Pennsylvania – RDZ Photography

Virtual Travel – Pennsylvania

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Museum, Nature, Sciences, Sports, Transportation, Water Features

As with Ohio I have spent considerable time in Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh feeling like a ‘hometown’ (Go Pens/Pirates/Steelers!)

History & State Capitol

1938 1955 1956 1986 2013

As with most states, the state capital is located (somewhat) in the middle of the state. Given that the vast majority of the people of Pennsylvania live on the ends, this meant a smaller city has been the capital – Harrisburg.

While outside the Pennsylvania Capitol looks like many others, inside is amazing!

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Unusual State Symbols

Official State Aircraft – Piper J-3 Cub. For decades Piper Cubs were built in Lock Haven, PA.

State Colors – Blue and Gold Featured on the flag and every license plate ever.

But in Pittsburgh the colors are Black & Gold! All the sports teams follow this color scheme.

Pennsylvania has a long industrial history, much of which has been lost. The city of Bethlehem has a vacant steel mill that is now a National Park site that serves as a reminder of this legacy.

Roads

1952 1960 1964 1973 1974

It is impossible to find a city with more cool bridges and tunnels than Pittsburgh. While it makes the commutes tough, it is a great visual experience driving around the city

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The Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest, and most famous railroad in the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This history is celebrated at two major rail museums, Steamtown in Scranton, and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

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Not to be outdone the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, PA has a great collection of streetcars and interurbans.

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1976 – Philadelphia

There is another large city in Pennsylvania other than Pittsburgh 🙂

Philadelphia of course is the seat of the independence movement in the 1700s. That history is on evidence everywhere in the city. Trivia moment of the day – there are only 2 cities that have been in the top 10 in population for every official United States Census – New York and Philadelphia.

Near Philadelphia is one of the world’s best gardens – Longwood.

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1989 – Seasons

Most of Pennsylvania is beautiful rolling hills and mountains. Much of this area is filled with small towns and wooded countryside.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous structure is located in these hills – Fallingwater. Nearby is a second FLW house – Kentuck Knob. Both are stunning.

U.S. Route 6 traverses Northern Pennsylvania, and passes a number of interesting venues including Kinzua Bridge. When completed in 1882 it was the tallest bridge in the world, towering 300′ above the valley. It was decommissioned in the early 1960s and sold to the state with the purpose of becoming a park.

In 2003 a tornado struck the bridge and destroyed a large portion of it, but the remainder makes for a great walk.

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As you make your way along U.S. 6 you pass the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Galeton, the Coudersport Ice Cave, and the Zippo Lighter Museum in Bradford.

1995 – Hunseckers Mill Bridge – Lancaster County

It is thought that Pennsylvania has more named places than any other states as each hill and valley seems to be another named small town. Some are more famous than others such as Punxsutawney – home of Phil! Each February 2nd this little town is overrun by 40,000 people coming to see a groundhog pulled out of it’s fake home to see it’s shadow.

It is celebrated with another collection of fiberglass statues.

The town of Ridgway has an annual Chainsaw Carving contest that draws artists from all over the world.

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The C.F. Martin & Company has built outstanding guitars since 1833. Their factory is open for tours, and they welcome photography throughout! We have been of many tours of facilities over the years and this was one of the best.

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2007 – Pittsburgh

As noted in the opening, while I was not born or raised there I grew up close enough, and have spent most of my adult life spending time there, that it feels like home.

Built on steep hills along the 3 rivers (Ohio, Allegheny, and Mon), it has character. With the long history of steel, the city had enough wealthy people in the early 1900s that there is a great collection of historic skyscrapers. With the lack of build able land, the skyscraper construction has continued to this day.

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The interiors and trim are just as impressive.

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Pittsburgh has it’s fair share of quirky places, including Randyland and Bicycle Heaven. The best, by far, is Anthrocon – 7000 people descending on the city dressed in furry animal costumes.

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Breezewood, Pennsylvania – August 2019 – Abandoned Turnpike

Architecture, History, Transportation

The Pennsylvania Turnpike was America’s first ‘superhighway’. Built primarily along a disused railroad right of way in the 1930s, it set the standard for all interstates to come after.

When first built it passed through 7 tunnels as you make your way through the Appalachian Mountains. Originally the 4 lane highway narrowed to 2 lanes for each of these tunnels, but they always caused traffic jams, so in the 1960s they added a second tunnel to have a continuous 4 lanes across the state.

