Sad Day

This is a bit of a project that I worked on while in Pittsburgh. This is a B&B in Delmont, Westmoreland Co. Mostly accessibility issues, not much design, but was a nice project and a great way to work on the edges of residential, light commercial. The owner was a very nice woman, and I reviewed the website before our trip, everything looked great. The bad side, was when E and I arrived to take some pix, there was a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. Nobody was at the building, so I took as many pix as I could, just to show that I do work on projects not exclusively residential in background. Another thing I learned from this and other projects in Pittsburgh is that we received many cold calls from potential clients because Astorino is at the beginning of the alphabet. I should have named my firm Aardvark and taken all the work I can smell out! We are going to return to Oakland for the newest building on CMU's campus in the next few days.

Carnegie Museum

Across the lawn and the street is a portion of the Carnegie Museum and Library. This wing is the more "traditional" architecture end, I did not get pix of the other end this trip, the kids were too hungry! The great thing about this end, the Hall of Architecture. So many casts of various styles of antique architecture are housed here and allow the casual observer or the student to gt a glimpse of the wide range of styles and detail associated with the built environment of the past. There were so many grey Sunday afternoons in the winter months I spent wandering this space and the museum, what a treasure for students of every discipline. The lecture halls are amazing, the library has been refinished, but it is still splendid. This time of year, with the warmer temperatures, the street will be filled with dozens of yellow school buses, bringing so many eager students to the dinosaur hall and natural history areas also. Next is the new IT building at CMU. Many more buildings to come!

Heinz Chapel

A building that we all saw on campus, but rarely visited. I do remember seeing a secret service dude with a rifle in the spire when Al Gore visited in 1995 or so. After graduating, this building became much more prominent in my life because I married my beautiful wife in it. The enormous doors, the stained glass, spacious ceilings are impressive and create a quiet bubble in the bustling city. Again, as with CL, this building was built looking backward at architecture, not the future, so it seems much older than it really is. In comparison to the Carnegie Institute and the Museum across the street, a vibrant architecture that plays off each other, different past eras are easily enjoyed by anyone interested in architecture in America. There are great displays of the proposal for this lot in FFA display cases, and show how that the CL and HC were reactions to the Greek Acropolis plans for both Pitt and CMU, CMU's being much more successful and realized. Instead of the American concept of university at UVA and CMU, these two buildings seek to elevate scholars above the rabble, without the ability to be contained in "lawns" or "cuts" the CL and HC are truly pillars for education in a more aristocratic manner.

Next, Carnegie Museum, "Hall of Architecture."

Cathedral of Learning

Ah, the Cathedral of Learning. From Roy Rogers in the basement to the Victory Lights, no other building defines Pitt as much as this. A visionary concept to build during the Great Depression, CL has or had it all, except sleeping quarters. So many of us took our general classes in this building, but one that we all should have is the History and Architecture of Pitt. One month of classes could be used to talk about how much this building acts as a beacon for higher learning in western PA. Derided by CMU'ers, CL has the fantastic Nationality Rooms, cavernous common room, countless offices, and the ability to view the city from the 36th floor. Hidden behind the "Gothic" architecture, lies a truly modern building, express elevators, steel frame work, all referencing the age of similar, but low buildings in France and England, most notably Oxford. Many architects denounced the backward looking exterior, saying a more modern glass curtain wall would have been appropriate for the era. This is true, but given the connection with higher learning, the solid stone veneer has aged well, and added a false sense of this building being hundreds of years old, not just eighty. The lawn was the main "green" space for years, excluding the enormous Schenley Park to the east, on campus. Our ivory tower helped us find our way home on many excursions from local watering holes. Enough with the memories, from Frank Lloyd Wright, who loathed the CL and Heinz, most likely because he did not win the commission, "The best thing that could happen to Heinz Chapel, is for the Cathedral to fall on it." He sought the destruction of both buildings! Tomorrow, Heinz Chapel.

Frick Fine Arts Building

There were many buildings I visited whilst at Pitt, but the FFA was home base. The building was serene, near the park, and close to the center where I lived each year. The major negative of the library was that, as an undergrad, you were not allowed to browse the stacks. Research was difficult because you could only request a book from a docent, but you couldn't take the books home for reading, etc. Somehow, I still did well on my papers. Studio arts were in the basement, lectures on the second floor, a gallery for student work and a large lecture hall are the other major places I could be found in the mid-Ninties. The architecture of the building says Palladian, and it is correct only due to the green surrounding, not the lack of enticement to visit it or the quality of the light. I did love my time at Pitt, but for an architecture/studio arts building, a higher quality home would have been much more inspirational.

Tomorrow, the Cathedral of Learing.

Return

Back from the 'burgh. Pix and commentary to follow tomorrow. Wonderful weather, great food and beer, and lots of laughs with old friends!

Low Key

I have also realized that trying to get all of these projects and chasing leads from attending shows, that although organized, I do not have a giant marketing budget and the ability to create high brow releases for the updates to these media outlets. So, in keeping with my personality, the product will be top notch, the discussions and updates will be more informal and loose. I want to have fun doing this and keep everybody informed. Today I begin the hard push with all of these endeavours!