One of Benno Janssen’s many contributions to the architecture of downtown and Oakland, this is now Lawrence Hall of Point Park University, so that two Pittsburgh universities actually have signature Gothic skyscrapers.
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Frank & Seder
Kaufmann’s was the Big Store, but Frank & Seder, facing Kaufmann’s across a whole block of Smithfield Street, was hardly small. The building is now under restoration.
The restoration has peeled away later accretions, and we can see the shadows of an old sign at the corner of Forbes Avenue.
Two layers of ghost signs still memorialize the old department store to pedestrians on Fifth Avenue.
Compare the photograph to this illustration of the store in 1927.
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Back of the Denis Theatre
Sometimes the back of a theater bears no resemblance at all to the front of it. That is certainly true of the Denis in Mount Lebanon. The main entrance is on Washington Road, and it looks like a small storefront. Walk around the corner and down Alfred Street, and you will find this massive wall, which the architect has identified as a theater by adding Art Deco stripes in the bricks.
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Bloomfield in 1999
Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield, as it appeared in 1999. The picture was taken with an old folding Kodak Tourist camera.
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Clearview Common
One way to deal with a vacant lot in a business district is to make a tiny park out of it. Seldom are these tiny parks made to such a high standard as Clearview Common, a grand name for a single vacant lot. But not many jurisdictions have as much money as Mount Lebanon has to work with. The little park is at the corner of Alfred Street and Washington Road, Uptown Mount Lebanon, and it is a very pleasant place to sit and enjoy take-out from one of the many nearby restaurants.
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Looking North on Washington Road
Looking north from Alfred Street on Washington Road, Uptown Mount Lebanon, toward the tower of St. Bernard’s.
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Witch Hazel in Bloom
Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) blooms in any warm spell from January through March, filling the air with a delightfully strong perfume. When the weather freezes again, the petals curl up and wait for another warm spell. The bush is not native to Pittsburgh, but it is requires no care once it is established, and it does not make a pest of itself.
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Gateway Station
The Gateway station is full of fascinating geometries. These pictures were taken shortly after the station opened in 2012.
