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  • Fall Colors in West Park, North Side

    Bridge over Lake Elizabeth
    Lake Elizabeth
    Fall colors
    Bridge over Lake Elizabeth
    Bridge over Lake Elizabeth

    A man who has the geese for his friends fears no enemy.

    Man on bench with geese
    Lake Elizabeth
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Comments
    November 9, 2026
  • River Rescue

    Pittsburgh River Rescue boat
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Near the Sixth Street Bridge.


    Comments
    November 9, 2026
  • Another Visit to St. Joseph’s Church, Manchester

    Cornerstone

    A few more details of this splendid church, built in 1897, which probably will not stand much longer—although the demolition order had been removed from the front door when old Pa Pitt visited most recently. The architect was Frederick Sauer.1 We have many more pictures in an earlier article.

    St. Joseph’s Church
    Tower
    Pinnacles
    Front, with temporary fencing
    Entrance
    Main doors
    Hinge

    If the church is demolished, Father Pitt will buy these hinges. He has no idea where he would put them or even whether he could lift one, but they ought to be preserved.

    Window
    Window
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS; Kodak EasyShare Max Z990.

    Comments
    November 8, 2026
  • Allen Chapel A. M. E. Church, Manchester

    Allen Chapel
    Allen Chapel

    We’ve seen this little church before, where we also learned some of its history, but we need no excuse for seeing it again other than that it is a charming little church with a long history. Built for a Lutheran congregation in 1894, it was sold to the African Methodist Episcopal congregation only eleven years later, and they worshiped here for a century.

    Gable end
    Allen Chapel
    Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR.

    Comments
    November 8, 2026
  • November Colors in the Union Dale Cemetery

    Fall in the Union Dale Cemetery

    November is the month that gives us an excuse to use the word “russet” over and over.

    Deciduous conifer
    Russet oak
    Russet and gold leaves
    Receiving vault

    The receiving vault (now the Columbarium), built in 1878, was designed by Bailey & Anglin, Allegheny architects who designed some important projects in Allegheny and the rest of southwestern Pennsylvania.

    Duncan mausoleum and Brahm obelisk
    Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6; Sony Alpha 3000 with Wirgin Telepar 105mm lens; Kodak EasyShare Max Z990.

    Comments
    One response
    November 7, 2026
  • Three Storefronts on Highland Avenue, East Liberty

    132–128 South Highland Avenue
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Father Pitt’s constant endeavor is to point out the things we never look at and show why they are worth looking at. Here is a row of three small storefronts in East Liberty—a very modest building, but the architect nevertheless strove for an interesting and unusual effect. The shallow arches (we can be fairly sure there were three of them; seams and paler blocks mark where the storefront on the right has been repaired and rebuilt) and stone face give the little building an air of permanence and make the merchants occupying it (currently three different restaurants) seem just a little more opulent than they actually are. Plat maps suggest that it was built in about 1900.


    Comments
    November 7, 2026
  • The Railroad That Cuts Through West Park, North Side

    Fence marking the railroad cut

    One corner of West Park is cut off from the rest by an iron fence. It’s a triumph of landscaping: until you get close to the fence, you can’t see that the reason for the fence is a broad railroad cut, four tracks wide, that slices right across the park. It could have ruined the whole effect of this urban paradise, but instead artistic landscaping has made it picturesque—especially in November, when the long rows of ginkgo trees are shedding their golden leaves.

    Railroad through West Park
    Railroad with Ginkgo leaves
    Ginkgo trees along the railroad cut
    Railroad
    Row of ginkgos along the fence
    Railroad
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Comments
    November 6, 2026
  • Downtown Through the Trees

    Skyline framed by leaves

    Some views from two different divisions of the Union Dale Cemetery.

    Skyline through the trees
    Framed by leaves
    Gulf and U. S. Steel Buildings framed by leaves
    Gulf Building framed by leaves
    Skyline of Pittsburgh through the trees
    Tower at PNC Plaza and One Oxford Center
    One PPG Place
    Skyline of Pittsburgh framed by leaves
    Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6; Sony Alpha 3000 with Wirgin Telepar 105mm lens; Kodak EasyShare Max Z990.

    Comments
    November 6, 2026
  • The Natatorium Building, Renovated

    Natatorium Building
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Last year we saw the Natatorium Building in the middle of a renovation. Now here it is renovated, and looking pretty much the same. The original architect was R. B. Melvin.

    We also have some history of the Natatorium Building.


    Comments
    November 6, 2026
  • November Colors in the South Side Cemetery, Carrick

    Gold and russet leaves with base of monument
    Ginkgo shedding gold leaves
    Ginkgo leaves
    Monuments and trees
    Gold, russet, green
    Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR.

    Comments
    November 5, 2026
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