Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture: The Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

Rating:
Summary: Historian takes loving look at landmarks
Review: Historian takes loving look at landmarks H.H. Richardson designed the Allegheny Courthouse and jail.

By Lynne Margolis TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Hornbostel. Osterling. Richardson. Longfellow, Alden & Harlow. Janssen. Ingham & Boyd. Scheibler. If you don't recognize these names, you're not up on your Pittsburgh architectural history. But have no fear. A look at the newly updated book, "Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture: The Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County," will get you up to speed.

Written by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation architectural historian Walter C. Kidney, the 756-page book, which contains 1,600 photos, follows this region's architectural growth from its days as Fort Pitt and wilderness to its 20th-century Renaissances.

The book, first produced in 1985, has been expanded as well; the section titled "A Guide to the Landmark Architecture of Allegheny County" grew from 468 entries to 645. Illustrations have been improved, errors corrected and statuses updated; Kidney says about 50 percent of the book's content is new.

It's a fascinating look at a history richer than most of us are aware of; gems of imagination have been found still shimmering in nearly every area neighborhood, both on and off the beaten paths, and each is illuminated by Kidney's narrative. "I think that people are getting to appreciate the older buildings more and more," Kidney said in an interview. When he speaks, his remarkably broad knowledge of every nook and cranny of the area becomes evident; he mentions streets many people who have lived here all their lives have never heard of, though we may have lived right around the corner.

Talking about the foundation's formation in 1964, partly as a reaction to modern architecture, Kidney said of the style that gave us square boxes and flat facades, "People decided it was too mute, too blank." That led to a closer look at structures from the past, and an interest in saving those of significance.

The first part of the book, however, is full of photos of buildings long gone. "A lot of things have gone simply because there was no preservation or because people didn't regard these buildings seriously as architecture," he explained. But he also notes personal tastes are relative; the issue of what constitutes fine architecture can be as hotly debated as what constitutes art - with no right answers but a lot of dubious decisions standing in prominent places.

A ceiling at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts features J.M. Hewlett's painting.

At one time, even now-revered architecture was scorned. "You have that time early in the century when the adjective Victorian would be followed by the noun monstrosity," he noted. Not until 1960 did we really start to appreciate gingerbread as architecturally significant, he added.

Asked whether Pittsburgh is doing its part to save important structures, he said, "I don't think we're lagging. As far as I know, we're doing pretty well. ... If you wanted to save everything, I suppose you'd have to have a rally dictatorial situation, like they have in Philadelphia."

In that city, apparently, the historic review board has the power to declare anything it pleases as a historical landmark, according to Kidney. The designation severely restricts building owners from making changes or eliminating structures. In Pittsburgh, History and Landmarks functions only as an advisory board when it comes to designating buildings as historical. It does grant historical status to structures, marked by plaques, but Kidney said about the worst thing that might happen if a building is "mutilated" is that the plaque would be taken away.

Kidney said foundation executive director Louise Sturgess wanted to review everything in the guide section of the first edition, new or old, to make sure it was unchanged, or redocumented if it was. "So we spent at lot of time just on the road," logging a couple of thousand miles, he said. "Louise did the driving and the photography and I sort of bore witness to the results."

Five thousand copies of the book are being printed. Kidney says it easily stands as the most complete guide to Pittsburgh architecture available, possibly rivaled only by the tome "Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait." It's dedicated to the late Barbara Drew Hoffstot, a founding trustee and vice chairwoman of the foundation. The dedication says Hoffstot "gave us vision and fortitude to preserve the historic buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes of the Pittsburgh region."

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite
Review: This is one of my very favorite books on any subject.