Father Pitt

Tag: Hospitals

  • Some Details of the Old Presbyterian Hospital, North Side

    Date stone with date MCMVI

    A few months ago Father Pitt published a view of the front of the old Presbyterian Hospital on the North Side, which is where Presby lived before it moved to Oakland to become the nucleus of the medical-industrial complex there. Since he was walking by the building again the other day, old Pa Pitt thought he would add a few more details.

    Presbyterian Hospital
    Taken in January, 2025, with a Kodak EasyShare Z1285.

    After Presby moved out, this site was used as Divine Providence Hospital for many years. The last we heard, the building was mostly vacant, but was being considered for conversion to “affordable” apartments.

    Entrance
    Entrance

    We can just make out the ghosts of letters spelling out “DIVINE PROVIDENCE HOSPITAL.”

    Window with tree

    If we cannot find a use for a building, Mother Nature will.

    Window
    Nikon COOLPIX P100.
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  • Tuberculosis League Hospital, Hill District

    Tuberculosis League Hospital

    Back when tuberculosis was incurable, the best medical wisdom held that plenty of fresh air was essential for tuberculosis patients. Thus this hospital for tuberculosis was given a parklike setting with plenty of pleasant areas for sitting around in the healthful outdoors. Now that it is a retirement home called Milliones Manor, the beautifully landscaped grounds are just as welcome.

    Milliones Manor in a lunette
    Tuberculosis League Hospital

    The main building was designed by E. P. Mellon, nephew of Andrew Mellon. Other buildings—Father Pitt has not sorted out which is which—were designed by other local stars, including Benno Janssen and Ingham, Boyd & Pratt.

    Decorative brickwork
    Another building
    Perspective view
    Entrance
    Outbuilding
    Front building

  • Garrison Place

    Garrison Place

    Garrison Place, formerly Garrison Alley, was part of the original Woods plan of downtown Pittsburgh. It was named for the adjacent Fort Fayette. Today it is a typical Pittsburgh alley—which is to say it is a very narrow passage but not called an alley, because Pittsburgh officially has no alleys. Above, looking southward across Penn Avenue toward Liberty Avenue. Below, looking northward, with Allegheny General Hospital in the distance.

    Garrison Place with Allegheny General Hospital in the distance
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.
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  • Presbyterian Hospital, Allegheny Center

    Presbyterian Hospital

    Built in 1906, this was the main building of Presbyterian Hospital until it moved to vastly larger facilities in Oakland in the 1930s. The building was later part of Providence Hospital, and now is used for offices.

    Presbyterian Hospital
    Kodak EasyShare Z1285.
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  • Allegheny General Hospital

    Allegheny General Hospital

    Allegheny General is one of the few classic skyscrapers in Pittsburgh outside downtown. It was built in 1926; the architects were York & Sawyer. These views were taken with a long lens from across the Allegheny River.

    Below, with bonus pigeons:

    Allegheny General Hospital with flying pigeons

    A change in the light makes quite a different picture:

    With sun

  • Mercy School of Nursing, Bluff

    Mercy School of Nursing, Pittsburgh

    Father Pitt believes this is one of the buildings designed for Mercy Hospital by Edward Stotz, but would be happy to be corrected.

  • UPMC Mercy Pavilion

    The new UPMC Mercy Pavilion is supposed to be tons of fun for the entire neighborhood, according to the sponsored news stories distributed by UPMC. It includes a café and art installations and a gym and even a few medical facilities. According to the “Building Overview” page on the hospital’s site, “HOK—a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm—designed the pavilion with input from Chris Downey, AIA. Mr. Downey is one of the world’s few blind architects.” HOK, formerly Hellmuth Obata + Kassbaum, also designed One Oxford Centre and PNC Park (with local favorite Lou Astorino).

  • Western Psychiatric Institute, Oakland

    Western Psychiatric Institute
    This picture is very large: if you click or tap on it, expect 12 megabytes of data and about 50 megapixels.

    It is not possible to get a straight-on picture of the whole front of this Art Deco skyscraper hospital. But old Pa Pitt enjoys attempting the impossible once in a while, so here you go. The architect was Raymond Marlier, who also designed several of the buildings at Kennywood. (Kennywood, Western Psych—pretty much the same thing.) The building was completed in 1940.

    Below, we see a side view made possible by the demolition of two Brutalist buildings on O’Hara Street. It shows how much Pitt has added to the original building. The whole thing is now called Thomas Detre Hall.

    Side view

  • South Side, Bluff, and Lower Hill

    A view from the South Side Slopes. Below, a closer look at part of Duquesne University and Mercy Hospital on the Bluff.

  • UPMC Mercy Pavilion Under Construction

    Just a few blocks away from our first Eye and Ear Hospital, Mercy Hospital is building a “Pavilion” that will specialize in eye patients. Here we see it from across the Mon.