Pittsburgh's buildings have stories to tell. Sometimes, we just get too caught up in the daily grind to listen.
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is helping is reconnect to our urban environment. The organization has long hosted walking tours of Downtown Pittsburgh, and now--this fall--they'll be adding other neighborhoods to the repertoire.
Previous Downtown walking tours this summer have focused on Grant Street, Market Square, the Penn-Liberty Cultural District and more. During the month of August, PHLF is hosting free tours every Friday at noon of the historic Fourth Avenue and PPG Place area. One of 18 National Register Districts in the city, Fourth Avenue showcases buildings designed by more than a dozen distinguished architects, in styles from Greek Revival to Post Modern, constructed between 1836 and 1983. Reservations are not necessary, but are recommended.
The Downtown walking tours project, which occurs from May through October, has been running for about 20 years. This year is the first year PHLF will also be hosting Saturday walking tours through Pittsburgh's other neighborhoods, including Mt. Washington, Friendship/Garfield, Lawrenceville, the Strip District, Bloomfield and East Liberty.
This new program, presented in cooperation with the
Urban Redevelopment Authority and
Mainstreets Pittsburgh, will begin the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and continue throughout the fall.
"We hope tour-goers will leave with a better appreciation for the built environment; not just the old, but also the new," says Mary Lu Denny with PHLF. "We're looking to show history and preservation in these areas, but also development. We hope to bring some attention to neighborhood businesses, so that people will go back to them as customers."
Writer:
Caralyn GreenSource: Mary Lu Denny, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
Photo courtesy Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation