Reviews for Buildings of Pittsburgh

The average rating for Buildings of Pittsburgh based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-05-26 00:00:00 Lyndon Floyd This is a textbook definition of 2 stars because it's only interesting to a small grouping of people. Grabbed this on a lark for help with my photo blog, Turned out to be a very interesting read, but only for those who have an interest in the subject material, namely either those interested in Pittsburgh's rich and varied architectural history or those interested in architecture in general. So if you fit into neither of those groups, go ahead an give this a pass. For those who are intrigued, this book is a treasure-trove of information, particularly about the buildings downtown that, while we today see as only crumbling towers with lots of extra detailing, were state of the art in their time. It's a shame that most of them will be coming down in the next decade or so, as the cost of restoration is far higher than a wrecking ball. The book also spends significant time in Oakland, the South Side, and the North Side, highlighting buildings both old and new in each area. Oakland is a particularly interesting case as it seems that it was always fated to be swamped by the pet projects of either old masters (Carnegie and Mellon) or new powers (Pitt, CMU) and never really the city itself. I was also fascinated to learn just how much the architecture links up--the County Jail style had a hand in designs of buildings and churches all over town, for instance--and that the Cathedral might have been an Empire State Building in size had things gone differently. Also that Frick was, from all indications, the worst of all of the magnates in a city that once had the power of a New York or Los Angeles but wasn't able to sustain it because of what built the power (steel and its now outsourced cousins). Reading this book makes me think that, while we lasted longer, Pittsburgh is essentially a gold-style boom town with a longer bubble that managed to be big enough to survive when the bubble burst. And honestly, I like the size of the city, so it's probably for the best. I can't imaging living anywhere that would be so much bigger. In addition to the main areas of the city, the book takes some time for the urban suburbs (Shadyside, East Liberty, etc.) and a few other outlying areas. They honestly seem a bit shoe-horned in, especially the casual glance given to the South Hills. Because there's only so many pages, a lot of things are only casually mentioned, and probably would have been better served in a list-style, "also notable" appendix. I'd have also preferred a little more on the idea of waves of development--the strict geographical sectioning of the book makes it hard at times to get a feel for what's going on when. Still, the book is designed as a field guide, and as such the groupings work very well. My only other problem is that this book needs a few more pictures. The entries without any pictures would make for tough sledding if you're not a Pittsburgh native and even then I ha a hard time with any place I've only seen once--or even not at all. All in all, however, it does a wonderful job in the space allotted in giving a taste of the buildings of the city with a bit of historical background, and since that is the point of this series, it is an unqualified success. I am glad to use it as a starting point and I admit to wanting to read more about something I don't think I'd have expected to like before reading this one. If the subject matter grabs you, grab this one off the shelf. You'll be glad you did. (Library, 05/08) Trebby's Take: A good, but specialized, book.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-07 00:00:00 Johnny Hollingsworth Gorgeous photos. Not much text.