From the shore of the Allegheny. The immensity of the U. S. Steel Tower is particularly obvious from this angle.
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North Zion Lutheran Church, Baldwin Borough
North Zion Lutheran Church is about a mile due south of Zion Lutheran Church in Baldwin Borough. Father Pitt will leave worrying about the cardinal directions to foreigners; Pittsburghers expect everything to be turned upside-down or sideways. The main part of the little church was built in 1859, and the congregation that inhabits it has been here for more than two centuries. Burials in the graveyard adjacent go back to 1812, but the earliest legible tombstones seem to be from the 1840s.
Camera: Olympus E-20n.
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Armstrong Cork Factory from the River
Frederick Osterling, one of Pittsburgh’s most interesting architects, designed the Armstrong Cork Company buildings, a masterpiece of functional yet attractive industrial architecture. They have now been turned into expensive loft apartments. You can see the buildings from a different angle here.
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Locust Borer
This colorful beetle (Megacyllene robiniae) is very destructive to locust trees in its larval stage; but since Pittsburgh has an infinite supply of locust trees, we need not worry about it. Probably these creatures are the only things that keep the locust trees from taking over and imposing martial law. The adult beetle looks very dashing in its striped livery. It eats goldenrod pollen, which means that our Locust Borers are very happy right now.
Camera: Konica-Minolta DiMAGE Z3.
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Scattered Showers
A shower hits downtown, as seen from the 31st Street Bridge. The rain moved rapidly eastward, leaving Father Pitt not quite enough time to walk to the end of the bridge with his dignity intact. But he kept the camera dry, which is the important thing.
Camera: Konica-Minolta DiMAGE Z3.
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Siemens SD-400 Trolley
Here are two pictures especially for trolley geeks. These 4200-series Siemens cars (this one is number 4232) were bought in the 1980s and completely rebuilt in the 2000s. They make up about two-thirds of the fleet. They are very similar to the later CAF cars, but easily distinguished by the two headlights in the center (rather than at the sides) and the “cyclops eye” high beam mounted on the roof. Of course, they are also easily distinguished by being numbered in the 4200 series; the CAF cars make up the 4300 series. This car is southbound on the Red Line, heading for central Beechview.
The picture above gives us a good look at what old Pa Pitt calls the “Pittsburgh door,” the extra street-level doors that have to be added to all Pittsburgh trolleys to deal with our odd combination of platform-level stations and street-level stops.
Camera: Canon PowerShot A540 (hacked).
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First Presbyterian Church
Composite picture, about 36 megapixels. This splendid Gothic church sits on Sixth Avenue right next to Trinity Cathedral (Anglican/Episcopal) and right across from the Duquesne Club, forming a perfect triangle of old money. The architect was Theophilus P. Chandler, Jr., who also designed Third Presbyterian in Shadyside and the Duncan mausoleum in the Union Dale Cemetery.
An interesting feature of the front is the outdoor pulpit, perfectly positioned for thundering denunciations at the rich robber barons coming out of the Duquesne Club. But that never happens.
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Free to the People
The entrance to the main Carnegie Library in Oakland. This is a picture Father Pitt took a few years ago, but nothing important has changed. The building was designed by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow, Andrew Carnegie’s favorite architects; they, or Alden & Harlow without Longfellow, also designed many of the neighborhood branch libraries.
