Father Pitt

Tag: Heckert (Sidney F.)

  • On Leong & Merchants Association Building, Chinatown

    On Leong & Merchants Association Building

    Much of Pittsburgh’s small but dense and lively Chinatown was destroyed when the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies viaduct was built, but some of the Chinese merchants doggedly rebuilt in the 1920s. The On Leong & Merchants Association Building was designed by Sidney F. Heckert, who gave his clients a fairly standard 1920s Pittsburgh commercial building with well-chosen decorative details to send the message that this was an outpost of Chinese civilization. Today it is home to the Chinatown Inn, perhaps Pittsburgh’s oldest Chinese restaurant and the only Chinese business left in Chinatown.

    Roof
    Roof ornament
    Perspective view of the building
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.

    We also have a picture of the Court Place side of the building.

    Comments

  • St. Mary’s Church, Dutchtown

    St. Mary’s German Catholic Church

    Father John Stibiel specified this church, which was built in 1854 for his German parish, and he is usually credited as the designer of it. Some architectural historians, however, think that the architect may have been Charles F. Bartberger, the elder of the two Charles Bartbergers, who made similarly Romanesque designs for St. Paul of the Cross Monastery Church and St. Michael’s, both on the South Side Slopes.

    The vestibule in front was designed by Sidney F. Heckert and built in 1906.

    Door
    Window

    The church narrowly escaped demolition for the Parkway North. Along with the adjacent priory, it was bought by a Pittsburgh businessman who successfully turned the priory into a hotel and the church into “Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall,” a place for weddings and other events.

    Front of the church

    This composite view suffers from the inevitable distortion of the towers, but it otherwise gives us a good notion of the whole front of the church.

  • On Leong & Merchants Association Building, Chinatown

    On Leong & Merchants Association Building

    Chinatown in Pittsburgh was an almost stiflingly dense neighborhood that was virtually destroyed when the Boulevard of the Allies ramp was built. Nevertheless, a number of Chinese merchants and organizations rebuilt on Court Place, the new street along the base of the ramp. This building was designed by Sidney F. Heckert, otherwise known as a reliable architect of Catholic schools and churches. It goes right through from Court Place (above) to Third Avenue (below), and for many decades it has been the home of the Chinatown Inn, the only remaining Chinese business in Chinatown.

    Chinatown Inn
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.