| Heidelburg Race Track |
| October 25, 1963 - The scrap yard of the W.F. Wimmer Company on Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. The close proximity to the Allegheny River made this site an ideal place for scrap heaps and railroad tracks prior to the construction of Three Rivers Stadium. During the late 1960s, the Buncher Company scrap yard, owned by real estate developer Jack Buncher, along with the W.F. Wimmer facilities (pictured here) were razed to make way for Three Rivers Stadium. |
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| Pittsburgh 1960's |
| ALL THINGS PITTSBURGH |
| ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PHOTO RESTORATION DONE BY THE STEELCACTUS FOUNDATION ADDITIONAL VERBIAGE BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA |
| MARKET SQUARE In 1961 the Diamond Market, two buildings connected by an elevated foot bridge, was demolished to make way for Market Square Park. The Park, split by Forbes Avenue (formerly Diamond Street), included brick pavements, grass, and trees, and offered office workers and visitors a place to gather and occasionally enjoy public events. |
| An aerial view of the Point and the Point Bridge (being dismantled) spanning the Monongahela River. On the left is the Manchester Bridge spanning the Allegheny River, which was demolished in 1970. At the center of Point State Park is the outline for the original Fort Pitt and located directly above it is a small cluster of trees obscuring the Fort Pitt Blockhouse. The Fort Pitt Bridge (far right) opened on June 19, 1959. The Fort Duquesne Bridge (upper left), or known locally as “The Bridge to Nowhere,” went nowhere because of difficulties in locating a suitable site to place its northern ramps. The main span of this bridge was finished in 1963, and it wasn’t until 1969 when it was finally opened to traffic. |
| During the glory days of the movie industry, the Loew’s Penn Theatre on Sixth Street in downtown Pittsburgh was one of the most elaborate movie palaces in the United States, site of premieres and long-runs. It was built in 1927 by motion picture magnate Marcus Loew and the last production there was Hello Dolly starring Carol Channing in 1967. In February 1970, a sell-out performance of a “Pop Spectacular” (theatre marquee) was performed. ‘Doc’ Severinson was a featured soloist. Local singer Jeanne Baxter sang “It’s All Right With Me” as Henry Mazer directed; Brokett and Barbara spoofed the theater and the mayor. Eventually the entire block shown here on Sixth Street was purchased to make way for the remodeling of the corner building to later become Heinz Hall. The building in the background housed Woolworth’s on the first floor and was later razed to make way for a fountain near Heinz Hall. |
| SIGNS OF THINGS TO COME... |
| MARKET SQUARE |
| Heidelburg Race Track (pictured here), located in Heidelburg, Pennsylvania, held the seventh NASCAR Winston Cup event in its initial year on October 2, 1949. Residents who lived near the track often complained about the loud noise and dust levels that the track created during racing events. Interstate Highway 79 now passes directly through this site and a strip mall is located nearby. Heidelberg is a borough located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, with a total population of 1225 in the year 2000. |
| National Aviary |
| Rising above the First Lutheran Church on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, the Bell Telephone Building is an example of a popular style of architecture called “the International School.” Derided by some critics as a totally forgettable building, the structure does boast the distinction of being nuclear-bomb-resistant. Architect H.J. Larsen designed the $21 million, 16-story structure with strength in mind because of the heavy equipment that would be housed there. The floor load capacity is 300 pounds per square foot, substantially higher than the 50 to 60 pounds per square foot of a typical office building. Construction of the building was completed in 1969. |
| 1968 - In the foreground Seventh Avenue borders the site for the new U.S. Steel Building (presently known as the U.S. Steel Tower) in downtown Pittsburgh. On the opposite side of the site is the First Lutheran Church on Grant Street to the right of the H.K. Porter Building. |
June, 1969