Tag: Market Street

  • Italianate Buildings on Market Street

  • 111 Market Street

    111 Market Street

    An unusually simple cast-iron front adorns this five-storey commercial building, which is actually the tallest thing on its block of Market Street. It is possible that the building has lost a cornice, but otherwise it probably looks not much different from the way it looked when it was first put up around 1900 or so.

  • 105 Market Street

    105 Market Street

    Part of one humble block of Market Street between First Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies that keeps alive the memory of Pittsburgh before the skyscraper age, this matched pair of simple storefronts (with living quarters above, no doubt) has changed very little since it was built. Unfortunately the buildings on the other side of Market Street are scheduled for demolition, probably to be replaced by skyscraper loft apartments—unless preservationists win their quixotic battle to keep the increasingly dilapidated old buildings. But at least this side of Market seems safe for now.

  • PPG Place

    View of PPG Place from the Diamond

    A view looking south on what used to be Market Street before PPG Place took it over. The obelisk (or the Tomb of the Unknown Bowler, as Peter Leo liked to call it) is in the middle distance.

  • Terra Cotta on the Thompson’s Building

    Two ornaments from the terra-cotta façade of the old Thompson’s Restaurant building on Market Street just off the Diamond.

  • Market Street at First Avenue

    Market Street between First Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies probably looks very similar to the way it looked in the later 1800s. In fact it probably looks very similar to the way most of the streets downtown looked before skyscrapers began to mushroom all over. But the eastern side of Market Street is scheduled for demolition, and although old Pa Pitt has not bothered to research what is replacing those low buildings, he would make an educated guess that it will be a high-rise full of luxury condominium apartments.

    111 Market Street, a tall building in the days before elevators.

    Condemned: a whole block of human-sized buildings on the east side of Market.

    The Lowman Shields Rubber Building on First Avenue seems to be scheduled for demolition at the same time as the buildings on Market Street. This fine Romanesque commercial building deserves to be kept, but the city is prosperous now, and prosperity is the enemy of preservation.

  • Victorian Storefront on Market Street

    This beautifully restored building on Market Street is one of an identical pair. Note the properly inset entrance. It was once de rigeur for stores to have their entrances inset from the sidewalk like that, so that the door would not smack a passing pedestrian in the face. How did we forget what a good idea that was?

    The picture is a composite of three photographs, which was the only way to get the whole façade across a very narrow street.

  • The Residences at Market at Fifth

    The Residences at Market at Fifth

    This little building on Graeme Street, a tiny alley between the Diamond (or Market Square) and Fifth Avenue, has probably never looked better since it was new, and possibly not even then. Its little corner of downtown is full of good restaurants and expensive shops now, so it looks like an attractive place to live.

    This picture is a composite of two photographs, which is the only way to get the whole building from across an exceedingly narrow street.

    Camera: Canon PowerShot A540

  • Market Street

    The short stretch of Market Street between Fifth Avenue and the Diamond or Market Square.

    Camera: Canon PowerShot A590 IS.