To all his esteemed readers and correspondents, Father Pitt sends greetings. Out of his unbounded love for the city that bears his name, Father Pitt dedicates this publication to all lovers of beauty and liberty; and, in particular, to the citizens of Pittsburgh, that they may learn to love as he does the beauty that surrounds them and the liberty they enjoy.
“Father Pitt” or “old Pa Pitt” was the universal personification of Pittsburgh for all editorial cartoonists a century ago. The last cartoonist to draw him regularly was Cy Hungerford, who drew the cartoons for the Post-Gazette for fifty years from 1927 to 1977. Father Pitt was always depicted as a gentleman in eighteenth-century garb. For this site, Father Pitt has chosen the depiction by Canfield of the Sun.
Father Pitt has decided to release all his pictures into the public domain with a CC0 public-domain dedication. That means you can use them for any purpose without asking permission, but you can’t hold poor old Pa Pitt responsible for the results. It’s nice to credit “Father Pitt,” but it’s not required. Father Pitt would rather spend his time taking more pictures than trying to enforce copyrights, and he is delighted if the pictures he has already taken are useful.
The tag line “Why should the beautiful die?” comes from a song by Stephen Foster, Pittsburgh’s most famous songwriter: “Ah, May the Red Rose Live Alway.”
69 responses to “About Father Pitt”
I have a group of friends who want to visit “The Ten Most Beautiful Catholic Churches in Pittsburgh” for Mass (I likely have seen the top ten UGLIEST Catholic Churches… Pittsburgh, as I understand it, is something of a “center” for this sort of thing) but I was wondering what your take was on the Top Ten list?
Thanks,
Alan
St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, Butler PA
St. Bernard’s Church, Mt Lebanon, Pittsburgh PA
Sacred Heart, Shadyside, Pittsburgh PA
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg PA
Holy Family, Latrobe PA
St Gertrude’s Church, Vandergrift PA
All Saints, St Michael Parish now, Etna PA
Assumption church in Bellevue Pittsburgh PA
St. Augustine’s Church, Lawrenceville PA
Immaculate Heart of Mary Polish Hill Pittsburgh, PA
St. Stanislaus, Strip Dist, Pittsburgh PA
Agree! Biased, but ut I’d put St B’s at the top.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to ask permission to reprint two of the pictures on your blog. I am the volunteer editor of an antique car-club newsletter. The Antique Automobile Club of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the automobile; we are its Gettysburg (Penna.) region. Our newsletter serves our Gettysburg Region.
The pictures I refer to show wood-block pavement in Shadyside. I am planning an article on this type of pavement for our newsletter, as I came across an old textbook of highway engineering, circa 1914. I was really happy to learn that examples of this type of pavement still exist, and the two pictures you have taken show it very clearly.
The pictures are good; but do you by any chance have the same pictures in higher resolution than those posted in your blog?
This comment was the only way I could find to contact you. Thank you for your consideration.
Old Pa Pitt is always happy to discover that, even at his age (he just turned 250 last month), he can still be of use to honest citizens. He is glad to grant permission to reproduce items from his site to correspondents who ask for it. In many cases, high-resolution image files are available, and Father Pitt simply gives them away to nonprofit organizations. It’s his often-remarked generous nature.
i was wondering if you know anything about a “court” of sorts in dan marino park in oakland… it seems to be for a game that everyone forgot how to play. do you know what the game is? it has a large cement bowl and a donut shaped thing on one side… its really hard to describe but if you’re in the area one day, please give it a look.
thanks!
Father Pitt,
I’m a graduate student collecting images for my professor’s professional publication about livable cities. Could we use the image titled “Victorian street in Manchester.” It was posted on Jan. 23, 2008. If you are not able to grant copyright permission could you please advise me of whom I should speak with. Thank you very much for you assistance.
Sincerely,
Catherine
Old Pa Pitt (whose friend Dr. Boli does all his typing for him) is always happy to help anyone interested in the history of Pittsburgh.
