Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By Levi Clancy for לוי on
updated
Hill District
Sochatoff Building
Oakland
Cathedral of Learning
Heinz Memorial Chapel
Stephen Foster Memorial
Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Hall
4141 Fifth Avenue
built 1907-1910
Hornbostel and Palmer architects
Saint Paul Cathdral
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Rodef Shalom Temple
built 1906 - 1907
Palmer and Hornbostel Architects
Rodef Shalom, a Reform congregation, is the oldest extant Jewish congregation in Pittsburgh, chartered in 1854. The temple was completed in 1907. Hornbostel's design for Rodef Shalom -- a magnificent domed auditorium, massive roof, and imposing entrance gable -- gives an impressive feeling of shelter and permanence. Judaic symbols are molded in terra cotta: a menorah is centered over the doorway; blank tablets suggesting the Ten Commandments are above the entrance arch; and Stars of David are incorporated in the terra-cotta work at the rooftop. The terra cotta, glazed in cream, green and pink, is one of the first uses of polychrome terra cotta in the United States. The menorah, molded out of terra cotta (baked clay), is electrified and can be lit. The chamfered corner softens the edge of the building and creates a transition between the mass of the wall and the hip roof. Rodef Shalom Temple
Hornbostel designed a quietly sumptuous interior of mahogany and gilt, focused on an Ark framed by four stout Ionic columns. The branches of the chandeliers are formed as menorahs. The stained glass in the sanctuary was designed by William Willet. The octagonal skylight of the interior Guastavino dome is framed by light bulbs. Rodef Shalom Temple
Shadyside
Squirrel Hill
Jewish Community Center watchtower
Temple Sinai
Deutschtown
Downtown Pittsburgh
Agnes R Katz Plaza
Katz Plaza
Sculptures by Louise Bourgeois
trustarts.org
Allegheny Courthouse
Allegheny Courthouse
Architect: Henry Hobson Richardson
Romanesque
The architect's unique Romanesque aesthetic is epitomized in the Allegheny Courthouse and Boston's Trinity Church; these exemplify what other architects picked up as the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Richardsonian Romanesque churches (not designed, but inspired by Richardson) include Pittsburgh's own Christ Methodist Church (on Center Ave) and Shadyside Presbyterian Church (on American Ave).
The Allegheny Courthouse is a Romanesque complex for the city's judiciary.