Downtown Walking Tour: Bridges and River Shores

Pittsburgh is a city of bridges: hundreds of them span our waterways, valleys, and ravines. Bridges offer changing vistas on the natural and manmade features of the cityscape, and in Pittsburgh, these works of artful engineering are a source of civic pride. This tour takes us on a loop bounded by the north and south shores of the Allegheny River and by two of the Three Sisters bridges that cross it. Taking in public art and historic buildings along with bridges and the river, this tour reveals the dynamic relationship between humans and nature that characterizes much of the Pittsburgh region.

Special Walking Tour: Sewickley

Saturday, August 31 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. $20.00 per person This tour is limited…

Special Walking Tour: Sewickley

Located 12 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, Sewickley is nestled between hills to the north and the Ohio River to the South. Believed to have taken its name from the Native American word for “Sweet Water” (referring to the sap from maple trees), Sewickley was incorporated as a borough in 1853. In 1895, one writer dubbed it “the Queen of Suburbs.”

The tour will be led by two long-time residents of Sewickley and will focus on Second Historic District, which was home to architects Frank Ellis Alden, Alfred Branch Harlow, and Albert H. Spahr. We will see fine examples of Colonial Revival and Arts & Crafts styles, as well a Victorian farmhouse built in 1876. Refreshments will be served in a resident’s garden at the end of the tour.

Special Tour: Allegheny Observatory

Thursday, August 22 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  $20.00 per person This tour is limited…

Special Tour: Allegheny Observatory

The Allegheny Observatory is a pioneer in the United States in astronomical research and a leader in the astrometry, which measures the positions and movements of celestial objects. Established in 1859 in Allegheny City, the observatory was sold to what is now the University of Pittsburgh in 1867. Driven by a new focus on scientific research, the institution outgrew its original building by the late 19th century, and Swedish architect Thorsten E. Billquist was selected through an architectural competition to design the current building. The building was designated a national landmark in 1979.

The Observatory’s outreach coordinator will lead our tour, enlightening us on the building’s and the Observatory’s history, and on its ongoing quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe. We will visit two telescopes and, if the sky is clear, will view the heavens through one of them.

Neighborhood Walking Tour: Lower Lawrenceville

Saturday, August 10 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon $20.00 per person This tour is limited…

Neighborhood Walking Tour: Lower Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville is one of the largest and oldest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Established in 1814 by William Barclay Foster, it almost immediately became the site of a sprawling military arsenal that was active through the Civil War. Improved transportation access beginning in the mid-19th century facilitated development of the industries for which Lawrenceville was known (oil refining, iron mills, brewing, and others) for a century. After declining in the second half of the 20th century, the neighborhood has recently become a thriving, lively community with restaurants, arts venues, and other amenities that create a cool vibe.

Much of Lawrenceville’s historic architectural fabric survives, including commercial, institutional, residential, social, and religious buildings that served the working and middle classes. This tour focuses on the neighborhood’s western section, commonly called Lower Lawrenceville. It will encompass the full range of buildings, both historic and more recent, to give a textured overview of this part of the neighborhood.

Schenley Farms: A “Residential Utopia” in Oakland

SPECIAL WALKING TOUR: SCHENLEY FARMS Thursday, July 25 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. $20.00 per…