His general policy on reuse of his images is this:
Any photograph on Father Pitt’s site may be used in any not-for-profit publication without prior permission. Please credit the photograph to Christopher Bailey, who is kind enough to allow Father Pitt the use of his images.
Most commercial publications may obtain permission simply by asking for it. Higher-resolution files of many of the photographs are also available.
To remove all ambiguity in this particular case, permission is granted to use the image in the article “Victorian street in Manchester” in your professor’s publication about livable cities.
What a wonderful website – and thanks so much for the Pittsburgh memories.
Hello
I am writing to you as part of the team in the Scottish Government which runs the website http://www.Scotland.org.
As part of our promotion of Robert Burns this month, we are in the process of compiling a map of the earth marked with all the places where Robert Burns statues stand. This animated map will be on our website mentioned above and will remain there indefinitely. We came across your photograph of the statue of Burns in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and with your permission would love to use it on our map. We would of course be more than happy to credit it with your name.
Please let me know if you would be content for the photo to be used on our website.
Thanks and best wishes
Amy Brennan
Father Pitt,
Great photos and editing on your site.
We operate a healthy foods restaurant in Oakland, the Red Oak Cafe. We’re featuring oakland and downtown on two of our walls with walking maps, pictures and points of interest. Could we please use two of your images. yarn graffiti and the market square diamond?
thank you,
Dave
Father Pitt is delighted to be of service, and happily grants permission to use the pictures.
Thank you so much. Is it possible to acquire a high resolution image of these shots?
Hello Father Pitt…I’m trying to get some information on Eberhardt of Eberhardt & Ober Brewery. Do you know which home in Troy Hill that Eberhardt resided in? There is tons of information around on Ober, but not Eberhardt. Any insight would be helpful. Also, was he married, what was her name, are their pictures of her around? Thank you!!!
Father Pitt, I am looking for permission to use your photos of the Highland Building. We are looking for photos prior to the the constrution/renovation so that we can place on walls, etc to see the then and now. IF you happen to have these in a high resolution that would be wonderful. thank you
Father Pitt is happy to help, and higher-resolution files are on their way.
Dr. Boli,
What has happened to Father Pitt? I’ve been attempting to reach him regarding his photos. Do you have his contact information?
Best Regards,
Bob
thank you!!!
Greetings!
I am one of several interns with a company called GTECH Strategies. We are working on a research project in conjunction with the Buhl Foundation to map community assets in the 18 Northside Neighborhoods. The goal is to map assets and identify the interesting places, people, and character of these neighborhoods in order to eventually create trails that would connect these communities and unify the Northside.
Reading through your blog, it seems that you have a lot of knowledge of Pittsburgh, especially about the history and character of places, which is something we are particularly interested in. If possible, we were wondering if one of us could talk with you more, either via email or in person, about some of the interesting places and history of the Northside that you might know of.
You can contact us at onensaim@gmail.com if you are interested. I’ve included two websites that give you a better idea of what we are trying to do.
https://gtechstrategies.org/projects/one-northside-asset-inventory-mapping-aim/
http://www.northsideconversation.org/the_north_side_census
Thanks!
Christine Kuhn
GTECH Intern
Christine,
Did you ever get a response from Father Pitt?
Bob
Hi, thank you for your attention to the fine work of architect William P. Ginther. There is a book published about him (available on Amazon) and I started a Facebook page to prompt further appreciation:
https://www.facebook.com/gintherchurches/?fref=nf
Thank you for your support of architectural heritage!
Father Pitt,
Are you still taking photos of Pittsburgh cemeteries? If so, drop me a line. Love your many wonderful photos.
Bob
All the downtown buildings and yet 416 7th Ave (Bell Telephone) is left out. The 1st section(A Bldg) was built in the late 1800s curved windows and all and three more sections added through out the years up to 1940 I believe. I have somewhere some old pictures with notes you’re welcome to use if you would like. I use to be one of the Building Mechanics there until the idiots kicked us out and replaced us with contractors. I enjoyed working there on the equipment and seeing the bones of the building on my rounds.
