The South Side Market House was built in the heart of old Birmingham in 1893. The architect was Charles Bickel.
Originally the building was much more elaborate:
However, in 1915, a fire gutted the building, leaving only the outer walls standing.
Mr. Bickel was still alive at the time, but the reconstruction was designed by the city’s own talented Stanley Roush.
This bovine cartouche commemorates the death and resurrection of the South Side Market.
The fire was not the end of the building’s adventures. In 1950, public markets having become obsolete in Pittsburgh, the building was remodeled as a recreation center under the supervision of Button & McLean, who left the exterior almost unchanged from Roush’s 1915 design.
It was refurbished again in 2012 as a “Healthy Active Living Center” for senior citizens. Father Pitt does not yet know who supervised that remodeling, but he would be delighted to hear from anyone who has information.
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