ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


7 2 2 /C&RL News

Touring the cultural sid e  
of Pittsburgh

B y M arcia D u n can  Low ry

E njoy sightseeing in Pittsburgh 
d u rin g  the conference

E veryone knows the peril associated with “all work and no play,” but that will not 
be a concern w hen you attend ACRL’s 7th Na­
tional Conference in Pittsburgh, March 29-April 
1,1995. The lineup o f planned tours and events 
is certain to banish the word “dull” from your 
conference vocabulary. And these activities will 
not interfere with the serious business at hand, 
either. All tours and events have been carefully 
scheduled for pre- and post-conference leisure 
time.

Center city
What better way to begin a stay in Pittsburgh 
than a guided Gray Line tour o f “o n e  o f 
America’s most livable cities”? The four-hour 
tour begins atop Mount Washington on the city’s 
South Side, providing a spectacular vista o f the 
“city o f th re e  r iv e r s .”
Crossing the Mononga­ The lineup 
hela River into the heart 
of the Golden Triangle, tours a n d  e
the tour will pass by the certain to b
site o f historic Fort Pitt.
Learn o f  P itts b u r g h ’s w o rd  “ d u ll
growth from a fort in the conference 
wilderness to a modem 
city o f distinction. The 
dow ntow n architecture o f Pittsburgh com ­
mingles period styles and a stop is scheduled 
at one o f its m odern wonders, PPG Place, 
known as the city’s “crown jew el.” From the 
city center the tour will swing eastward to 
Oakland, the cultural and research center.

o
v
a
”
v

The N a tio n ality C la ssro o m s
In Oakland there will be a unique opportunity 
to visit the University o f Pittsburgh’s National­
ity Classrooms, which are housed in the cam­
pus landmark Cathedral o f Learning. These 
functioning classrooms are tributes to the heri­
tages o f the city’s ethnic groups. Funded by 
those communities and often designed by re­
nowned architects abroad, the designs reflect 
Classical, Byzantine, Romanesque, Baroque, Re­
naissance, Tudor, and folk styles to recreate 
cultural periods prior to 1787, the founding date 
o f the university. This tour o f “Cultural Pitts­
burgh” will be offered both Wednesday morn­
ing, March 29, and Saturday afternoon, April 1.

V icto rian  sp len d o r
A sampling o f Pittsburgh’s days o f Victorian 
splendor awaits those who choose to join the 
tour o f Clayton, the Henry Clay Frick mansion, 
in the lovely Pittsburgh neighborhood o f Point 
Breeze. The Frick home was built in the 1860s; 
had electricity installed by 1883 by George 

W estinghouse himself; 

f planned and had a telephone by 
1 8 8 8 . C la y to n  w as 

ents is opened to the public in 
n ish the 1990 after a five-year, $6 

million restoration. Also 
 from y o u r available for touring are 
o cab u lary . the Carriage Museum, 

displaying the Frick fam­
ily carriages and auto­

m obiles, and the 1897 glassed green hou se 
which is stocked year round with plants and 
flowers. An added attraction on the six-acre 
estate is the Frick Art Museum. Helen Clay Frick, 
daughter o f the industrialist, built the museum 
in 1969 to house her sizeable collection o f fine

Marcia Duncan Lowry is reference librarian at Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; e-mail: 
lowry@rmcnet. robert-morris.edu



December 1994/723

and decorative arts, including Italian, French, 
and Flemish works. A lovely cafe opened this
year on the grounds. This “Victorian Sampler”
is planned for Wednesday morning, March 29, 
and Saturday afternoon, April 1.

The Andy Warhol Museum
Another treat is in store across the Allegheny
River on Pittsburgh’s North 
Side. A scheduled tour of 
the Andy Warhol Museum 
is slated for Wednesday 
morning, March 29, and 
Saturday afternoon, April 1.
Opened in 1994, the mu­
seum displays the works of 
this famous Pittsburgh na­
tive, and is the country’s 
most comprehensive mu­
seum devoted to a single 
artist. There will be ample 
time to experience War­
h o l’s paintings, prints, 
drawings, sculptures, films 
and videotapes. A gift shop 
and cafeteria are also avail­
able.

Fαllingwαter
If escape from city life into 
the wooded Laurel High­
lands east o f Pittsburgh 

Frank Lloyd W ri
sounds appealing, then a 

a hom e built o n  
trip to architect Frank Lloyd 
Wright’s Fallingwater is a must. Designed for
Edgar Kaufmann, Pittsburgh department store
owner and philanthropist, the house is de­
scribed in Architectural Record as “the world’s
most significant work o f architecture o f the last
100 years.” The glass window walls, natural
boulder fireplace hearth, and terraces perched
on a waterfall were designed to make the out­
doors part o f the living space. This was a fa­
vorite retreat o f the family, filled with exquis­
ite art, where they entertained such notables
as Albert Einstein. Be sure to wear “sensible
shoes” for the quarter-mile nature walk from
the parking area to the estate. The tour will
depart at noon, Saturday, April 1, and a boxed
lunch will be provided.

Pittsburgh at night
When the sun goes down, the opportunities
for exploring Pittsburgh do not set. Tw o events
are scheduled for conference attendees. An

 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

evening with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orches­
tra is planned for Saturday, April 1. The pro­
gram entitled “Romeo and Juliet Come Alive” 
consists o f  selection s from  P ro k o fie v , 
Tchaikovsky, Gounod, and Diamond, and will 
include dramatic readings from Shakespeare’s 
text. Heinz Hall, home to the Symphony, is 
worth a visit in itself. It has earned an interna­

tional reputation for gran­
deur and excellence as a 
concert hall and show­
place. Red velvet, Lavanto 
marbles, crystal, and gold 
leaf create an opulent set­
ting.

If the highbrow is not 
to your liking, a more ca­
sual musical experience is 
availab le on Thursday 
evening, March 30. Join the 
Captain’s Dinner Dance 
Cruise and enjoy moon­
light on the three rivers 

Photo aboard one o f the Gateway 
 Clipper Fleet’s nostalgic 
credit: riverboats. The Gateway 

Clipper is America’s larg­
Andrew 

A. est and most successful 
boat operation and offers 
a variety o f day cruises as 
well. Spend three relaxing 

Wagner
hours with music and a 

t’s Fallingw ater, buffet dinner. The cruise 
aterfall.

sails from the dock at his­
toric Station Square on the South Side.

On your ow n
Should these scheduled events not fit into your 
conference plan, all is not lost. Pittsburgh is a 
very friendly, safe, and manageable city. The 
subway, known as the “T,” is free in the down­
town zone and there are ample buses and taxis 
available for getting you around town. A fu­
ture article will detail self-guided walking tours 
o f several o f the city’s interesting neighborhoods 
and shopping districts proximate to downtown, 
as well as highlight what’s going on the week 
o f the conference. Stay tuned!

The Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visi­
tors Bureau’s Tourism Department is at your 
service if you would like to contact them di­
rectly for help in planning your Pittsburgh ex­
perience. The Tourism Department’s address 
is 4 Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15222; 
phone: (800) 366-0093. ■

gh
a w



7 2 4 /C&RL News