Bob Swasey
I would like to offer a correction concerning the Bigham House in Chatham Village. The construction of the house was completed in 1849, and it never was a farm house. Thomas James Bigham was a wealthy lawyer and a politician. His sons (Joel and Kirk) were also lawyers and were active in the construction and operation of the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines. The house was built on property that his wife, Maria Louisa Lewis Bigham, inherited from her ancestor, Major Abraham Kirkpatrick. Major Kirkpatrick was a member of the Continental Army and purchased the property that became Mt. Washington from the descendants of William Penn that was split between Mrs. Bigham and her two sisters, Mrs. Shaler and Mrs. Cowan. The Major was brother-in-law to General Neville and they both upheld federal authority during the Whiskey Rebellion. The descendants of the Bighams sold the property to the Buhl Foundation in the late 1920s due to the burdensome taxes and the construction of Chatham Village began shortly thereafter.
How does one reach Dr. Pitt!?
Father Pitt, please post regularly on Pittsburgh: Off the Beaten Path and Local Curiosities, on Facebook. We love your pictures and research!
Thank you for the information on architect Frederick John Osterling. We lost contact with this branch of the family before the 1949 family genealogy was published. I didn’t even know they had Anglicized the surname.
3 generations of the family emigrated from Hesse-Darmstadt (Germany) to Butler county in 1851 when Fred’s father was 14.
It would be wonderful to include a print quality PDF of your articles on him in our family archive. Would you be willing to provide that? (Since this is something that might be seen generations down the line, it would be nice to include an author bio if that wouldn’t violate your privacy.)
Thank you either way,
Brian McCullough
Hello! I stumbled across your website and have spent hours here! You are a wealth of information! I was trying to find out which Pittsburgh cemetery had the most old statuary such as angels and figures. I am a photographer traveling to the Pittsburgh area this weekend and after seeing your website, you are definitely the expert on the area’s cemeteries and the markers within them!
Thank you for any suggestions that you may have on places to visit,
Amanda
Until I visited this site, at the urging of Dr. Boli, I had assumed that Father Pitt was one of the Good Doctor’s friendly neighborhood Catholic clerics.
Hi Father Pitt,
My name is Jacob Williams. I’m from Allentown Pennsylvania with a family history in Pittsburgh. I moved to this fascinating city in 2018 for school. Since then, I have recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English. In the time I’ve spent in this city I have become enthralled by the amazing architecture and stories within. I recently found your blog and would like to aid your efforts in anyway possible.
Dear Father Pitt – I just came across your story on my converted evangelical mckeesport church.. I had no idea.
Thank you so much!
Sadly I’m struggling with tax liens right now as I have not been able to find an investor for my other church in Pittsburgh Northside St Lukes.. (which you may remember being robbed of 21 windows.) It’s been a tough seven years let me tell you my friend. Watching these beautiful buildings being demolished and the city taking monies for demolition and creating alternative facts regarding is quite sickening to be completely honest. Sadly there is no support for the adaptive reuse of said buildings. As an environmentalist and political activist I find it all disturbing that 100’s Billions of dollars are given in tax exemptions and with dubious religious non profits to embolden white nationalism but no monies available to convert the 8000+ a year abandoned churches. It’s a sad reflection on America.
Regards,
GLEN JACKSON (Owner
https://twitter.com/GlenJackson2023/status/1687781248020643841?s=20
FYI – TV segment on myself and the church post 1st robbery
https://www.wtae.com/article/dozens-of-stained-glass-windows-stolen-from-pittsburgh-churches/9114110
I have a set of playing cards which I believe are old that depicts a lot of Pittsburgh’s history. The joker is a picture of Father Pitt.. any value of this? Found them in a wooden box that looks like a book.
Father Pitt has no idea of the monetary value of the cards. It sounds as though the historical value is very high. And of course he is honored to take his proper place as the joker in the deck.
