Tag: Art Nouveau

  • Endangered Buildings in Carrick

    Berg Place

    It is never pleasant, but old Pa Pitt feels as though he has a duty to document things that might be gone soon. Sometimes miracles happen, and we can always hope, but without a miracle we can only turn to the photographs to remember what has vanished.

    “Berg Place,” a group of three apartment buildings along Brownsville Road in Carrick, probably cannot be saved. It’s a pity, because the buildings, in a pleasant Arts-and-Crafts style flavored with German Art Nouveau, have a commanding position along the street, and their absence will be felt. They were abandoned a few years ago, probably declared unsafe, and since then they have rotted quickly.

    Berg Place
    Decorative brickwork and brackets

    Some of the simple but effective Art Nouveau decorations in brick and stone.

    Fire-damaged buildings

    These two buildings across the street from Berg Place, damaged by a fire, may possibly still be saved. At present one of them is condemned, but that is not a death sentence, and it looks as though prompt action was taken to secure the one on the corner after the fire. They are typical of the Mission-style commercial buildings that were popular in Carrick and other South Hills neighborhoods, and they ought to be preserved if at all possible. Carrick is not a prosperous neighborhood, but much of the commercial district is still lively, and with the increase in city property values the repairs might be a good investment.

    2554 Brownsville Road
    Art glass in the display window
    2546 Brownsville Road
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

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  • The Linwood, North Point Breeze

    The Linwood with a magnolia

    The Linwood, designed in 1906, is characteristic of Frederick Scheibler in his early-modern phase. You can imagine it being published with approval in one of those German architectural magazines that our local architects occasionally got their hands on. It contained six luxurious apartments, with maids’ quarters, for well-to-do city-dwellers. Although the windows have been replaced and the third-floor balconies have been filled in for sun rooms, the strong lines of the building still make pretty much the same impression they did when it was new. It stands out without offending: it looks like something special, which would be helpful in peddling apartments to the smart set.

    The Linwood, front elevation
    balconies of the Linwood
    The Linwood
    Side of the Linwood
    The Linwood in the rain
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10 (all but this picture); Samsung Galaxy A15 5G.

    These pictures were taken just this afternoon. After a while the rain started to pour. But would that deter old Pa Pitt from getting one more picture? Certainly not! He will dry out eventually.

    This is Father Pitt’s first article on anything in North Point Breeze—another neighborhood he has neglected too long. Several other North Point Breeze articles will follow soon.


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  • Some Commercial Buildings on Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis

    934 Fifth Avenue

    A few of the commercial buildings on Fifth Avenue, the mainest of the main streets in Coraopolis. We begin with a curious building that reveals its secret as we move along the street: it is a Second Empire building from the late 1800s with a later commercial front added.

    934 Fifth Avenue
    934 Fifth Avenue from the side
    940 Fifth Avenue

    An interesting roofline and a bit of Art Nouveau terra-cotta decoration enliven this little storefront.

    938 Fifth Avenue
    942 and 944 Fifth Avenue
    1014 and 1016 Fifth Avenue
    1014 and 1016 Fifth Avenue
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

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  • The Princess Ann, Mount Lebanon

    Marquee with “Princess Ann” in glass

    These splendid marquees with their Art Nouveau lettering in glass welcome us to the Princess Ann, an apartment building in the Colonial Heights plan in Mount Lebanon. Many of the external details of the building are beautifully preserved and maintained, including the art glass on the marquees and in the stairwells.

    Princess Ann apartments
    Stone railing with urns
    Courtyard
    Princess Ann apartments
    Entrance
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.
  • Pittsburgh Meter Company, Homewood

    Pittsburgh Meter Company

    The Pittsburgh Meter Company building was put up at some time between 1910 and 1923, right beside the Brushton railroad yard, with a siding to serve the factory. It has been beautifully restored as the Sarah B. Campbell Enterprise Center, and it is filled with artists’ studios. One of the wonders of the big city is that we can find many buildings this size filled with artists’ studios; it reminds us why the word “civilization” means life in cities.

    Entrance to the Pittsburgh Meter Company
    Front elevation of the Pittsburgh Meter Company
    Art Nouveau decoration on the Pittsburgh Meter Company

    In the days when this building went up, it was usual for companies like this to make their main factory buildings as attractive as possible. The building itself was one of the chief advertisements for the firm, and an engraving of the building—sometimes exaggerated if the building was not as impressive as the company would like—appeared in advertisements and brochures as a guarantee that this was a solid and respectable business. Thus the entrance and the corners of this building are decorated with up-to-the-minute Art Nouveau geometric patterns in terra cotta.

    Another decorated corner
  • St. Francis de Sales School, McKees Rocks

    Inscription: St. Francis de Sales School
    This composite picture is big; enlarge it to appreciate the variety of classical ornament.

    Unlike the adjacent church, St. Francis de Sales School found a new use when it closed, and it is still maintained. The alterations were heavy and unsympathetic, but we can still see enough of the original design to imagine the rest. The original part of the school was built in 1909; it appears to have been expanded later. This is the Margaret Street end, with the original inscription.

    St. Francis de Sales School
    St. Francis de Sales School

    This end of the school appears to be a later expansion.

    Belfry

    The open belfry in this entrance tower, and the entrance below it, suggest some Art Nouveau influence.

    St. Francis de Sales School
    St. Francis de Sales School
    Sony Alpha 3000 with 7Artisans f/1.4 35mm lens; Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.
  • Neville Township Municipal Building, Neville Island

    Neville Township Municipal Building

    Of the 130 municipalities in Allegheny County, Neville Township is the only one entirely surrounded by water. It is coextensive with Neville Island, the largest river island in the area, which is mostly industrial but has a small town at its western end.

    This is a charming little building that would have been even more charming with its original windows, doors, and roof brackets. Old Pa Pitt is especially taken with the starburst window above the main entrance and the decorative bowling pins framing the inscription.

    Main entrance
    Inscription: “Municipal-Building, Township of Neville”
    Neville Township Municipal Building
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.
  • Fun with Bricks in Coraopolis

    Commercial building in Coraopolis

    A commercial block where someone had a lot of fun with bricks. The storefronts appear to have been updated at some point in the Moderne era.

    1126–1134 Fourth Avenue
    Side of the building
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.
  • St. Joseph’s Church, Coraopolis

    Jt. Joseph’s Church

    William P. Hutchins was the architect of this church, built in 1924. It takes its inspiration from ancient Roman basilicas, with a light overlay of Art Nouveau. Most architectural historians would probably just say “Romanesque” and leave it at that, but it is a more interesting building when we recognize its ancient sources.

    Cornerstone with date of 1924
    West front
    Frieze
    Tympanum and decorations over the entrance
    St. Joseph’s
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.
    St. Joseph’s in the sun
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.
  • The Chesapeake and the Chamberlin, Shadyside

    The Chesapeake and the Chamberlin

    A pair of identical apartment buildings, now known by their addresses (5758 Howe and 5754 Howe). They were built in 1908; the architect was C. J. Rieger. Though they have lost their cornices (which, to judge by the size of the scars, must have been elaborate), the rest of the details are well preserved, showing a Renaissance or Baroque style flavored with Art Nouveau.

    Entrance
    Entrance, closer
    Ornament
    Lion’s head
    Female cameo
    Male cameo
    Chesapeake and Chamberlin
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.