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Explore the 1st US Highway at the 44th Annual National Road Heritage Festival

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As city lover, I never thought I would ever find room in my heart for highways. But after driving cross country and learning about the history of Route 66, I will admit I have made space in my heart for the open road. This weekend is the 44th Annual National Road Festival. Just when I thought I had heard of every possibly historic festival in Western, PA, Facebook suggests an event and I’ve spent hours learning about all kinds of new history and places. Route 66 is about celebrating the car culture of America, the National Road Festival goes back… Read the rest

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

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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

East Liberty 1935: Subterranean Public Bathrooms

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Today’s post comes from East Liberty Valley Historic Society Facebook page. ELVHS added some helpful captions to this photo of Penn Ave from 1935. This is the section of Penn Ave where Target is now located. One of the questions on the Facebook post asks if these bathrooms still exist underground. It would be interesting to find out if these were filled in or if there are still bathrooms under Penn Ave. A different take on the Pittsburgh Potty. I don’t believe any of the buildings in this photograph are still standing today. You can find more information about Joyce… Read the rest

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

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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

The Colonel James Anderson House & Victorian Tea Benefit

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The Anderson House holds quite a bit of architectural and historical significance for Pittsburgh, the Manchester neighborhood, and any anyone who has ever borrowed a book from the library. The building is architecturally significant, it was built in 1830 and is one of the oldest buildings in Manchester. This house is also one of the only remaining examples of Greek Revival style architecture in Pittsburgh. Another unusual feature to the Anderson House is the English basement, which is a fancy term for a garden apartment. Architectural history aside, this building has a connection to a current community institution that can… Read the rest

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