In your fascinating Car Dealers page, Horst & Mooney may have been a Chev dealer more recently, but it was originally a Packard dealer. Pitt archives has a photo – just search Horst & Mooney.
Meanwhile, I never would have imagined that the bldg at the intersection by Pep Boys that I used to struggle with was a Pierce dealership. I imagine that’s where Henry Hoffstot got his ’31 Pierce that now lives at Clayton.
Hello!
Love your stories. I was trying to find floor plans for Rose Court Condominiums in Mt. Lebanon and was wondering if you could please tell me the source of your information. Thank you very much and keep up the good work! Alex
Good afternoon, Father Pitt,
My name is Donna Perkins and we have a mutual friend in Chip Schwing, and a another point of intersection via Warwick Terrace. I’ve been charged with presenting a brief skit in Opus Dei’s August Open House. The subject matter is an imaginary situation involving a female Heinz family member and Opus Dei’s founder Josemaría Escrivá finding themselves together in the library in Warwick House. Might you be available schedule time to meet or to speak by phone? It would be most helpful in informing my assignment?
Thanks to your generous offer, we’re going to use a couple of your churches of Halsey Wood’s two churches in P’burgh: Ascension and Good Shepherd. Hope our book of Wood will be out early next year.
Dear Father Pitt – I’ve spent hours browsing your wonderful collection of the many architectural wonders in this town that I’ve lived in my whole life, many of which I’d never discovered. Given your depth of knowledge about these things, there is a street in Shadyside I’ve always been fascinated with – the block of row houses on Pierce Street – I wondered if you knew anything about the history.
Where can I locate architectural drawings for a structure built in 1914 in Shadyside. Having these will help with the preservation and maintenance of the building.
Sewickley house: was Henry Gilchrist the architect of the home at 630 Grove street in Sewickley. It was one of the first homes built on the plating of the Elizabeth Grimes properties in 1898. It was built on 4 platted lots running from Grove to Grimes street and originally owned by Margaret Patty.
Movie theaters continued
2009 carson st
was the colonial Movie theater at one time
Became a bingo parlor in the 60s
This is a very interesting and useful website. Thank you for your efforts,
Thanks for this website! I am researching the history of Pierce Street for a talk I will be giving with the East Liberty Valley Historical Society on November 12 at Calvary Episcopal Church on Shady Avenue. I have a lot of information already about this subject and would be happy to discuss it.
How do you get in touch with this Father Pitt? The information posted is not current, therefore incorrect.
Leaving a comment here is the best way to get in touch. If there’s an individual article that needs correcting, leaving a comment at the bottom of that article with the correct information usually gets it corrected within a day. Father Pitt loves corrections.
We’ve sent sent an email to the address you left. Look in your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox, and thank you in advance for any corrections or new information.
Does anyone know how to find from around 1880 where was 22 Everett Street which I believe was in old ward 5. My great grandparents had their home and excavating company there, and a huge number of horses and lots of equipment. We would like to be able to know where this was. Thanks.
Hello, I would like to know how we can have our apartment building in Oakmont, PA, included in the works of Architect Maximilian Nirdlinger. We have articles from The Allegheny Valley Advanced Leader newspaper recognizing him as the architect several times, starting in 1939.
Hi Father Pitt! Do you know anything about the “Ellsworth Mansion” at the corner of Ellsworth and Aiken? I’ve been curious about it for some time and have had no luck finding information about it. Thank you!
How am I just now learning about this site?? This is awesome.
Hi Father Pitt,
I just love your work! Just a quick item to help out. The architect Edward B. Lang should be Edmund B. Lang. In some historical newspaper articles, he was mistakenly listed as Edward. You can find further information on him if you do an internet search or newspaper search of “Edmund B. Lang.” Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much for the correction. Construction listings are notoriously cavalier with names, and old Pa Pitt had settled on the first version of the name he found.
Glad to help! I totally understand as I have run into similar issues with names. Thank you for all of the incredible work that you have done on this website. It is invaluable!
