SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR OF PITTSBURGH'S GOLDEN TRIANGLE (PART 2) - Pittsburgh Purple Travel Guide

This is Part 2 of our self-guided walking tour of Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, which covers the highlights of Pittsburgh's architecture, history, culture and Pittsburgh's former Wall Street.

The information on this webiste and much more: google maps locations, reviews and attraction websites can be found in the Pittsburgh Travel Guide that you can preview and purchase at the Backpack and Snorkel Travel Store.

Go to the beginning of the tour here.

11. GATEWAY CENTER PARK

Walk around the building to the western side and you will come to Gateway Center Park.
Like it is the case with Gateway Plaza (#6), this plaza is a large green roof covering the parking structure underneath. Relax here for a few minutes and then continue your self-guided walking tour.
Please be advised that this park is only open Monday through Friday during business hours.

12. ONE PPG PLACE

Now walk towards the south of Four Gateway Center, which is #10 in this tour, and the north of 201 Stanwix Street Place until you come to Stanwix St.. Across the street and directly in front of you, you will see the black glass palace of One PPG Place. Walk a few feet to the right and cross Stanwix St. where you see St. Mary of Mercy Roman Catholic Church.

Keep walking east on Third Avenue and very soon you will see two dinosaurs to your left.

One PPG Place is the most iconic building in Pittsburgh and it was called "the crown jewel in Pittsburgh's skyline". Opened in 1984, it is one of the highlights of Pittsburgh's "Renaissance II period". 19,750 pieces of glass, many of them reflective insulating glass, were used in the construction of this building. The glass panes make the building very energy efficient. You can step into the main lobby to see the big atrium.

More information about One PPG Place can be found here.

13. PLAZA AT PPG PLACE

When you get out of the lobby, the beautifully paved "Plaza at PPG Place" lies before you.

If you come in summer between 6am and 10pm then you, and especially your kids, can enjoy the unique water feature in the center of the plaza. Water pulses from 140 columns shoot up to about 15ft and are lit by underground LEDs. The water then disappears between the surface pavers, is collected, and reused. The display is nice during the day, but the colors really pop at night.

If you come between November 22 and March 1, look for the ice skating rink in the plaza and the 60ft Christmas tree. The ice rink is supposedly larger than New York City’s rink in Rockefeller Center and about 2/3 of the size of a standard National Hockey League rink.
Also, check out Two PPG Place to see how Santa Claus is depicted in different cultures around the world.

14. MARKET SQUARE

Now walk to the tree-lined passage to the north and you will come to Market Square.
Market Square was part of the original street layout for Pittsburgh in 1764. It was called "Diamond Square" and "Diamond Market" and it became the first home of the first courthouse, first jail and the first newspaper west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Market Square has been an important social gathering place in the city since its inception. Its last significant renovation was in 2009 and 2010 when it was transformed into a pedestrian zone with European charm. It is lined with restaurants and it is a serene oasis within Pittsburgh’s busy business district. Market Square gets busy several times a year:

in March: St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated here from late November until December 23: a European-style Christmas market is held here and your kids can meet Santa

Thursdays from 10am to 2pm in summer and fall: the Market Square Farmers Market takes place

More information about Market Square can be found here.

15. FOURTH AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT

Did you know that the Oil Rush in the US started when oil was discovered in 1859 in Titusville, PA, which is located north of Pittsburgh? Later on, oil was discovered south of Pittsburgh and in Ohio, too.
During that time and well into the 20th century, what is now the Fourth Avenue Historic District became the center of finance and banks and the location of the Pittsburgh Stock Exchange. Many ornate buildings still exist from that time.
Walk along Fourth Ave for two blocks until you reach Smithfield St and enjoy the architecture of the ornate buildings of which many date back to the time of the Oil Rush.

Some notable buildings from that era are:

Benedum-Trees Building, 223 Fourth Ave (built in 1905) – former headquarters of the Benedum Trees Oil Company

Investment Building, 239 Fourth Ave (built in 1927) – originally the Insurance Exchange Building, this neo-classical skyscraper copied the style of the nearby Arrott and Benedum-Trees Buildings.

Arrott Building, 401 Wood St (built in 1902) – Named after James Arrott who was the “Bathtub King of Pittsburgh”. His company Standard Manufacturing Co, which was one of the predecessor companies of American Standard, is known for building popular enameled iron bathtubs.
This Historic Landmark is currently being converted into a hotel.

First National Bank, 307 4th Ave (built in 1902) – Look at the architectural details of this building using pink granite for the first 3 stories and deep red brick with terra-cotta detailing for the higher floors.

The Carlyle, 300 Fourth Ave (built in 1906) – Originally, this neo-classical building was the Union National Bank Building, but it is now a condo building.

Wood Street Commons, 301 Third Ave (built in 1923) – Walk a few feet to the south to the Wood St entrance of the Wood Street Commons building. Left of the entrance you will see a bronze marker that indicates the crest of the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936. There is a plaque to the right of the door that indicates that this is the birthplace of industrialist William Thaw in 1818.