During this expansion there were 3 tunnels that were bypassed by building the highway up over the mountains. Two of these are in a 13 mile stretch that was completely abandoned. About 20 years ago the Turnpike Commission deeded them over to the Southern Allegheny Conservancy, and it now serves as one of the more unique bike trails in the country.

After a 2 mile hike we reached the first tunnel…

At 2500′ long it was one of the shortest on the turnpike…

You likely can make it through without a lantern but we went about 1/2 way in and decided to head back…

The second tunnel further on up is the Sideling Hill Tunnel, which was the longest on the turnpike at almost 6800′ long. Clearly we need to come back with bikes and really bright lanterns.

Instead we enjoyed the graffiti display…

And headed back the 2 miles to the car. It is a really interesting experience walking along this old road, knowing how many million cars, trucks and people had traveled along this same route.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – August 2019 – A Long Trip Down a Short Hall

History, Transportation

One of the places on my list for a long time to visit was the Mack Truck Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Since we were making the long drive from New York City back to Ohio, and passing Allentown we decided to stop for a brief visit – which turned out to be a total fail.

It is required to go on a guided tour, and our tour guide literally took more than an hour to go down this short hall! He covered in detail everything from the entire family tree of the founding family to what Sarah Palin means to Alaska (not kidding). I kept thinking we will move into the museum part just down the hall, but nope – we continued with our painfully slow walk down this hallway (and this photo shows the entire hallway).

Eventually we made it to the museum part, which we were immediately told to stay with the group and not wander around to take photos. With that I gave up, took a few photos of the display, and headed out.

Epic fail – with a few cool photos of garbage trucks, which seemed fitting.

Pittsburgh – October 2018 – Doors Open Part 1

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Nature, Sciences, Transportation

Having been in and around Pittsburgh for most of our lives, we were excited to find that they offer an Open House like Chicago and New York.

Known as Doors Open Pittsburgh, the event took place over a weekend featuring 50 buildings downtown and on the North Side.

I had the opportunity to email a number of times with Bonnie Baxter, the founder of the organization that coordinates the event. Her input was instrumental in our planning that allowed us to visit over 30 of the sites over two (busy) days. Bonnie has done a great job pulling together an event of this scale – it shows her pride in her hometown.

The next 4 posts are fairly long but give a brief overview on each of the venues we visited.

Frick Building – As we were walking down Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh waiting for the start of Doors Open Pittsburgh we saw a couple of people in their orange DOP volunteer shirts. Striking up a conversation with them, we found out that one of them, Al, was headed to the nearby Frick Building.

Al also volunteers with the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, and was more than happy to share his knowledge of Grant Street, and the nearby buildings as we walked along. This was a precursor of what was to come, as for the entire weekend we met enthusiastic volunteers who are proud of their city and the architecture.

Once we arrived at the Frick Building we entered the lobby from the Fifth Avenue Side. Al then gave us a personal tour of the lobby.

This unique lamp served as a cigar lighter feed by natural gas with a perpetual flame (since there is no smoking in buildings anymore the flame has been extinguished.)

The current main lobby elevators reflect the Art Deco look.

The re-purposed telephone booths are fantastic. Al pointed out that most people under the age of 25 can’t even guess what they were used for.

In what started a trend that we kept most of the weekend, most of the buildings have very stylish mailboxes that had to be photographed.

Grant Street in Pittsburgh used to have a large ‘hump’. In 1914 this hump was taken out, but as a result what used to be a ground level entrance sudden was 15’ in the air, so any building that pre-dates the removal had to be retrofitted with a new entrance in what was the basements. The Frick Building is one of those buildings, having been completed in 1902.

As a result the second floor/mezzanine level has a very ornate elevator lobby since it used to be the primary entrance.

The elevator doors are a piece of art in themselves.

One final look at the lobby; a stained glass window by John LaFarge titled Fortune and Her Wheel.

Whatever history thinks of Henry Clay Frick, he did build an amazing building. Thanks to Al we had a great tour of the lobbies.

Benedum Trees Building – Our first ‘official’ visit was to the Benedum-Trees Building. I had been fortunate enough to secure ‘insider tour’ tickets for this building, with a visit to the 18^th floor to visit the offices of the Benter Foundation.