Brandon Smith was my grandfather. I have a rendering of what I believe is the Mount Lebanon Baptist Church (though it is marked as Bartholomew & Smith). I’d be happy to send you a copy of it if you like. For years I’ve wondered if there was a real building connected to it. Good to know there is, sad to learn it’s no longer in use.
Thank you very much for writing. Father Pitt has sent you a message at the email address you left; look for it in your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.
Hi.
I had a question about your photos of Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church, Brighton Heights.
Is this at the intersection of California Ave and Halsey Place?
I have been trying to learn more about the Seventh United Presbyterian Church, under Rev. G. W. MacDonald, during the early 20th Century. I believe this may be the building.
Hope to hear from you!
Thank you for an interesting question. Father Pitt has sent you a detailed message at the email address you left; look in your spam folder if you don‘t see it in your inbox.
To summarize: It turns out that the church that is now Greater Allen was the Eleventh United Presbyterian Church in Allegheny. The Seventh U. P. Church was in a neighborhood that was razed to build the Ohio River Boulevard, so the building no longer exists.
I’ve been trying to find out who the architect was for a few churches in the Pittsburgh area. The first being Islamic Center Of Ambridge – Originally – Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at300 Maplewood Avenue, Ambridge, Pennsylvania 15003. The second one: Saint Thomas The Apostle Parish – Saint Maximilian Kolbe Church – Formerly – Saint Anne Roman Catholic Church at 363 W. 11Th Avenue
Homestead, Pennsylvania 15120. The third one: Kostel Sv Va’clava: Saint Wenceslaus Bohemian Roman Catholic Church at 887 Progress Street ( Main Street When Built )
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fourth: Saint John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church ( Russian Ruthenian Greek Catholic ) Originally Known As St. John Chrysostom Greek Catholic Church at 506 Saline Street, Four Mile Run, Greenfield, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15207
We have answers for three of the churches, and a good guess for the third. A good place to start if you’re looking for the architect of a particular building is at Father Pitt’s Great Big List of Buildings and Architects, which is a great big list of buildings and architects. Admittedly it only scratches the surface, but it already has more than 2400 entries.
1. Holy Trinity (Islamic Center of Ambridge): Unknown so far. Holy Ghost down the street was designed by H. A. Lord.
2. St. Anne’s (St. Maximilian Kolbe): Leo McMullen. Source: “Tremendous Building Program Looms in Pittsburgh Diocese,” Pittsburgh Catholic, March 28, 1946, p. 12. “Homestead, St. Ann’s [sic], Rev. C. J. Hrtanek: Church, school, convent and rectory; Leo A. McMullen; $300,000.” Ground broken 1948; church dedicated July 16, 1950. See parish history.
3. St. Wenceslaus: So far we have not found the architect, but Frederick Sauer designed the school and convent, and he is a top suspect for the church. He was the architect of St. Stanislaus Kostka in the Strip, which has some notable similarities, including the inscription “Ad maiorem dei gloria.”
4. St. John Chrysostom: W. Ward Williams. We do not have a good source for this information, which probably came from a city architectural survey.
Thank you very much for your help on these.
For the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church ( Islamic Center of Ambridge ) I had a possibilty of Thomas Hannah as the architect. But not sure on that. He was noted in the newspapers as “recieving bids” for a Ruthenian church in Ambridge in 1916. I.N. Dushane & Sons awarded building contract.
Saint Wenceslaus – the contractor was John Erlinger. But I haven’t located the architect.
Hi
Im a student at Pitt and a photographer focusing mainly on historic sites, specifically industrial but anything old is cool. I’ve spent my 3 years here exploring the city as much as I can and love to browse your website and learn history of some of the random places I’ve seen.
Anyway, there are a few buuldings in Oakland with very distinct carvings in their stone work. One of these is the old police station, but your post about it didn’t have any info on the builder or architect. I’ve always assume they were built by the same person but haven’t verified it. I was wondering if you could shed any knowledge on the subject.
Aside from the police station, these buildings come to mind.
