Tag: Terra Cotta

  • Garden Theater, North Side

    Garden Theater, North Side

    Built in 1914, the Garden was designed by Thomas Scott, who was responsible for a large number of buildings on the North Side and lived within walking distance of this one. Its last years as a theater were a bit disreputable, but it was spared the drastic exterior changes most other theaters suffered. It is now on its way to a new life as an apartment building; and, while we wish it might have been made a reputable theater again, at least the splendid terra-cotta front will be preserved.

    Front elevation
    Pediment
    Garden Theater
    Garden Theater
    Garden Theater
    Kodak EasyShare Z1285; Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

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  • Crafton High School

    Crafton Elementary School

    Still in use, with modern additions, as Crafton Elementary School, this Jacobean palace was built in 1913. The architect was Press C. Dowler, already well into a career that would last another half-century. His assignment here seems to have been to make up in spectacle for what the little borough’s high school lacked in size, and he came through with the goods, festooning the building with crenellations and terra-cotta ornamentation. But although the decoration may be a bit extravagant, it is done with good taste, making a balanced composition outlined by the sharp contrast between the red brick and the white trim.

    Entrance tower

    The original school had two identical entrances—probably, as was common in those days, one for boys and one for girls.

    Former entrance
    Reliefs
    Shield
    Battlements
    Entrance tower
    Crafton High School
    Crafton High School
    Sony Alpha 3000; Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.
  • Looking Up at the Horne’s Building

    Terra cotta on the cornice of the Horne’s building
    Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

    The decorated cornice of the Horne’s building gleams in late-afternoon sun.

    Horne’s building
    Kodak EasyShare Z1285.
  • The Roxian, McKees Rocks

    Roxian Theatre
    Composite of three photographs from the Canon PowerShot SX150 IS.

    One of the most cheering indicators of new vitality in McKees Rocks is the Roxian, beautifully restored and adapted as a concert venue. Its glorious terra-cotta façade looks as fresh as when the building was put up.

    Marquee of the Roxian
    Mask of comedy
    Mask of tragedy
    Roxian Theatre
    Pilaster
    Roxian Theatre
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.
  • Reflected Light on the Buhl Building

    Buhl Building
    Kodak EasyShare Z981.

    The Buhl Building, an early work of Benno Janssen, bathed in reflected light. Perhaps the image would be more poetic without the construction zone at the end of Fifth Avenue, but old Pa Pitt can only do so much about construction zones.

  • Keystone Athletic Club

    Keystone Athletic Club

    The Keystone Athletic Club was designed by Benno Janssen, Pittsburgh’s favorite architect for high-class clubs of all sorts. Most of them were classical in style, but for this skyscraper clubhouse Janssen chose a simple and streamlined Gothic style instead. It is now Lawrence Hall, the main building of Point Park University, so that two universities in Pittsburgh have trademark Gothic skyscrapers.

    Keystone Athletic Club emblem
    Side of the Keystone Athletic Club
    Window
    Window
    Terra-cotta tile

    Early in his career, Benno Janssen was a fiend for terra cotta; he was much more restrained later on, but he usually included some characteristically appropriate terra-cotta ornaments.

    Tile
    Tile
    Tile
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.
  • A Splendid Commercial Building in Manchester

    1401 Columbus Avenue

    Columbus Avenue is at the ragged back end of Manchester, where there are still many crumbling and abandoned buildings. This one, however, has been beautifully restored; it is the home of a marketing company that obviously sees the value in having a landmark building for its headquarters.

    1887 on the date stone
    Decoration
    Terra cotta
    Bracket
    Floral ornament
    1401 Columbus Avenue
    Kodak EasyShare Z981.
  • First National Bank, Verona

    First National Bank of Verona

    A rich-looking little bank dripping with terra-cotta ornaments on the façade. It later became the headquarters of the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood, a fraternal society whose membership “is open to anyone over 18 years of age (or their spouse) whose ancestry can be traced to the eastern Aegean Greek islands of Icaria or Fournoi.” These two islands made up an independent country, the Free State of Icaria, for a few months in 1912—which, by an odd coincidence, is the year this bank was built. The Pan-Icarian Brotherhood was founded in Verona; it now has a number of other chapters around the country.

    1893—The First National Bank—1912
    Cartouche
    Bracket
    Frieze
    Pan-Icarian Brotherhood

    Map showing the location of the building.

    Cameras: Canon PowerShot SX150 IS; Kodak EasyShare Z1285.

  • Terra-Cotta Pilasters on the Donahoe Building

    Terra-cotta front of the Donahoe’s building

    Donahoe’s was a prosperous market and restaurant that commissioned William E. Snaman to design this elegant commercial palace on Forbes Avenue. Its striking terra-cotta front is still magnificent from the second floor up.

    Evening sun paints the pilasters gold

    The ground floor has been completely redesigned, though “designed” is a generous term, as we see in this picture from 2022.

    Donahoe’s Building
  • Some Decorations on the William Penn Hotel

    “William Penn Hotel” on the marquee

    The architect Benno Janssen, one of the titans of Pittsburgh architecture, was very fond of terra cotta, as he showed early in his career in the exuberant Wedgwood patterns of the Buhl Building. The William Penn is more restrained, but it is still a feast for lovers of ornament.

    Terra-cotta head
    A similar head from the front
    Lunette
    Windows
    Window with false balcony
    William Penn between griffins
    Lantern
    Egg and dart with foliage
    Lantern
    William Penn between griffins
    Marquee
    Stylized head

    The head of William Penn in ceremonial Quaker headdress.