Sights and landmarks in Pittsburgh

Sights and landmarks in Pittsburgh

1. SeeDowntown

   200 Block of Fort Pitt Blvd

   Facing the Monongahela River, this area was once a major commercial hub due to its proximity to the now long-defunct Monongahela Wharf. Along the 200 block of Fort Pitt Blvd is a surviving fragment of the commercial architecture of the late 19th century which defined this neighborhood. Cast-iron ornamental elements and Queen Anne-style structures reflect the architectural tastes of the time.

2. SeeDowntown

   Alcoa Building

   Regional Enterprise Tower

   The first all aluminum building ever constructed. It stands 30 stories tall and was built of aluminum panels in 1953. In 2001, Alcoa built a new building on the North Side and no longer occupies this landmark building.

3. SeeNorth Side

   Allegheny Commons

   Pittsburgh's oldest park, the commons is a historic and very lovely park with lush green lawns, sculptures, and a small lake among its many shady trees.

   6AM-11PM daily·Free

4. SeeDowntown

   Allegheny County Courthouse

   A gorgeous stone building built in 1884 that serves as the seat of the Allegheny County government. You can walk into the lovely courtyard with its fountain, overshadowed by the building's prominent tower. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courthouses in the nation.

5. SeeNorth Side

   Allegheny Observatory

   Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the University of Pittsburgh's Neoclassical observatory, completed in 1912, was home to several historically significant astronomers such as Samuel Langley and John Brashear. The observatory is still actively engaged in conducting astronomical research.

   Free tours of the observatory are offered from April through the end of October with an advanced reservation

6. SeeOakland

   Alumni Hall

   Freely accessible to the public, Alumni Hall is a restored former Masonic Greek Revival temple completed by Benno Janssen in 1915. The facility contains many of its original elements, the University's Legacy Gallery of electronic kiosks in its lobby, a gallery of portraits of the university chancellors stretching back 200 years on the Connolly Ballroom's balcony, and an exhibit of “365 Views of the Cathedral of Learning” by renowned Spanish artist Felix de la Concha on the 7th floor.

7. SeeNorth Side

   Andy Warhol Museum

   This seven-floor museum is like no other art museum, to say the least. The collection covers Warhol's entire life, and as you walk through the galleries you'll hear the sounds of Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, opera singers, classic Hollywood movies and many other influences on Warhol's career as you view celebrity portraits, films, room installations, album covers, and many other works from one of America's greatest pop artists.

   Tue-Thu Sat Sun 10AM-5PM, Fri 10AM-10PM, closed Mon and major holidays·$20 adults, $10 students/children; half-price Friday evenings

8. SeeDowntown

   BNY Mellon Center

   A sleek 55-story building which holds the title of the city's second tallest building. It is situated directly across from the U.S. Steel Tower, separated by only a street and a small park, standing as if to challenge the older and larger lion that is the Steel Tower. One of its unique features is the building's eight-sided design.

9. SeeOakland

   Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main

   Andrew Carnegie funded 2,507 libraries all over the world. Today, his libraries here in Pittsburgh comprise the city's public library system. The welcoming Oakland branch is Pittsburgh's central library, with vast collections of not only printed matter, but also music, film, photographs, and more.

10. SeeNorth Side

    Carnegie Science Center

    A great place to learn about science, this huge (five floors) museum has exhibits aimed toward both children and adults dealing with many aspects of science and technology. Some of the highlight exhibits include a model railroad village, an aquarium, a robot exhibit, and numerous theaters and stages for science demonstrations, as well as a large-screen theater. Another attraction is a World War II submarine, the USS Requin, moored in the Ohio River just aside of the Science Center itself.

