Father Pitt

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Arlington Apartments, Shadyside

This fine apartment block stands at the corner of Aiken and Centre Avenues, right on the edge of Shadyside. This afternoon the sun illuminated the whole Aiken Avenue front, so Father Pitt enlisted the aid of modern technology to get a picture of the entire façade from multiple photographs. There are some noticeable stitching errors, but this is probably the best impression you will find of the Aiken Avenue front of this building—at least until old Pa Pitt gets a better picture.

The original picture is about 55 megapixels and more than 22 megabytes of data, so don’t click on the picture if you’re on a metered connection.

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March 29, 2015
H. J. Heinz Memorial Plaza, Sharpsburg

H. J. Heinz started his business in Sharpsburg, and he gave this plaza in the center of the town as a token of his gratitude. The bronze reliefs are by the notable sculptor Emil Fuchs. The main section of the top panel is an allegory of Industry; the main part of the lower panel shows H. J. Heinz himself teaching Sunday school at Grace Methodist Church.

The statue of an Indian, always identified as Guyasuta, is a duplicate of a duplicate. Heinz gave the town a splendid fountain, which was knocked down by a car in the 1930s. The statue of Guyasuta was replaced from the original molds, but that replacement was run over by a truck in the 1980s. This current incarnation has not been smashed yet.

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

March 28, 2015
West Penn Hospital

Originally the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, but what was the nickname has become the official name in hospital literature. The side that faces Liberty Avenue is modern in an unimpressive way, but the side that faces Friendship Park is a landmark of hospital architecture. By stitching a large number of photographs together, we can get a picture of the whole building the way the architect imagined it.

March 28, 2015
More of the Spring Flower Show at Phipps

The Broderie.

Triumph Tulip “Princess Irene.”

The East Room. If you look closely, you will notice some curious breaks in the leaves to the right. This extreme wide-angle shot was made from multiple photographs, and the leaves were moving in the breeze.

Poor Man’s Orchid: Schizanthus × wisetonensis “Star Parade.”

Double daffodil “Westward.”

Delphinium elatum “Guardian Blue.”

Late tulip (Tulipa tarda).

Trumpet daffodil “Dutch Master.”

Toadflax: Linaria reticulata “Flamenco.”

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

March 27, 2015
Hygeia

Giuseppe Moretti’s sculpture of Hygeia stands in Schenley Park as a memorial to the physicians who served in the First World War.

March 26, 2015
Himalayan Blue Poppies at the Spring Flower Show, Phipps Conservatory

Meconopsis “Lingholm,” planted in the Palm House for the Spring Flower Show.

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

March 26, 2015
Armstrong Cork Company Buildings

Now converted to loft apartments and known as “The Cork Factory,” this landmark of industrial architecture was designed by Frederick Osterling. Here we see it from Washington’s Landing on a grey day. Since the weather was mopey, Father Pitt decided to make this picture look as much as possible as though it could have been made in 1901, when the buildings were new; but in fact it was taken just this afternoon.

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

March 25, 2015
Pansies at the Spring Flower Show, Phipps Conservatory

“Frizzle Sizzle Blue Swirl”

These pictures were all taken with the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3, which, as old Pa Pitt never tires of mentioning, he bought for 99¢.

Father Pitt disclaims all responsibility for the names of these cultivars.

“Hip Hop Cranbunny”

“Spring Matrix Midnight Glow”

March 25, 2015
Phragmipedium Memoria Dick Clements in Phipps Conservatory

It seems to Father Pitt that it is about time for an orchid, so here is a Phragmipedium hybrid.

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3.

March 23, 2015
Skyscrapers, Old and New

The Tower at PNC Plaza under construction in March of 2015. In front of it, three of the Fourth Avenue towers: the Benedum-Trees Building (1905, architect Thomas H. Scott), the Investment Building (1927, architect John M. Donn), and the Arrott Building (1902, architect Frederick Osterling).

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March 21, 2015