Father Pitt

Would you like to see a random article?
Of course you would.

    • About Father Pitt
    • Contents & Search
      • Alphabetical Index
    • Father Pitt’s Other Collections
      • Father Pitt’s Pittsburgh Encyclopedia
    • Privacy
    • Using These Pictures
  • Outline of the Trimont

    The Trimont apartments on Mount Washington, outlined against winter clouds.

    January 25, 2023
  • The Tudor Style in Schenley Farms

    Tudor house in Schenley Farms

    The Tudor style was very popular for large houses in Pittsburgh in the early twentieth century, and in Schenley Farms, that exceptional enclave of exceptionally fine houses in the Oakland medical-intellectual district, it is the single most popular style. The hallmark of the style is half-timbering: exposed wooden beams with stucco (or some such material) between them. Here is a random selection of Tudor houses; we’ll see more of them shortly, since, with the leaves gone for the winter, now is the time to get pictures of the houses behind the trees.

    Another Tudor house, this one with light brick
    This one has quite a bit of half-timbering
    Tudor house on a hill
    Postwar Tudor

    This last house is an interesting example of the survival of the style into the middle twentieth century: it is later than most of its neighbors, and probably dates from the 1930s at the earliest, but it adapts the Tudor style to a lower budget and more modest size.

    One response
    January 24, 2023
  • Elder-Ado Building, Knoxville

    Elder-Ado Building

    Jacobean Gothic is filtered through an Art Deco lens in this building from 1927, which has been sympathetically modernized with current materials that fit with and emphasize its distinctive character. The original terra-cotta ornaments have been lovingly preserved. This is a good example of how a commercial building can be brought up to date with good taste on a limited budget. Old Pa Pitt has not been able to determine what the building’s original name was; it now belongs to an organization for senior citizens.

    Date stone

    Father Pitt knows how his readers appreciate a good utility cable, so here is a fine closeup of one, unfortunately marred by a date stone in the background.

    Acanthus-leaf ornament
    One response
    January 23, 2023
  • Grace Anglican Church, Mount Washington

    Grace Church tower

    Formerly Grace Episcopal Church, this church was built in 1852 and “rebuilt” in 1926, according to the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks plaque. Father Pitt cannot say how much of the old building is left, but it would appear to have been a frame structure, which suggests that the current church was completely new in 1926. Regardless, the design is timeless; as soon as it was put up, it must have looked as if it had been there forever. The architect, again according to the plaque, was J. Stewart, Jr.

    These pictures were taken back in October, when there were leaves.

    Grace Anglican Church
    From the Sycamore Street side
    Grace Episcopal Church
    One response
    January 22, 2023
  • Carnegie Science Center

    The Carnegie Science Center was designed by Tasso Katselas, and in Father Pitt’s opinion the design worked very well for its intended purposes. It had to be flexible enough to house many different kinds of exhibitions. It had to look sciencey. Most important, it had to enthrall children. It does all those things. Old Pa Pitt would never pick this as the most beautiful building on the North Side, but it has been a favorite destination for a generation of Pittsburgh children, many of whom have actually walked out better educated than they were when they walked in.

    January 21, 2023
  • The Noble Quartet—The Complete Group

    John Massey Rhind, Andrew Carnegie’s favorite sculptor, decorated the Carnegie Institute building with bronzes representing the Noble Quartet—science, art, music, and literature—to which the Institute was dedicated. At street level, each member of the quartet is represented by a portrait of one of its famous representatives. Above each statue, on the roof, is an allegorical group of female figures representing the abstract ideal. We have seen the pictures of the statues before, but since old Pa Pitt just recently took pictures of the allegorical groups, he thought it might be interesting to see everything together at once.

    Science

    Galileo

    Galileo.

    Science group
    Science from a different angle

    Art

    Michelangelo

    Michelangelo.

    Art group
    Art from a different angle

    Music

    Bach

    Bach.

    Music group
    Detail of central figure
    Music

    Literature

    Shakespeare
    Literature group
    Literature from a different angle
    January 20, 2023
  • Three and Two Gateway Center

    January 19, 2023
  • Steel Plaza Subway Station

    Steel Plaza

    Steel Plaza was designed in the 1980s, and its architecture is an interesting combination of Brutalist and Postmodern styles—the two most prominent materials are raw concrete and polished granite. It was built as a junction station, where the main subway line met the spur to Penn Station, which is not in regular service these days. In the picture below, the main line is on the left, and the spur is on the right.

    Middle platform
    Looking across the main line
    A wider view
    Outbound platform from inbound platform
    One response
    January 18, 2023
  • Duquesne Incline

    Seen from across the Ohio.

    January 17, 2023
  • Bridge of Sighs

    Bridge of Sighs with bus

    The Bridge of Sighs connected the Allegheny County Courthouse with the jail across Ross Street. Now it connects the bureaucracy in the courthouse with more bureaucracy in the repurposed jail building, so that the name is just as appropriate. In the picture above, for a bit of a change of pace, old Pa Pitt gives you a bus driving away from you, which gives us a good sense of scale.

    Bridge of Sighs from the other side
    From a little farther away
    One response
    January 16, 2023
←Previous Page
1 … 162 163 164 165 166 … 410
Next Page→