    Sun-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-7PM·$18.95 adults, $11.95 children; theater shows extra

11. SeeOakland

    Cathedral of Learning

    The 42-story Charles Klauder designed Gothic Revival skyscraper, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as the symbolic and physical heart of the University of Pittsburgh. Construction began in 1926 and took a decade to complete. Visible from almost anywhere in Pittsburgh, it is the tallest school building in the Western hemisphere, and has been described as the "culmination" of Late Gothic Revival architecture. While impressive on the outside, it can be even more spectacular on the inside. On the first and third floors, surrounding its immense Gothic-style Commons Room, are the 31 Nationality Rooms. These working classrooms are each designed, constructed, and decorated in the characteristic style of 29 different cultures which represent the diverse population of Pittsburgh. A self-guided tour of the Nationality Rooms is available for a small fee ($4 for adults, $2 for youth; +1 412 624-6000, M-Sa 9 AM-4 PM (last tour 2:30 PM), Su 11 AM-4 PM (last tour 2:30 PM), audiotape tours only on weekends), while guided tours can be reserved in advance that give in-depth explanations of each room and can allow access to areas normally inaccessible to the public, like the historic Croghan-Schenley Ballroom and Early American Room. The Nationality Rooms on the 3rd floor are sometimes freely open to explore, depending on time and class schedule. Much of the upper floors of the Cathedral are composed of offices and other university facilities, however a trip to the Honors College on the 35th and 36th floors, accessible by most of the elevators, provides marvelous views of the city.

    Entry is free

12. SeeOakland

    Chatham University Arboretum

    Estate of the Mellon family, landscaped in part by the Olmsted Brothers (who landscaped Boston Common and New York's Central Park) with many different flowering trees - now part of the grounds of Chatham University.

    Free

13. SeeNorth Side

    Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

    A children's museum with a pretty wide variety of great, interactive exhibits, including a recreation of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, a hall full of optical illusions, a waterplay area, a stage, a workshop full of pulleys and gears, as well as plenty of art and outdoor exhibits.

    Daily 10AM-5PM·$14 adults, $13 children/teens/seniors, children under 2 free

14. SeeDowntown

    City-County Building

    Built in 1917, the City-County Building is a grand structure which still serves as the seat of government for the city of Pittsburgh. Come during the holidays for full decoration and the community gingerbread house contest (displayed in the lobby). For those interested in the more prosaic functions of government, show up on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning to see a City Council meeting in their majestic fifth floor chambers, and maybe even a press conference on the portico.

15. SeeDowntown

    David L. Lawrence Convention Center

    The convention center is quite a sight, with its sweeping design facing the Allegheny River. Be sure to walk up to the entrance on 10th Street near Penn Avenue - a walkway starts there that runs underneath the building towards the shore of the Allegheny River. The walkway is flanked on both sides by illuminated waterfalls.

16. SeeDowntown

    Dollar Savings Bank Building

    Fourth Avenue used to be the financial center of Pittsburgh, and a lot of great architecture remains on Fourth even if most of the banks have moved to taller, shinier buildings. However, a branch of the Dollar Savings Bank remains, with impressive classical architecture in dark stone and lion statues flanking the entrance.

17. SeeStrip District-Lawrenceville

    East Liberty Presbyterian Church

    Just north of Shadyside in East Liberty, featuring ornate stonework, beautiful stained glass and woodwork. The church features a labyrinth, open Mondays 9AM-1:30PM and Saturdays 9AM-9PM. When walking the labyrinth, you are supposed to pray or meditate. In the past, they served as a substitute for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For Christians who have never walked a labyrinth, it's quite an interesting way to worship.

18. SeeDowntown

    Fifth Avenue Place

    Highmark Place

    The city's fourth tallest building, this building is easily recognizable due to its pyramid-shaped top with its tall mast. A food court is available on the second floor.

19. SeeDowntown

    First Lutheran Church

    This lovely church looks particularly out of place next to the massive office buildings surrounding it, but serves as an interesting reminder that this was once a residential area.

20. SeeDowntown

    Fort Pitt Block House

    A former redoubt - a structure that extends the line of fire beyond the walls of a fort - the Fort Pitt Block House is the only extant relic of Fort Pitt and is the oldest European-built structure west of the Allegheny Mountains. It has functioned as a museum of the French & Indian War era since 1894 and has a small gift shop.

    Wed-Sun 10:30AM-4:30PM (Fri-Sun only during the winter)·Free

21. SeeDowntown

    Fort Pitt Museum

    Housed in a recreated bastion above the remains of one of Fort Pitt's structures, the museum explains some of the history of the forts on the Point, from the French and Indian War to the Whiskey Rebellion after the American Revolution. While parts of the museum may seem a bit bare, some of the exhibits and artifacts are very interesting and give a good insight into the history of the site.