3431 Dawson St
4337 Fifth Ave as well as the former Bellfield church across the street.
I know I’ve seen other similar buildings, but I don’t know if that was just a popular style at the time or if they were actually related.
Thanks
Ryan
Thank you very much for writing, and please forgive a long reply. For three of the buildings you noticed, we can give you some information.
1. The old police station, later King’s Court Theater, was designed by Bickel & Brennan, according to a city architectural survey. Bickel & Brennan were also architects of several notable buildings downtown in the same style: the German National Bank (Granite Building), the Ewart Building, and the Maginn Building (with carved decorations almost certainly by Achille Giammartini).
2. The house at 4337 Fifth Avenue, now the Music Building of the University of Pittsburgh, was designed by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow, Pittsburgh’s most prestigious firm, who also designed the Carnegie Institute and Library in Oakland. (For most of its existence, the firm was Alden & Harlow; the partners decided to split the firm, with Longfellow staying in Boston and Alden & Harlow taking all the Pittsburgh work.) It was a gift to the pastor of the Bellefield Presbyterian Church from his wife, who was a millionaire’s daughter. Let that be a lesson to young clergymen: marry well, and you have nothing to worry about.
3. Bellefield Presbyterian Church, of which only the tower remains, was designed by Frederick Osterling, another of Pittsburgh’s most prominent architects. Note that there is another Bellefield Presbyterian a few blocks down Fifth Avenue; that one was originally the First United Presbyterian Church, but took Bellefield Presbyterian’s name when the two congregations merged.
4. So far Father Pitt knows nothing about 3431 Dawson Street, but if he finds anything about it, this reply will be updated.
You mentioned that there are many other buildings in the same style, which architects call “Richardsonian Romanesque.” The Romanesque style was a fashion bordering on mania in Pittsburgh touched off by the Allegheny County Courthouse, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Even when it was still under construction, it was known that the Courthouse would be one of America’s great buildings. It is the one building in Pittsburgh of which we can say that the entire history of American architecture would have been different without it. Most cities don’t get even one of those, so Pittsburgh is fortunate. Richardson died while the Courthouse was still unfinished, so it was his last great work, possibly the second-most-imitated building in America after the United States Capitol.
Many of our architects learned to work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style when it was fashionable. The most prominent ones were Alden & Harlow, Frederick Osterling, Bickel & Brennan, and James T. Steen.
I was wondering if I could speak to you about a research project I’m doing for a screenplay.
I am the Deacon at Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church in Carnegie Pa. I am interested in speaking with you about the history of our parish.
Old Pa Pitt has sent you an email message at the address you provided. Look in your spam folder if you don’t find it in your inbox.
Update Pittsburgh Historic Maps Link
https://arcgis.com/apps/instant/media/index.html?appid=cd14401166df49f9a13a567758f4da69
Please see the attached link, the old one has stopped working. If you’re able, try to replace all the existing links with the new one.
Pittsburgh Historic Maps arcGIS widget seems to have stopped working. I noticed they left a newer version in the comments; I suppose you’d be able to update the previously existing links?
Thank you for prodding old Pa Pitt (and apologies for letting your first comment stew for a few hours). The links should go to the new version of the map site now, if our replacement rules are working as intended.
See if you can find the original architectural plans for the County Office Building. I believe it was intended to include a tower above what now exists, which is just the base of the original concept. I think funds to complete it dried up during the Depression.
Your site is great.
Dear Father Pitt,
As an architecture student who has been a fan of your webpage for years, I just wanted to say how deeply your work has inspired me. I have been working on a project about Pittsburgh row houses, and your writing and documentation have been such an important source of inspiration for me.
I really wanted to reach out just to thank you. It is rare to come across work that feels this meaningful, and I felt I should say so. My project was strongly inspired by your work, and I would be so happy to share with you the original drawing from it as a small gesture of appreciation. If there is any way to get in touch or send it to you, I would truly love that. Thank you again for everything you do. Your work really means a lot to me.
Best,
Z.