The 19 story building was completed in 1905 along the Fourth Avenue financial district. The name came from the Benedum Trees Oil Company, founded by Mike Benedum and Joe Trees in the early 1900s.

Our tour started in the lobby with another classic mailbox, along with the building directory sign and some great lighting.

We then headed up to the 18th floor.

Our visit was topped off (literally) by checking out the roof top terrace, with commanding views around downtown – despite being somewhat surrounded by newer, taller buildings.

Later that afternoon we were able to look back from Mt Washington to see where we had been.

Bank Tower Building – Completed in 1902 as the Peoples Savings Bank Building, the Bank Towers exterior features figures carved by John Massey Rhind.

Easily the most impressive feature of the building is the spiral staircase that goes the entire 16 floors.

A very nice bonus to this stop was visiting the offices of MCF Architects, where one of the principals showed us the offices, and some of the amazing work they have completed, as well as historic drawings they have.

Their security gate is modeled after da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

Dollar Bank – Designed by Isaac Hobbs & Sons of Philadelphia in the late 1860s, the Dollar Bank Building on Fourth Avenue is built primarily out of brownstone. Hobbs was known for his ornate design of houses, and it is clear it was carried over to this design.

Built in the Beaux Arts style, it’s most famous exterior feature are the large lion sculptures, symbolizing a ‘guardianship of the people’s money’.

The original lions are located inside the building.

The lobby is impressive, and is used to this day for it’s original purpose, a bank.

The Park Building – We spent most of our time at the Park Building staring up at the cornices.

Built in 1896, this 15 floor building depicts men kneeling, holding up the building. We have seen this used previously, most recently in the ‘Ruins’ in Indianapolis.

continued in the next 3 postings.

Pittsburgh – October 2018 – Doors Open Part 2

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Nature, Transportation, Water Features

Doors Open Pittsburgh continues…

Koppers Building – When it was completed in 1929 this 35 floor building was topped out at 475 feet high, making it Pittsburgh’s tallest for a time (passed a short time later by the Gulf Tower).

Constructed of polished granite and Indiana limestone, it is an excellent example of Art Deco.

Lets head inside.

As we entered we were greeted by a couple of the more than 200 volunteers. Events like this rely on volunteers, and all weekend we met welcoming, enthusiastic people who made the visits more worthwhile. A big thank you to all of the volunteers, but on to the visit….

The three story lobby has a variety of marble finishes.

There is significant use of bronze throughout the lobby including another great mailbox.

Do you ever wonder where the elevator is? Not in this building!

The cool clock collection continues…

Even the handrail is stylish.

First Lutheran Church – One stop that was not originally on our itinerary was the First Lutheran Church, but a hard rain shower had come along so we ducked inside.

They are proud of the fact that this church was the first English speaking Lutheran church west of the Alleghenies, having been founded in 1837.

The ceiling is amazing.

As is the pipe organ.

As with most churches, this one has some very ornate stained glass windows.

Union Trust Building – Another building built by Henry Clay Frick, the Union Trust Building was completed in 1916 in a Flemish Gothic structure.

It is believed that the roof is modeled after the Woolworth Building in New York, with the terra cotta dormers and mechanical towers that look like chapels.

Even with this stunning roof, the most amazing feature of this building is the lobby, and its massive atrium leading up to the skylight.

A closeup of the skylight.

What a great building.

The clock tour continues in the Union Trust Building.

As does the mailbox tour.

City/County Building – As we continued our day it became obvious that Pittsburgh experienced a massive building boom in the 1910s. Another example of this boom is the City/County Building, which was completed in 1916.

The entire build emphasized local resources, from the architects to the materials and construction workers, it was directed that all the resources should come from Allegheny County.

The lobby features a bust of William Pitt.

As well as sculpted columns.

Our visit included a stop at the Mayor’s office.

Pittsburgh is noteworthy for their unique dialect, differing from the rest of the country with the accents and use of words. The most common of these is ‘Yinz’, which is Pennsylvanian for Y’all. Another is the way that downtown is pronounced (Dahntahn), and is celebrated with this sign in the Mayor’s office.

Also open were the Council Chambers, located directly next to the Mayor’s Office.

Oliver Building – The Henry Oliver Building is located directly across Smithfield Street from Mellon Square. Completed in 1910, the 25 story building now contains offices and an Embassy Suites hotel.

