Father Pitt

Tag: Florida Avenue (Mount Lebanon)

  • Washington Square Condominiums, Mount Lebanon

    Florida Avenue side of the Washington Square Condominiums
    Composite of six photographs from a Kodak EasyShare Z1285.

    Only because no one else would do it, here is a composite picture of the entire Florida Avenue face of this high-rise apartment block. In the fifteen minutes he devoted to the search, old Pa Pitt was not able to find evidence of the architect; but it has Tasso Katselas written all over it. (Update: Father Pitt confirmed this attribution by asking the architect himself, which is almost like cheating. Mr. Katselas tells us that it was a difficult project because the budget was very tight.)

    We also have pictures of the Washington Road side of Washington Square.

  • Two Moderne Apartment Buildings in Mount Lebanon

    666 Florida Avenue

    On Florida Avenue, a street that runs behind the Uptown business district in Mount Lebanon, two apartment buildings in a toned-down version of Moderne streamlining face each other. The most striking feature of number 666 is the stairwell set into a tall groove with a two-floor window of glass blocks.

    666 Florida Avenue

    The decorative brickwork at the corners suggests quoins, but in a modernistic manner.

    Entrance to 666
    667 Florida Avenue

    Across the street is a pair of identical buildings with less streamlining and no abstract quoins.

    Entrance to 667

    Both buildings would probably have had windows with more character when they were new.

    667

    Cameras: Fujifilm FinePix HS10; Kodak EasyShare Z1285.

  • Shirley and Neighbor, Mount Lebanon

    Shirley and Her Neighbor

    Here we have two apartment buildings on more or less the same plan, but differing in their details.

    Shirley inscription
    Shirley apartments

    The Shirley has two immediately striking features. First, the broad round arch at the entrance:

    Entrance to the Shirley

    Second, the two-storey window (interrupted by inscription) in the stairwell, which also terminates with an arch.

    Windows of the stairwell

    Its neighbor (originally named Harmon: see below) uses contrasts in color to create a striking appearance.

    680 Florida Avenue
    680 Florida Avenue

    The entrance is more classical, and instead of one tall window, the stairwell has two arched windows filled with colorful art glass.

    Window with art glass

    Addendum: A 1934 plat map shows that the building on the left was originally called “Harmon.”