Tom Ratchkauskas Photography: Pittsburgh Renaissance - 1946 to Present Day

Smokestacks, furnaces and heavy machinery lined the riverfronts of a titan of industry. Hailed for it's innovative methods and abundant pre and post war production, Pittsburgh became overly saturated with heavy industry. While it's unmatched production helped spearhead urban development and the war effort, it left the region under a thick cloud of blue-collared misery. As modern overseas production began to outperform Pittsburgh's outdated manufacturing, factories and mills began to shut down leaving large swaths of land run down and in despair. But like in the past, Pittsburgh would be resilient and yet again become a beacon of growth and excellence

(Renaissance I)

Pittsburgh had always been a city of perseverance and innovation, filled with arts, education and most of all a tenacious group of residents and philanthropists. In 1946, newly elected mayor, David L. Lawrence worked alongside local philanthropists and leaders to revitalize Pittsburgh and pull it out from the piles of ash and soot. Images of Pittsburgh usually entailed streetlights on during the day and people driving with headlights on at noon due to the smoke. David L. Lawrence along with banking giant Richard Mellon led the strict enforcement of smoke control laws. Air and river cleanup began and with the aid of Title One of the Housing Act of 1949, major land acquisitions were perpetuated through eminent domain. David L. Lawrence grew up in a neighborhood known as "The Point", a far cry from its current splendor. Filled with abandoned mills and failing infrastructure, the neighborhood resembled a slum. The post-war era soon saw major construction projects into the early 1970's including Point State Park, Gateway Center the Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne Bridges, I-376, the USX Tower, the Greater Pittsburgh Municipal Airport, Civic Arena and Three Rivers Stadium. Unfortunately, not all projects ended in positive results as the strong hand of eminent domain and increased suburbanization led to some failures. While the plans were unique and kept the civic wellbeing of the city in mind, certain factors in neighborhoods like East Liberty. Allegheny Center and the Hill District became a warning sign for some. East Liberty and Allegheny Center, both neighborhoods rich with history and old civic structures, were cleared to make room for pedestrian malls and circular roadways like the treacherous Penn Circle and Commons Circle by the National Aviary. The Lower Hill District was cleared to make room for the Civic Arena and several other civic structures, almost none of which were ever constructed, displacing thousands and leaving some neighborhoods to fall apart.

(Renaissance II)

With a new mayor elected, Richard Caliguiri, the city learned from its mistakes and began to reinvent the city with a conscious for preservation and capital growth. With a steep decline in steel production and other manufacturing, the city needed to find a new way to support itself. As many residents began to leave due to a lack of employment, the actions of Mayor Caliguiri, The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and many others helped mold Pittsburgh into what it is today. A swing from heavy industry to education banking and services occurred, due to the open arms and incentives the city greeted corporations and private investment with. Projects such as CNG Tower (now EQT Tower), PPG Place, Fifth Avenue Place, One Oxford Center, One Mellon Center and the Pittsburgh Light Rail system were completed. Historic structures were spared the bulldozer and repurposed for civic use, Station Square being a prime example. As industry began to leave the city, land was cleared and prices dropped, leading to Pittsburgh becoming a desirable place to set up shop. As an increasing number of white collar companies entered the city, residents found new lines of work and opportunity. While many thought Pittsburgh would never require from the almost 200.000 jobs lost in the 1980's, somehow it reinvented itself and came out fighting.

(Renaissance III)

I myself coming to Pittsburgh in 1988, grew up in the city after it's major changes and only saw some of the same old, neverchanging landscape that plagued Pittsburgh in the 1990's. Coming from a family of immigrants, I had an appreciation for Pittsburgh's hardworking, blue collar mentality, but noticed how it was at a standstill. A declining workforce, failing sports teams (for some parts of the 90's) and an ineffective government wrapped in red tape led to Pittsburgh once again requiring a shot in the arm. With the Penguins almost leaving, the Pirates dragging through a decade of decline and a failing infrastructure, Pittsburgh began to mimic its former self. Education, healthcare and banking soon became the leading employers in Pittsburgh, along with research and hi-tech industry. Riverfront property once populated with steel mills soon became filled with architectural marvels and civic centers. The slow but progressive change lazily pushed its way into the new millennium. In the early 2000's Pittsburgh saw the construction of Heinz Field and Pnc Park, the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and in increase in the repurposing of historic buildings. Once undesirable neighborhoods like the South Side and East Liberty and parts of the North Side began to become the nucleus for new residential and commercial development. The Mid 2000's to today have seen a much more rapid increase in growth, as Pittsburgh's educational backbone and its newfound commercial personality helped bring in and increase developments like the Waterfront, South Side Works, Rivers Casino, Stage AE, Technology Drive, Bakery Square, Market Square, The Cultural District, the North Shore revitalization and many others. Natural gas development and top tier universities have brought in new employees, students and businesses.Its resilience and constant striving for innovation have made it somewhat of a safehaven during the recession. For the first time in a long time, Pittsburgh residents can once again say they live in an innovative city.

