880-1925 the Hotel Anderson occupied the space now taken by Heinz Hall.&nbsp; It was replaced by what became Heinz Hall, the Loew's Penn Theatre, in 1927.&nbsp; This grand movie palace, with its marble staircase and 50-foot vaulted Venetian ceiling, remained in operation until 1964 when financial difficulties forced it to close its doors.&nbsp; The Loew's Penn was scheduled to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, but was saved by Henry Heinz and others who saw it as the future home for the Pittsburgh Symphony.The theater then went through a multi-year, $10 million renovation where much was changed except the basic architecture.&nbsp; The two, one-ton chandeliers were rebuilt, the acoustics were improved, 24-carat gold leaf was added, and the back of the building was extended to expand the stage and add dressing rooms.&nbsp; Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts experienced its grand opening in 1971 and became the premier concert hall and showplace in the Pittsburgh area.The 2,675-seat theater&nbsp;underwent further renovations in 1982, when the Heinz Hall Plaza was added, 1995, when a new orchestra shell was built, and again in 2015.&nbsp; It now hosts over 200 performances a year and is still home to the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as the Youth Symphony, the Pittsburgh Broadway Series, and the Pittsburgh Speakers Series.&nbsp;

Centered in downtown Pittsburgh, Heinz Hall is the city’s prime performing arts center and is home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  Owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc., the hall was dedicated in 1971 and was remodeled to its current condition in 1995.  This concert hall has 2,661 seats and hosts several events, in addition to the Pittsburgh Symphony. Heinz Hall has helped foster economic and cultural growth in the downtown Pittsburgh area

Heinz Hall

The narrow
building with the funky exterior was initially known as the Bash Building.&nbsp; It was built for local businessmen Frank
Nicola and Morris Bash in 1913.&nbsp; When the
first floor was renovated in 2008 a sign declaring it the Bash Building caused
some initial confusion until some research solved the mystery.&nbsp; As the building was being constructed, Henry
Buhl purchased the building in August of 1913 and Buhl permitted Bash’s name to
remain until Bash declared bankruptcy in late 1915 or early 1916.&nbsp; The building was then called both Buhl and
Bash, interchangeably, until 1922.

The building’s
architect, Benno Janssen, also designed the Pittsburgh Athletic Association building
(1911), Pitt’s Alumni Hall (1915), the William Penn Hotel (1916), and the
Mellon Institute (1937).&nbsp; He passed in
1964.&nbsp; 

Numerous
businesses have occupied the Buhl’s lower floors, to include a shoe store, an
optician’s office, a candy store and a florist.&nbsp;
The building was purchased by N &amp; P Properties LLC in December 2007
for $1.35 million.&nbsp; Buildings around the
Buhl were demolished in 2008 and the first floor was totally renovated, inside
and out, the same year.&nbsp; A red brick
addition was added to the building in 2009 and the new owners have granted an
easement to the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation that ensures the unique
façade of the building will be preserved in the future.&nbsp;

Built in 1913, the Italianate Buhl Building’s most unique architectural feature is its blue and cream-colored terra cotta tiles that grace its six-story façade.  These tiles run in horizontal and vertical patterns around the Buhl’s many oversized windows.  It was designed by well-known Pittsburgh architect, Benno Janssen, who also designed other famous Pittsburgh landmark buildings.  It now has retail space on the first floor and offices on the remaining floors.  The Buhl Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and placed on the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation list in 1981.  

Downtown Pittsburgh Walking Tour

Fort Duquesne

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources