Via slides and accompanying narrative, we’ll peruse Pittsburgh’s turn of the century version of “Wall Street”, by examining nine Fourth Ave buildings of historic and architectural merit, ending with PPG Place, Philip Johnson’s postmodern masterpiece. Next, we’ll check on Market Square’s newest rendition, followed by a review of a half dozen examples of imaginative and effective building restorations and conversions, ending with a review of downtown’s environmental marvel, the Tower at PNC Place. Then we’ll head for what may be the city’s best example of a building conversion: the Renaissance Hotel. Crossing over the Allegheny River we’ll review PNC Park, in ESPN’s opinion the country’s best baseball stadium, and then note the many notable North Shore statues and memorials. Finally, we’ll inspect the history and structure of the Three Sisters Bridges and a handful of other stunning examples of Pittsburgh bridges.
((Howard Voigt - Wednesday - In Person: CMU Campus))
