Father Pitt

Tag: Bronze

  • U. S. Post Office Entrance

    Shield with eagle

    The Post Office and Courthouse (now called the Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse) is Pittsburgh’s grandest monument of the style old Pa Pitt calls “American Fascist.” The post office was on the Seventh Avenue side; it has moved to Liberty Center, but the inscriptions are still here. The building was put up under Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, of whom it was often said that three presidents served under him. The architects were Trowbridge & Livingston, who also worked on some of Mellon’s private projects, like the Gulf Building across the street.

    Post office entrance
    Bronze and marble
    Eagle

  • E. Martina, Sidewalk Contractor

    Sidewalk plaque

    To judge by other pictures of E. Martina plaques on line, a decorative surface of exposed pebbles seems to have been this contractor’s trademark style. This sidewalk is along 18th Street on the South Side.

    The delightfully eclectic Pittsburgh Orbit site has made a thorough study of sidewalk plaques and stamps. It will open your eyes to a whole world of artistic treasures literally under your feet.

  • Lamppost, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial

    Details matter. The bronze lampposts in front of the building are exceptionally elegant, which adds to the effect even if you don’t notice the lampposts themselves.