Lost Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh (Demolished)

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These are Pittsburgh's lost buildings. They are the ghosts of Pittsburgh's romantic, historic past. We can't visit them now. We can only be haunted by the everlasting effects of "progress" that deemed these buildings disposable. The next time you walk down Smithfield Street, remember the Old Post Office and City Hall. All we have in their place is a parking garage and a small black building that looks like a shoebox.

"Urban Renewal" efforts of the 1950s and 1960s attempted to remold America's old urban city centers into suburban-like office parks, and in the process destroyed countless irreplaceable historic buildings and neighborhoods forever.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• historic
• urban
• renewal
• demolished
• demolition
• city
• renaissance
• Pittsburgh
• buildings
• downtown
• north
• side
• bluff
• lower
• hill
• arena
• slum
• clearance
• blight
• raze
• torn
• tear
• down
• heritage
• vintage
• old
• 19th
• century
• neighborhood
• lost

[SMINERD]

Great video. Awesome message. I thought the Wabash Terminal burned down?

[beyondtheforest]

@SMINERD I think the inside of it burned, but the structure was still intact. That is the event to preceeded the Gateway Center plan.

[SnappyPenguins]

Why demolish such beautiful old buildings? The modern world sucks.

[sheikowi]

What would Saint Andrew Carnegie do?

[sheikowi]

How long did it take the geniuses to realized that they were replacing these jewels with crap. I don't think the "leaders" could differentiate between beauty and smoke, so they got rid of both. But it's still an amazing place, as it processes armies of po'boys for New York and L.A..

[Dreambro1]

The Major Cities of the US used to be Grand with great houses and buildings, Now everything is cheap prefabricated junk.

[Dreambro1]

I believe most of Manhattan NY has been demolished and is now home to just steel and glass buildings built since the 60s.

[Dreambro1]

I noticed that in the 1950s, many a old building was demolished to make way for the More Modular looking buildings. And I also noticed too, that with all these new regulations in place, it is becoming cheaper to just build new than to renovate. (So they say) Why it cost Millions to renovate, I dont know. I think Construction gouges just as much as medical and car repair!

[bruiser1157]

We are the first people to live among the ruins we created. That -- or demolish beautiful architecture in the name of progress. I suppose that is the Amercan Way. I live in Detroit and much that was created in the late 1800's and early 1900's has been destroyed in a similar fashion. I am not sure why the American mindset is that if it's old it is useless. The architecture of old was build with integrity.

[theqman1956]

The one building they could have saved in my mind was the North Side Market House. What a wonderful building with character! With the stadiums and development making its way to the North Side 35 years later, it would have been a destination location for unique shopping experiences, much like the strip district offers. It makes me sad every time it see it. Parking or lack thereof killed that building.