Times Building, 336 Fourth Ave (built in 1892) – This Richardsonian Romanesque building was built for the Pittsburgh Times. Elise Mercur, Pittsburgh’s first female architect, had her offices on the 7th floor from 1898 to 1900.

Pittsburgh Stock Exchange, 333 4th Ave – The Pittsburgh Stock Exchange (originally named Thurston's Oil Exchange) opened in 1864 and operated until 1974 and traded over 1,200 companies at its height. Its original location was in the Dollar Bank building on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street from 1864-1903. It was then moved to 229 Fourth Avenue from 1903 to 1962 - this building does not exist anymore. From 1962 until 1974, the Exchange was located at 333 4th Ave.

Dollar Bank Building, 340 4th Ave. (built in 1871) – This grand Beaux Arts Baroque structure, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, used 14,000 tons of brownstone quarried in Portland, Connecticut and pink Quincy granite quarried in Massachusetts. The Daily Gazette wrote in 1871: "The noble structure [is] surpassed in permanence, symmetry and beauty by no public edifice in any American city." .
The two lions that you see outside the building are from 2013 and are replicas of the original lions. The originals from 1871 were restored and are now displayed inside the bank. Go inside to see not just the lion statues, but the best preserved historic banking space in downtown Pittsburgh.

16. CHINATOWN INN AND HONG KONG EXPRESS 2

After the Dollar Bank building keep walking east to Smithfield St, then make a right on Smithfield and go down 1 block and then make a left on Third Ave. Pass Cherry Way, Grant St and before you reach Ross St, you will see Chinatown Inn which is one of the only two remaining buildings of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown. If you walk around the block (make a right on Ross St and make another right on Court Pl), then you get to Hong Kong Express 2, the other last remaining building of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown.

17. FIRSTSIDE PARK

Walk back to Ross Street and go south under the bridge, admire the baseball mural under the bridge, continue and you will see Firstside Park, which is another urban oasis among all the car traffic in downtown. Its spiraling paths and well-kept plants surround sculptures of a rabbit, monkeys, and frogs. This 1.5 acre park was built using 2,500 tons of recycled concrete from a demolished public safety building.

18. GRANT BUILDING

Now that you are well rested, walk to the other end of the park at Grand St and make a right. Then walk north for two blocks and you see the Grant Building on your right.
This 40 story Art Deco skyscraper opened in 1929 and its facade is made from almost black Belgian granite at the bottom, followed by a limestone layer, and bricks above that. The antenna on top of the building continuously broadcasts “.--. .. - - ... -... ..- .-. --. ....” which is Morse Code for P-I-T-T-S-B-U-R-G-H.

19. ONE OXFORD CENTRE

Across Grant St is One Oxford Centre. Built in 1983, this 615ft (187m) 46 story skyscraper is one of the most recognizable buildings in the Golden Triangle. It was built as a cluster of octagons to increase the number of corner offices.

20. CITY-COUNTY BUILDING

Continue north on Grant St to the next city block and you will see the City-County Building to your right. Opened in 1917, the City-County Building is the government seat for the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. This is the third location of Pittsburgh’s city hall. The first city hall was located at Market Square, the second at Smithfield Street and Oliver Avenue and when this became too small, the City-County Building was built at this Grant St current location.

The building was designed in the Beaux Arts style and includes elements of the City Beautiful Movement. The Grand Lobby is one of the building's most impressive areas. It is 30ft (9m) wide, topped off by a 47-foot high barrel-vaulted ceiling. It goes across the building and connects Grant Street to Ross Street. The hall is lined with marble and classical bronze columns which support the vaulted ceiling. The columns show the Seals of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, as well as iconic local frontiersman Guyasuta and Pittsburgh's oldest surviving building, the Fort Pitt Blockhouse. The doors have a series of reliefs that depict the previous government homes.
The Office of the Mayor is virtually unchanged and still has most of the furniture, including the iconic desk, which the building architect custom designed.

The Council Chamber is home to the legislative operations of the Council of Pittsburgh. It has an ornate plaster ceiling which shows the names of the municipalities that were annexed by Pittsburgh and the names of Pittsburgh's past mayors. As the ceiling ran out of space some time ago, the names are now hand-painted on the walls. All of the furniture in the Chamber is original and custom-designed by the building’s architect.

The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania splits its time between Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Supreme Court Courtroom has an ornate plaster ceiling with murals of Justinian (representing Roman law), Moses (for Judaic law) and King Edward (representing English law). It also it includes the dates of the completion of the US and Pennsylvania Constitutions. The walls feature large murals of William Penn (the namesake of the Commonwealth), William Pitt (the namesake of Pittsburgh), the portraits of Supreme Court Justices from the Western District and mahogany wainscoting. The furniture is made from mahogany.

You can apply for a tour in advance on their website.

The tour continues here.

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