Pittsburgh will always have its old world charm that keeps it a bit slower paced than some other cities, but I think it has finally met the rest of the country and will possibly even pass it up in the future. Now people enjoy watching a game and getting a drink in Downtown or East Liberty, shopping and upscale eateries in the South Side and civic activities in the North Side, all never thought of just a decade or two ago. Greats like George Washington, Andrew Carnegie and George Westinghouse put Pittsburgh on the map during its younger days, and now globalization, ingenuity, top notch education and civic centers covering the region will help put it on the map again.

Click the following links for more historic information:

Pittsburgh History - Pittsburgh Buildings

renaissance and renewal - university of pittsburgh article

WQED - Western PA History

Gateway Cneter - One of the first Pittsburgh Renaissance protects in the late 1940's

Gateway Center at sunset

Gateway Center

Gateway Center and surrounding buildings at the point with PNC Park lit up in the background

Gateway Center and the top of the Golden Triangle

The USX Tower, a renaissance project of the 1970's standing between a project of the 1980's and art deco skyscrapers of the 1930s

Side view of the USX Tower, the tallest building in Pittsburgh

the former Alcoa Building, now the Regional Enterprise Tower (center) built in the 1950's using Alcoa materials to showcase the companies prodcut

Point State Park Fountain - completed in 1974 at the end of the first stage of the Pittsburgh Renaissance

PPG Place - designed to be the crowned jewel of the Central Business District in the 1980's - consists of six structures

PPG Place stands next to other Renaissance structures

PPG Place just after sunset

Smaller structures at PPG Plaza

Fifth Avenue Place, another project completed in the late 1980's stands behind PPG Place

A view up the side of PPG Place

Pittsburgh's more contemporary architecture

A view of Fifth Avenue place along Stanwix Street, headquarters to healthcare giant Highmark

PPG Place and Fifth Avenue Place with a reflection of Gateway Center on a glass front building

Fifth Avenue Place to the left with structures built in the early 2000's in the center and the futue of Pittsburgh and PNC being built on the right.

Structures Ranging from the 1950's - 1980's at sunset from Bigelow Blvd showing Pittsburgh's resilience and changing marketplace

PPG Place and One Oxford Centre - renaissance projects of the 1980's

PPG Place reflects off of Four Gateway Center (1960)

Four Gateway Cnenter - an early Pittsburgh Renaissance structure

Four Gateway Center with some color added (not actual colors)

One Mellon Center - 1980's high rise and headquarters of BNY Mellon

One mellon center and USX Tower - View from Grandview Park

A view from Duquesne University

EQT Tower and K and L Gates center just outside the cultural district

The Wyndham Grand Hotel and River Vue residential complex at the point

Recently completed renovations at the Wyndham Grand Hotel

Preservation of history - Architecturally rich Union Trust Building now Three Mellon Center

The Gulf Tower - 1930's high rise and part of Pittsburgh's Art Deco history- once the headquartes to Gulf Oil.

Koppers Building - another Art Deco masterpiece

Union Trust Building - Pittsburgh Preserves and repurposes its history

Pittsburgh's history preserved at the Allegheny County Courthouse, standing sunce the late 1800's

A view from the Consol Energy Center - Preservation of history shown as church still stands after the construction of the Civic Arena and Consol Energy Center

Smithfield Street Bridge at night - oldest steel bridge in the country and a cornerstone of Station Square

Repurposed train terminal - former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad station, now the Grand Concourse, an upscale restaraunt with an interior unlike any other.

A view of the Regional Enterprise Tower, once the Alcoa Building from the revitalized cultural district

Pittsburgh's devotion to the arts

Pittsburgh's devotion to civic beuty

PNC Park, a structure of the newest era of revitalization - showcasing old charm with ingenuity and an amazing view of the city

Technology Drive - section of 2nd avenue between Oakland and the South Side that is home to hi-tech industry and research facilities like sunoco and thermo fischer

Pittsburgh hi rises lit up at night - one from the early 2000's (left) and one from the 1950's (right)

David L. Lawrence Convention Center - Pittsburgh's greenest building - opened in 2003 - a keystone structure in Pittsburgh's devotion to the environment