Tag: Baroque Architecture

  • Church of St. Stephen Proto-Martyr, Hazelwood

    Church of St. Stephen Proto-Martyr

    A year and a half ago, old Pa Pitt published pictures of St. Stephen Proto-Martyr, but he was unable to get a picture of the front, because the leaves were on the trees, and the front looked like this:

    Front obscured by leaves

    On a gloomy afternoon recently, however, he happened to be in Hazelwood, and the trees were only beginning to leaf, so it was possible to make out the building through the bare branches.

    Perspective view

    The church was built in 1902; it is one of the most important works of Frederick Sauer, and it is hanging by a thread. The building is not in regular use, but not precisely abandoned. We will describe it as Endangered on our six-point scale of Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, and Demolished.

    Church of St. Stephen Proto-Martyr
    West front

    To cut through the clutter of branches and bring out the building, Father Pitt tried several exposures with two different cameras and different kinds of processing afterward. He did not come up with any outstanding pictures, but at least the outlines of the design are clear now.

    West front
    Nikon COOLPIX P100; Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

    Comments
  • Episcopal Church Home, Lawrenceville

    Episcopal Church Home

    James T. Steen designed this building, whose cornerstone was laid in 1892. It was a home for orphans and aged women, at a time when Pittsburgh’s industry was mass-producing widows and orphans. It is still a home for the aged under the name Canterbury Place.

    Cornerstone
    Episcopal Church Home

    The most striking feature of the building is its flamboyantly Baroque entrance. Old maps show us that it was once in the middle of a nearly symmetrical façade, but the right wing was demolished to make way for the modern high-rise section.

    Entrance
    Entrance
    Entrance
    Side of the building
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

    The local historians Joann Cantrell and James Wudarczyk have written a book on Pittsburgh’s Orphans and Orphanages that gathers firsthand memories of many of these institutions and shows us that, in spite of the inevitable institutionalism of the facilities, most of them were not the Dickensian nightmares we imagine when we hear the word “orphanage.”

  • 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.
  • Church of St. Stephen Proto-Martyr, Hazelwood

    Statue of St. Stephen
    Date stone

    The Baroque style is unusual, but St. Stephen’s is a Frederick Sauer church through and through, starting with that yellow Kittanning brick he favored. We’ll have to wait till the leaves drop to get a view of the front, but since the building is slowly crumbling, it’s good to get the details as soon as we can.

    Front of the church obscured by trees
    Chimney and tower
    Elizabeth Street side of St. Stephen’s
    Main entrance
    Main entrance.

    Update: An Iranian correspondent who does not seem to be a spammer has left a remark that Google Translate renders as “We have a similar example in Iran from Sar Setun.” Although it would not have occurred to him before, Father Pitt now notices how much this ornate entrance porch resembles certain examples of Islamic architecture.

    Left entrance
    Left entrance.
    JMJ shield over the left entrance
    Right entrance
    Right entrance.
    MR shield
    Capitals with crosses
    Column swags
    Mark and John
    The Evangelists Mark and John.
    Luke and Matthew
    The Evangelists Luke and Matthew.
    Pilaster decoration
    Capital with cherub
    Capital with cherub
    Tower
    Tower
    Side window
    One of the side windows.
  • Baroque Mansion on Shaw Avenue, McKeesport

    539 Shaw Avenue

    This house is clearly the work of a distinguished architect, and old Pa Pitt would be delighted if any McKeesport readers could give him more information. It sits diagonally across Shaw Avenue from the old Temple B’nai Israel, and its exterior is still in excellent shape, although it looks as though it wants chimney pots. The baroque details are distinctive.

    Baroque window
    Cartouche