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Smallman Street
Smallman Street in the Strip changes over time, but it keeps its traditional link with the food business. The Strip became the wholesale-food district because the Pennsylvania Railroad unloaded the culinary treasures of the earth here. Today those treasures arrive mostly by truck.
The glory of Smallman Street is the broad plaza from 16th to 21st Streets, leading to St. Stanislaus Kostka, the mother church of Polish Catholicism in Pittsburgh, and one of Frederick Sauer’s most distinguished works.
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A Distinguished Beard: George Estep, Burgess of Duquesne
George Estep was one of the founders of the borough of Duquesne and was burgess—the equivalent of mayor—twice. He was elected to the council in the first elections held in the new borough, and immediately began squabbling with the other members, leaving a trail of court cases all the way up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and beginning a political tradition that has been lovingly preserved in Duquesne to the present day. His lush growth of beard distinguishes him in the group portraits of Duquesne founders.
This photograph has never been published before, as far as old Pa Pitt knows, and he thanks the family for preserving it for us.
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Commercial Buildings on Brereton Street, Polish Hill
A pair of nicely restored buildings in what was once the commercial heart of Polish Hill. Note that the basement of one is on the same level as the storefront in the building next to it.
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First Unitarian Church, Shadyside
A small but substantial Gothic church that could easily pass for a church from any other denomination.
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Baywood
Perhaps the grandest Second Empire mansion in Pittsburgh, Baywood was built in 1880 for Alexander King. The house is listed for about three million dollars, and thanks to the real-estate agents you can “experience Baywood” virtually. According to the site, the house sits on “an unprecedented 1.8 acre lot,” and readers are invited to speculate on what the word “unprecedented” means in that context.
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Sixteenth Street Bridge
The architectural aspects of the Sixteenth Street Bridge, now named for David McCullough, were designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects of Grand Central Station in New York.
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Fun with a Jeweler’s Loupe
A cell-phone camera has a very small lens. This can be a liability, but in some cases it can be an advantage. For example, the lens on a cheap phone is small enough to take pictures through a jeweler’s loupe. Above, flowers of Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), with the edge of the loupe left in the picture as a kind of visual statement of the theme of this article. Actually, it’s easy to put the lens right in the middle of the loupe and not see the edges at all. Here are some of the other things you can see with a loupe and a cheap little cell-phone camera:
Lichen growing on a twig.
Moss on a log.
Chickweed (Stellaria media). For comparison, here is a fairly close photograph of the entire plant without the jeweler’s loupe:
