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You Can Now Legally Drink at the Speakeasy in the William Penn

This is one of this historic things about Pittsburgh that I think is so fascinating that I assume everyone knows. But I am amazed how many people don’t know that the new(ish) bar in the basement of the William Penn Hotel which is named Speakeasy, really was a speakeasy back in the day. I love old hotels. I love visiting old hotels. I love the book “Eloise,” which is about a girl who grew up in the Plaza hotel in New York city. I love the stories about the New Yorkers who lived in the Plaza hotel for years. (Check… Read the rest

Free Tours of Clayton Mansion at The Frick on Thursday for #ArtMuseumDay

The Frick compound takes up an entire city block between Penn Ave and Reynolds Street in Point Breeze. The large house on Penn Ave is know as Clayton and was lived in by members of the Frick Family until 1984. In 1990 the house was turned into a historical museum and other buildings on the property have become an art museum, car museum and cafe. Enjoy free tours of Clayton this Thursday, May 18 for #ArtMuseumDay. Reserve your tour today! https://t.co/2sH8HJQipD pic.twitter.com/TdweOhi1ir — The Frick Pittsburgh (@TheFrickPgh) May 16, 2017 While the art museum and grounds are always free, there… Read the rest

66 Years Before the Igloo, the Schenley Park Casino Hosted the First Hockey Game in Pittsburgh

Yesterday, when I was writing about the Catahecassa Springs in Schenley Park I was looking for the date that the Schenley Park ice rink was constructed. While I still don’t know when the Schenley Park ice rink was built, I learned about a building that I had never heard of before, the Schenley Park Casino. Since it is a hockey night in Pittsburgh, it seems fitting that our next post on historic preservation is about the building that hosted the very first hockey game in the City of Pittsburgh. In 1893 construction began on an elaborate recreation building that was… Read the rest

Catahecassa Fountain in Schenley Park

Update May 15, 2019: Please visit Very Local Pittsburgh for an updated version of this story.  While running the 5k for Race for the Cure this morning in Schenley Park, I paused to take a photo of the Neill log house in Schenley Park. The Neill log house stands out and is hard to miss, mostly because a little house on the prairie style house surrounded by chain link fence in the middle of a gold course. Two weeks ago I wrote about the John Woods House, which is considered to be the second oldest house in the city of… Read the rest

Maxo Vanka Murals & St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale

Today’s preservation month post is inspired by the Millvale Musical Festival, which is happening on Saturday, May 13. Millvale continues to gain popularity as a destination for breweries, music, community projects and some impressive community events. If you are headed to Millvale then you need to know about the Maxo Vanka murals, which might be one of the best kept secrets in Pittsburgh. If you are headed to Millvale for the music festival, you might want to take a little break to check these unique works of art. Even if you are not headed to the music festivals, the Maxo… Read the rest

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