The building was designed by Daniel Burnham. Interestingly other than Chicago, Pittsburgh has the most Burnham buildings still standing (7), and when first built they were actually taller than those in Chicago. It is thought by some that this is as a result of the steel barons, whose steel was required for the skyscrapers, for this ego boosting building boom.

The building features another great safe.

Art Deco is used throughout.

The mailbox collection continues….

The highlight however was being permitted to go check out the 25^th floor lobby of the Embassy Suites, and the views from the windows throughout the floor.

continued…..

Pittsburgh – October 2018 – Doors Open Part 3

Architecture, Art, Festival, History, Nature, Transportation, Water Features

Doors Open continues…

Smithfield Church – The church was completed in 1927, at the corner of Smithfield Street and Strawberry Way.

The church was built by the German Evangelical Protestant Church, and has German sayings throughout.

As with the other downtown churches, the Smithfield Church has an impressive organ.

As well as the stained glass.

The HYP Club – The Harvard, Yale, Princeton Club of Pittsburgh has a small 2 floor building surrounded by skyscrapers.

The Alcoa Building towers over it’s neighbor.

The interior itself was nice, but not noteworthy. We did have an enjoyable conversation with one of the hostesses, learning much about the club – which interesting is no longer restricted to just alumni of Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

Pittsburgh Engineers Building – Daniel Burnham’s first Pittsburgh building was the 1899 Union Trust Company. Built in 1899 for Andrew Mellon and Henry Clay Frick, it was noteworthy for it’s safe.

The bank left long ago, but the safe is still there.

The Engineering Society of Pittsburgh has taken over the building, and has a club/restaurant that celebrates the engineering of Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on the bridges.

William Penn Hotel – The William Penn Hotel, a classic old school hotel, was opened in 1916. Over the years it has hosted many famous people, including numerous presidents.

Situated along Grant Street, it has long been the center of society in Pittsburgh.

The main lobby.

The lower level has the famous Speakeasy Bar, so named because of it’s reputation during prohibition.

The hotel has a collection of artifacts including Lawernce Welk’s first bubble machine (for those too young google or youtube Lawrence Welk)

The Pennsylvanian – While it was officially called Union Station, the major train station at the corner of Liberty and Grant was always more commonly known as Penn Station, as the only railroad it served was the Pennsylvania Railroad

As you approach the station you are greeted by a great rotunda that was once used by carriages arriving and departing.

The ceiling of the rotunda is one of the master pieces of the city, and of Daniel Burnham’s career.

The rotunda is worth a number of looks…

Immediately inside is a smaller room that greeted passengers.

The Main Hall, with it’s high ceilings and skylights, continue to impress people today. After the buildings restoration in the 1980s to apartments, this hall has been used for functions like weddings and meetings.

Original benches from the station era are still used in this hall.

Detailed carvings are throughout.

The skylights open up the lower level to natural lighting, despite the fact that the entire building rises another 10 floors around and above them.

Another classic public clock.

On this day they were also offering tours of one of the apartments.

From the 4^th floor hallway you had a better look above the skylights at the higher floors of the building

As with most of the other historic buildings in town, the Pennsylvanian has a great mailbox.

Doors Open Pittsburgh is continued in part 4…

Pittsburgh – October 2018 – Doors Open Part 4

Architecture, Art, History, Nature, Sciences, Transportation, Water Features

Doors Open Pittsburgh continues…

David Lawrence Convention Center – David Lawrence was one of Pittsburgh’s greatest mayors, leading the ‘Renaissance’ era in the 1950s. He has been honored by having the convention center named after him.

The convention center is built along the Allegheny River at the edge of downtown.

It features a couple of gardens in an urban space.

For Doors Open Pittsburgh the highlight was being able to go on the roof.

The building is interesting but the views from the roof are great.

Troy Hill

A telescope with style.

The north side of Pittsburgh is very hilly, hence the hodgepodge of buildings in no uniform order.

A railroad bridge across the Allegheny River.

Detail on the 16th Street Bridge.

In Pittsburgh you can have a bridge any color you like as long as it is yellow.

A different angle view of Gateway Center and Mt Washington.

The Gulf Building – Sadly it was not open for DOP.

The Pennsylvanian – one more look.

Benedum Center – The Benedum Center opened in 1927 as the Stanley Theater, which name remained on it until the 1980s. Many rock concerts were held in this classic theater (Bob Marley played his last show here), although by the 1970s numerous modifications had taken away much of it’s classic look.