Father Pitt

Tag: Corner Entrances

  • Corner Building on Fifth Avenue

    214 Fifth Avenue
    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS.

    Father Pitt does not know the story of this building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and McMasters Way. The great G. C. Murphy downtown empire, “the world’s largest variety store,” slopped into it as it expanded, and by bad luck and misunderstanding the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation plaque for the main Art Deco Murphy’s building (designed by Harold E. Crosby in 1930) ended up on the front of this building instead. Whatever this building was originally, it’s obviously much older than 1930. Updates to the ground floor have been handled with good taste, and the entrance is still on the corner. Old Pa Pitt approves of corner entrances.

  • Rodler Hotel, Mount Oliver

    Rodler Hotel

    This was a “hotel” in the old Pittsburgh sense, which is to say a neighborhood bar with rooms upstairs to qualify it for a “hotel” liquor license, which was much easier to get than a liquor license for a bar. The last time we saw the Rodler Hotel, about ten years ago, it appeared to be abandoned; but now it has new windows and is stabilized and occupied. The collapsing aluminum awnings have also been removed.

    Corner entrance

    The corner entrance was filled in years ago to make a vestibule. Father Pitt prefers corner entrances left open, but he was not the owner of the building.

    Corner entrance
    Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR.
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  • First National Bank of Crafton

    First National Bank of Crafton

    One of several “flatiron” buildings produced by the irregular street layout of Crafton. This one is odd angles all around.

    First National Bank of Crafton
    First National Bank of Crafton
    First National Bank of Crafton
    Corner entrance to the First National Bank of Crafton

    The main entrance is on the sharp corner facing the intersection of Noble Avenue, Crafton Avenue, and Dinsmore Avenue (which is what we meant when we said Crafton had an irregular street layout).

    Segmental pediment

    A segmental pediment—that is, a pediment whose top is a segment of a circle, rather than the more usual triangle.

    First National Bank of Crafton

    The side entrance would have led into the upstairs offices: a bank putting up a building like this would expect to make extra income from office rentals, and bank buildings were usually prestigious addresses.

    First National Bank of Crafton

    The side of the building not meant to be seen is finished more cheaply.

    First National Bank of Crafton
    Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR.
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  • Lutz’s Meat Market, Hill District

    Lutz Building

    You can read the history of Lutz’s Meat Market at the Hill District Digital History site, where you’ll also see a picture by Teenie Harris, who, as usual, snapped the shutter at exactly the moment that captured everyone in the scene in the most characteristic pose.

    Lutz Building

    The building has been beautifully restored, including the elaborate woodwork of the cornice and storefront.

    Corner entrance
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.

    These corner entrances are often filled in, so it makes old Pa Pitt happy to see this one preserved and carefully restored.

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