ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Pittsburgh: Your kind of neighborhood

Pittsburgh! “It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood,” as Mr. Rogers, one of the city’s notables, attests. Come experience the friendliness, charm, and diversity of the “City of Three Rivers” during ACRL’s 7th Annual Confe rence, March 29-April 1, 1995. Pittsburgh long ago shed its grimy, industrial image of the ear- ly 1900s. Today the city is described by spar- kling rivers, fountains, green parks, towering modern skyscrapers, and, nestled in its sur- rounding hillsides, 90 ethnically diverse and distinct neighborhoods. It is a city with a rich 200-year history, as its many nicknames indicate.

"Gateway to the West"

In 1753 a young major in the Virginia Militia named George Washington was sent on a surveying mission to western Pennsylvania. Finding a lo- cation at the confluence of the Allegheny and Mononga- hela rivers, he wrote that the area was “extremely well sit- uated for a fort, as it has ab- solute control of both rivers.”

The triangular spit of land where the two rivers meet and the Ohio River begins was the site of several forts over the course of the following years. Both the French and the English wished to claim this strategic location for expansion into the interior of the North American continent. The English Fort Prince George was supplanted by the French Fort Duquesne in 1754, only to re- turn to English hands with the erection of Fort Pitt in 1759- The British General John Forbes named the settlement which developed around the fort “Pittsburgh.”

After the Revolutionary War, Pittsburgh was pivotal for the westward migrations of the pio- neers. It was a welcome location for replenish- ing supplies and energies following the trek over the Appalachians, and the “Gateway to the West” grew as a trading and boat-building center.

"Iron and Steel City" transforms

The 19th century transformed Pittsburgh into an industrial center fed by rail and steamboats. The great steel magnates Andrew Carnegie and Henry C. Frick established their empires in the city and the mills’ production played a major role in America’s growth. The glory of being the “Steel Capital of the World” came with a hefty price tag, however. Pittsburgh’s productive mills, coke ovens, and foundries churned out mas- sive quantities of smoke, soot, and pollution. The city was described as “hell with the lid off.” Streetlights burned both day and night to penetrate the industrial darkness well into the 20th century.

The “Smoky City” under- went a major transformation shortly after World War II. The public and pri- vate sectors joined to fund the city’s first re- naissance. In 1946 Pittsburgh instituted a smoke control program in conjunction with a major urban renewal project. The heavily industrial-

Marcia Duncan Lowry is reference librarian at Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; e-mail: lowry@rmcnet. robert-morris. eduized “Point” where the rivers meet was trans- formed into a 36-acre green park and, in place of terminals and warehouses, the office towers of Gateway Center were erected.

After an industrial peak in the 1950s, the economic base of Pittsburgh faced a major set- back. The decline of the domestic steel indus- try in the 1960s and 70s left many unemployed and the city struggling to come to grips with its new reality. Fortunately, however, another lit- tle-noticed industry was growing in Pittsburgh during the decades when steel was king— the service industry. By the 1980s the white collar work force outnumbered the blue by four to one, compared to the one to one ratio of the ’50s. Today Pittsburgh is in the midst of its second renaissance, restructuring its economy to propel it as a model city into the 21st century.

"One of the Top" & "One of the Best"

The Pittsburgh of the 1990s is consistently num- bered on the “top” and “best” lists published by various organizations and pollsters. It is one of the largest corporate headquarters in the country and eight Fortune 500 companies call the Golden Triangle home. Pittsburgh consti- tutes the third largest research and develop- ment center in the country. Knowledge is sur- passing steel’s previous profitability to become the economic resource of the region. Finance, education, medicine, biotechnology, software engineering, and advanced technologies cur- rently fill Pittsburgh’s portfolio.

Pittsburgh enjoys membership in the “Most

Livable City Club,” being the only U.S. city to have placed in the top five lo- cales three times in the Places Rated Al- manac. It is also one of only six cities to be included twice in the once-a-decade list of top U.S. cities published by the Partners for Livable Communities. De- spite a population nearing 2,500,000,

Pittsburgh maintains the friendliness and charm of a small town.

A view of Pittsburgh’s rejuvenated “Point” where the rivers meet.

Culturally, Pittsburgh takes center stage as well. It is home to one of the world’s best symphony orchestras; its ballet is consistently ranked among the top ten regional companies; and its opera is one of the nation’s ten best. In all, Pittsburgh is host to more than 200 performing arts groups.

The city’s museums include the Carnegie, with its Museum of Natural History, Fine Art Museum and Heinz Architectural Hall; the Andy Warhol (native son) Museum; the Frick Fine Art Museum; the Stephen Foster Memorial; the Carnegie Science Center; and the Pittsburgh Regional History Center. For flora and fauna lovers, the city offers the Phipps Conservatory, the National Aviary, and the Pittsburgh Zoo—a state-of-the-art natural habitat.

Other Pittsburgh facts may surprise and delight the trivia lover. The “City of Bridges,” with over 700, has more than any other city in the world. And as long as one is counting, Pittsburgh has more golf courses and pleasure boats per capita than any city in the U.S. The McDonald’s Big Mac was invented in Pittsburgh; radio’s, first broadcast was made from Pittsburgh’s KDKA on November 2,1920; and Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine here. Pittsburgh claims the first ferris wheel, the first drive- in gas station, and the first football team to put numbers on jerseys! And if you are wondering what Flash Dance, Silence of the Lambs and Hoffa have in common—it is Pittsburgh. Due to its diverse and rich architecture—H. H. Richardson Romanesque to Phillip Johnson modem—the city is consistently chosen as a prime movie filming site.

ACRL 1995 convention site

As a convention city, Pittsburgh offers a compact downtown area which is safe and easily navigable by foot or public transit. Within roughly ten square blocks, restaurants and shopping abound. One Oxford Center, PPG Place, and Fifth Avenue Place provide the most avid shopper hours of pleasure in proximity to the Convention Center and hotels. Slightly further afield in the distinctive neighborhoods of the city are South Craig Street in Oakland, Walnut Street in Shadyside, Forbes and Murray Avenues in Squirrel Hill, and East Carson Street and Station Square on the South Side.

The ACRL local arrangements committee has planned an array of events and tours designed to acquaint conference attendees with the city and its environs. Future articles will discuss in greater detail tours which are planned, cultural events, sightseeing, libraries, and local restaurants. Come share a few wonderful days “in the neighborhood.” ■