Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most renowned architect, was not born in Pittsburgh, but he certainly put his stamp on our area with three Wright-designed masterpieces. Wright was a man of great contrast: his architectural designs reflected order and harmony, while his personal life was marked by chaos and discord. Formative Years Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, on June 8, 1867, to William Wright,
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If you’ve never been to the Biltmore Estate, you should consider adding it to your bucket list. Located in Asheville, North Carolina, the Biltmore is the nation’s largest home. Grandson of industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt and heir to the family’s vast fortune, George Vanderbilt built the estate as his summer retreat in the late 19th Century. The French Renaissance chateau-styled house has 250 rooms, including thirty-five
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“I once remarked while giving a tour, that we’ve had visitors from every continent except for Antarctica. Then I saw a hand shoot up in the crowd and a man said, ‘I’ve lived in Antarctica, so you’re going to have to change that,’” said Carole Brueckner, chairperson of St. Anthony Chapel. Located on Troy Hill overlooking the Allegheny River on Pittsburgh’s North Side, St. Anthony
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You don’t hear about it as often these days, but a few decades ago, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle and the peril it posed to travelers was quite the hot topic. While Pittsburghers may have been intrigued about the legendary area off the coast of Florida where ships and planes inexplicably disappeared, many may not have realized that we may have our own Bermuda
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For those born after 1960, the name David L. Lawrence may mean nothing more than the it being the formal title of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, but the man behind this name is one of the most important figures in the city’s history and quite possibly its best mayor. If it weren’t for Lawrence, Pittsburgh would be a whole lot different today. Who
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Often when a name is so well-known, the person bearing that name lives in the shadow of its prestigious reputation. That would be the case of Richard King Mellon. Since the mid-1800s, the name Mellon has been a household one associated with wealth. Mellon’s Banking Background Thomas Mellon, Richard King Mellon’s, grandfather, established the private bank T. Mellon and Sons in 1869. His son Andrew
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I remember the first time I tasted a Pierogi. It was 1967 and I was about seven years old. One Saturday afternoon I followed my neighbor and friend, Marilyn, into her kitchen on the way to her backyard to play. I came upon a scene I’d never encountered before. Massive pots of boiling water burbled on the stove, while her mom, who was dusted in
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The Gulf Tower was originally built as the headquarters for the Gulf Oil Company in 1932. It is located at 707 Grant Street downtown. The tower was built on the same location as the first oil refinery in the United States. Samuel M. Kier had built a refinery along Seventh Avenue that helped develop the petroleum industry. The tower was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston
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Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy Change is inevitable. Sometimes you have control over it, and sometimes you don’t. But no matter whether or not you have control over your shifting circumstances, you do have control
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The story of how Meadowcroft was discovered is the stuff that makes for good folktales or points to the hand of Divine Providence. On November 12, 1955, Albert Miller, a farmer and history buff, was out hiking through his land, which included a high cliffside alcove shielded by a rock overhang somewhat like a stone awning. There he saw a groundhog dip into a hole.
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