    Daily 10AM-5PM·$10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 students/youth, 5 and under free, $2 discount for military. Bring receipt to Heinz History Museum on the same day or next day for a discount

22. SeeOakland

    Frick Art & Historical Center

    A complex of museums and historic buildings including: Clayton (the home of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick), the Frick Art Museum, the Car and Carriage Museum, and the Greenhouse.

    Tue-Sun 10AM-5PM·The grounds, museums, and greenhouse are free, tours of Clayton cost $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 children

23. SeeDowntown

    Frick Building

    A 20-story building constructed by the industrialist Henry Clay Frick in 1902. The building sports many lavish features, such as marble ceilings, intricate grillwork, and stained glass windows.

24. SeeOakland

    Frick Fine Arts Building

    Designed to reflect an Italian Renaissance villa, this building contains in its cloister a large collection of scale reproductions by Russian artist Nicholas Lochoff of 15th-century Italian Renaissance masterpieces, considered to be among the best copies in the world. The building is open to public and free to explore. It is also home to the University Art Gallery, which contains rotating exhibits and is free to the public. (M-F 10AM-4PM; +1 412 648-2423) There are also several sculptures on the grounds around the building, including the popular photo spot of the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, titled A Song to Nature, by Victor David Brenner.

25. SeeOakland

    Frick Park

    A wonderful wooded park (and Pittsburgh's largest) with a network of trails ideal for walking the dog or bicycling. There are several entrances to the park, the main ones being at Reynolds St and Homewood Ave (across the street from the Frick Art & Historical Center) at the north end of the park, Beechwood Blvd just south of Forbes Ave and at Nicholson St on the west side of the park, and at Forbes and Braddock Avenues on the east side of the park. From any of the entrances you'll head down shady, wooded slopes to a small valley which runs south to the Nine Mile Run Watershed, where a small stream flows into the Monongahela River. The, off of Beechwood Blvd just south of Forbes Avenue, hosts nature programs for children and has a small pond and a woodland area for wildlife viewing. There is also a pair of excellent playgrounds in the park, one at Beechwood Blvd and Nicholson St and the other at Forbes and Braddock Avenues, along with softball fields and tennis courts.

26. SeeDowntown

    Gulf Tower

    An Art Deco edifice completed in 1932, this building was the city's tallest (and for that matter, the state's tallest) until the U.S. Steel Tower was completed in 1970. Today, it's the city's sixth tallest. The building is named for the Gulf Oil company, and the top of the tower is designed to resemble a step-pyramid/mausoleum which is illuminated at night with a coded system that shows the current weather with colors, or to celebrate the local teams' achievements and the holidays.

27. SeeOakland

    Heinz Memorial Chapel

    Located on the grounds of the Cathedral of Learning, this chapel was built with funds left to the school by H.J. Heinz (of ketchup fame). The French Gothic Revival nondenominational chapel features 23 amazing stained-glass windows by Charles J. Connick, the largest single collection of his work. The windows total approximately 4,000 square feet (370 m2) and contain nearly 250,000 pieces of glass with 391 identifiable people from religion, history, science and the humanities, and the transept windows are reputedly the world's tallest such windows. Free tours may allow one sample the acoustics of the 3,770 pipe organ, and concerts and recitals are typically held on Sundays. See the website for calendar.

    Mon-Thu 8:30 AM-5 PM, Fri 8:30 AM-3:15 PM, Sat weddings scheduled, Sun noon-5PM·Free

28. SeeStrip District-Lawrenceville

    Highland Park

    One of the city's largest parks, Highland is home to 2 lakes, Lake Carnegie and Reservoir No. 1, both built for municipal water use and used for recreation. Also features gardens, overlooks, and a network of trails.

29. SeeOakland

    Homewood Cemetery

    A large cemetery founded in the mid-1800s. While not a tourist attraction like the old cemeteries of New Orleans or Paris, Homewood houses many ornate mausoleums, statues and memorial edifices.

30. SeeDowntown

    Koppers Tower

    One of the best examples of Art Deco in Pittsburgh, this building is constructed with Indiana limestone and has a polished granite base, a dark copper roof, and marble walls in the lobby.

