Pittsburgh City-County Building
| Pittsburgh City-County Building | |
|---|---|
 Front view of the Pittsburgh City-County Building across from Grant St. | |
| Alternative names | City Hall |
| General information | |
| Type | Neo-Classical, Beau-Arts |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Location | Pittsburgh, United States |
| Address | 414 Grant Street |
| Coordinates | 40.4381, -79.9969 |
| Construction started | July 5, 1915 |
| Completed | December 1917 |
| Cost |
$2.771 million $60.4 million in 2016 dollars |
| Owner | City of Pittsburgh, County of Allegheny |
| Height | 144 feet |
| Dimensions | |
| Diameter | 300 feet X 183 feet |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Henry Hornbostel |
| Architecture firm | Palmer, Hornbostel & Jones |
| Structural engineer | McClintic-Marshall & Co. |
| Other designers | R. Gustavino, Charles Keck |
| Main contractor | James L. Stewart |
The Pittsburgh City-County Building is the seat of government for the City of Pittsburgh and houses both Pittsburgh and Allegheny County offices. It is located in Downtown Pittsburgh at 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Built from 1915-17 it is the third seat of government of Pittsburgh. Today the building is occupied mostly by Pittsburgh offices with Allegheny County located in adjacent county facilities.
History
In 1914, a competition was held for a new Pittsburgh City Hall. The 16-entry competition led to the commissioning of Edward B. Lee, a respected Pittsburgh architect, with Palmer, Hornbostel, & Jones as associated architects. The completed design was done by Hornbostel. The building was commissioned by former Pittsburgh Mayor Joseph G. Armstrong to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Pittsburgh's 1816 incorporation as a city.
On the seventh floor of the building is a massive mural completed in 1940 entitled "Justice" by award winning artist Harry Scheuch.[1]
Popular culture
1922's In the Name of the Law starred Pittsburgh Pirates great and future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner as the hero, as a Pittsburgh Police Superintendent pitched baseballs off the 144-foot-high roof in the film's climax.
Mayor Magee and the City Hall were featured in 1924's Fording the Lincoln Highway.[2]
1992's Lorenzo's Oil used the building to shoot scenes depicting Johns Hopkins Hospital.[3]
Many scenes of the Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker 1993 police drama Striking Distance were filmed both inside and on the Grant Street entrance to the building. Most notable is the nighttime scene of Dennis Farina's supervisor character arguing with Willis' "Tom Hardy" over the "Polish Hill" documents.
Scenes of the 1997-98 Superman remake Superman Lives were slated to be filmed in the building's "crystal palace" grand mezzanine and serving as Daily Planet offices but production was delayed by Warner Brothers.[4]
Trivia
- The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh occupied space in the structure until November, 1930.[5]
External links
Media related to Pittsburgh City-County Building at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ↑ Pitz, Marylynne (2009-04-20). "Legacy of FDR's public art program proves indelible | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ↑ "Fording the Lincoln Highway - Ten Millionth Ford (1924)". YouTube. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ↑ "The Digs: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Oct. 17, 1991: In the autumn of 1991, a 40-foot". Pgdigs.tumblr.com. 1991-10-17. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ↑ "Can Pittsburgh Survive A `Superman' Invasion? Business As Usual - tribunedigital-mcall". Articles.mcall.com. 1998-04-16. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XEwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cEsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=carnegie%20library%20downtown&pg=3395%2C1411672
Coordinates: 40°26′17″N 79°59′49″W / 40.4381°N 79.9969°W