31. SeeNorth Side

    Mattress Factory

    The Mattress Factory is a museum of contemporary art that exhibits room-sized works called installations.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 1-5PM·$20 adults, $15 seniors/students, $10 veterans, children under 6 free; half-price Tuesdays

32. SeeOakland

    Miller Gallery

    A very nice and often intriguing contemporary art gallery with constantly changing exhibits.

    Tue-Sun noon-6PM·Free

33. SeeSouth Side

    Mount Washington Overlooks

    Once you've ascended to the top of Mount Washington, either by driving or taking one of the two inclines (popular attractions in their own right; see above under Get around), you'll be treated to a splendid view of Downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. Along Grandview Avenue, which parallels the edge of the hill, there are several overlooks offering you unobstructed views. As you walk from one end of Grandview Avenue to the other, the view will change. At the eastern end, at the top of the Monongahela Incline, you'll be directly across from the skyscrapers of Downtown. As you proceed to the western end, near the top of the Duquesne Incline, you'll have a better view of the point, the North Side, and up the river valleys of Pittsburgh.

34. SeeNorth Side

    National Aviary

    The only "national" aviary in the entire country, this small but splendid place has lots of exotic birds to enjoy - eagles, penguins, lorikeets, parrots, flamingos, etc. A couple of exhibits allow you to stroll through with birds flying around you, and the aviary offers a constant program of feeding times and bird shows to enjoy throughout the day, bringing you even closer to their lovely birds.

    10AM-5PM daily·$14 adults, $13 seniors, $12 children (2-12), free for under 2; extra fee for bird shows

35. SeeNorth Side

    North Shore Riverfront Park

    Situated along the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers, this park offers a chance to get close to the rivers and enjoy excellent, unobstructed views of downtown. A trail runs the length of the park, which stretches from the Carnegie Science Center to beyond downtown, and there are numerous lawns and public artworks, as well as boat tie-ups and facilities for canoes and kayakers. The, just west of PNC Park, is a large interactive fountain which children often play in during the summer.

36. SeeDowntown

    One Oxford Centre

    A gleaming white set of buildings, the tallest of which is the city's fifth tallest. At night they are lit up rather nicely.

37. SeeDowntown

    PPG Place

    A unique set of buildings developed by Pittsburgh Plate Glass as their headquarters. All the buildings are faced entirely with a glittering, sun inhibiting plate glass and sport ornate, yet modern, glass pinnacles like candles on a birthday cake. One PPG Place (the tall one) is one of the most recognizable buildings in the skyline, with its neo-Gothic crenelations, and the city's third tallest. Among these buildings is an unusual park which, in the winter, is flooded with water and used for ice skating, like Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

38. SeeOakland

    Petersen Events Center

    The campus' basketball and concert venue. On non-event days, the facility's 6,000 square foot, 90-ft-high lobby is open to the public and contains the McCarl Panthers Hall of Champions which showcases artifacts from some of the university's championship teams (free, M–F 9AM–5PM). Also inside are the Panthers Team Store and a food court. Pre-arranged tours of the center are available for groups of 10 or more.

39. SeeOakland

    Phipps Conservatory

    A Victorian glass conservatory with gorgeous indoor and outdoor floral and botanical displays. Dating to 1893, expansion through the years has resulted in 14 indoor rooms and several outdoor gardens, each with unique garden designs and excellent assortments of plants. There's also quite a bit of colorful sculpture throughout, including multiple pieces by Dale Chihuly, that help to decorate the already lush indoor displays. Renovations have been undertaken to make Phipps one of the greenest buildings in the world.

    Sat-Thu 9:30AM-5PM, Fri 9:30AM-10PM·$15 adults, $14 seniors/students, $11 children, children under 2 free

40. SeeStrip District-Lawrenceville

    Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

    A large zoo complex containing a wide variety of animals in big exhibits. There are lots of enclosures simulating natural spaces in Asia, Africa, rainforests, along with the PPG Aquarium. In the "Kid's Kingdom" area you can get up-close with animals like goats, deer, sea lions, bats, and meerkats. Busier on weekends; the zoo is laid out is a very linear fashion, with almost everything aligned along one loop, so expect crowds and viewing waits.

    9AM-5PM daily (until 4PM in winter and until 6PM in summer)·$15 adults, $14 seniors, $13 children, children under 2 free

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Pittsburgh (CC BY-SA 4.0).