Articles Archive - Page 108 of 155 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

With the completion of the Tower at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh has yet another generation of skyscraper design in its picturesque cityscape. Though our first tall steel-frame building—Longfellow, Alden & Harlow’s Carnegie Building of 1895—was lost in 1952 for the Kaufmann’s store annex, the Frick building of 1902 remains with several close contemporaries giving Pittsburgh more …

The Story of an Icon Read More »

Profiles

Clint Hurdle, Baseball Impresario

by Jeff Sewald

I believe that all people inherently have at least one passion. And if that passion can be turned into a livelihood, life becomes special. I’ve had a passion for the game of baseball since I was 5 years old. And now, at the age of 58, instead of running to my backyard to play the …

Clint Hurdle, Baseball Impresario Read More »

Homes

A Classic Redefined

by Marylynn Uricchio

It’s difficult enough for many couples to agree on a new home, but the challenges were even greater for Stephen and Helen Hanna Casey. He’s an award-winning architect and she’s the president and CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the fourth largest real estate company in the U.S. “Steve knows architecture and design, and …

A Classic Redefined Read More »

Sports

Golf’s Gold Standard

by Marino Parascenzo

The U.S. Open, the toughest golf championship to win and generally considered the most coveted, will be played for a record ninth time across 89 years at Oakmont Country Club June 13-16, 2016. And the Open perhaps owes its existence to a big man with a big mustache who, more than 100 years ago, kept …

Golf’s Gold Standard Read More »

Profiles

Words of Wisdom

by Jeff Sewald

“Reviewing the following excerpts from some of the 40 first–person profiles I created for the magazine over the past 10 years was an emotional experience for me. How many people get to choose from among the most prominent individuals in their hometown and spend time with them learning their life stories? Some have passed on …

Words of Wisdom Read More »

Opinion

Covering 10 Years

by PQ Staff

With the exception of our second and third editions back in 2006, all of our covers have featured illustrations. We’ve benefited from a tremendous wealth of artistic talent in Pittsburgh and have sought to bring readers of each issue a colorful introduction to a different kind of magazine.

Regional News

Remaking Learning

by Gregg Behr

In retrospect, the gong makes a lot of sense. It was 2009, and a packed crowd huddled in the basement theater of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, watching and laughing as one by one, teachers, technologists, parents, gamers and roboticists took to the stage to give their pitch. They had three minutes each to describe …

Remaking Learning Read More »

Arts

Strutting its stuff

by Matthew John Milligan

Unbalanced. Uncomfortable. Unnecessary. For a somewhat misinformed 30-year-old male, these descriptors came to mind when considering the high-heeled shoe. So when I sat down to write about a wildly popular exhibition coming to Pittsburgh this summer featuring these shoes in their historical context, you might understand my uncertainty. After all, my own “heel” collection is …

Strutting its stuff Read More »

Education

Engineering the Future at Pitt

by Danielle Commisso

It was the early 1960s, and it was a different time, recalls John “Jack” Mascaro. Like many of his fellow baby boomers, the young student showed up to his engineering classes at the University of Pittsburgh sporting a sweater and a tie, while his professors wore suits. It was a time when engineering students were …

Engineering the Future at Pitt Read More »

Obituaries

Dantry, Dunn, Wertz, Gentile, Jannetta, Lee, Campbell

by PQ Staff

Jay Dantry, 87 Dantry was a leading light of Pittsburgh’s literary scene through his bookstore, Jay’s Bookstall, which he opened in 1959 and ran until it closed in 2008. The eclectic store on Fifth Avenue in Oakland attracted giants from the literary world for readings and signings including Margaret Atwood, E.L Doctorow, Stephen King, John …

Dantry, Dunn, Wertz, Gentile, Jannetta, Lee, Campbell Read More »

Region

Thinking Green

by Jeffery Fraser

Allegheny County got rid of desk-side wastebaskets in the County Office Building and Health Department administrative offices last year and, as a result, sent 64 percent less trash to landfills. In its Downtown office tower, Highmark swapped fluorescent lighting for LED, and energy consumed fell by 20 percent on every floor where the lighting was …

Thinking Green Read More »

Creative Capital

Why Are We So Afraid of Democracy?

by Greg Curtis

Recently I debated Ben Bernanke about Fed policy since the Financial Crisis.(1) But even before the event I already knew how it would go. We’d all be very polite, very thoughtful, very respectful. Otherwise, we might be mistaken for The Donald. Some people would agree with me and some would agree with Ben. But even …

Why Are We So Afraid of Democracy? Read More »

American Spirit

James Dean

by Kate Benz, photography by John Altdorfer

Half of James Dean’s body is under the hood of a ’63 Chevelle that’s missing all of its doors, a portion of his 50 years hanging over navy blue work pants as he twists awkwardly, trying to get the right angle. He’s in the middle of grinding a piece of metal, orange-tipped sparks cascading overhead …

James Dean Read More »

Money

Negative Interest Rates, Decrees the Queen of Hearts!

by Thomas L. Wentling Jr.

Buckle your seat belts. This is going to get weird and metaphysical. My purpose is to turn the prism a little bit and try to make sense of something that I believe makes no sense. This would be a good time to get the children out of the room. Currently, (Bloomberg 3-18-2016), negative interest rates …

Negative Interest Rates, Decrees the Queen of Hearts! Read More »

Regional News

Involuntary Mental Health Commitment

by Julia Fraser

Teenagers and African Americans face the greatest risk of being involuntarily committed to mental health facilities in Allegheny County, a recent study reports. Some 37,750 people were involuntarily committed for mental issues from 2002 through 2013, according to the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) study. An involuntary commitment occurs when someone is found …

Involuntary Mental Health Commitment Read More »

Cartoons

by Tim Menees

Business

Expat Paul Scripko Sets the Stage

by Paul Scripko

A few years ago at Southwestern University in Texas I attended a lecture given by Michael Chabon, author of those two love letters to Pittsburgh, “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” and “Wonder Boys”. At the start of the evening he asked “Who in the audience is from Pittsburgh?” A number of us raised our hands and …

Expat Paul Scripko Sets the Stage Read More »

PQ Poem

Home Movies

by Robert Gibb

i. That severe unspoken savor she’d bring with her To the table, family gatherings after grace, Your plate filled, as always, With whatever had passed through her hands— The aunt who’d married wearing weeds, A black-clad Bride of Christ. Mantle, habit, scapular, guimpe . . . No wonder we called them penguins. In school they …

Home Movies Read More »

Special Reports

Southwestern PA Sustainability Goals & Indicators

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

Sustainable Pittsburgh last presented this regional sustainability goals and indicators report in 2004. In tracking the region’s progress, we see that much has changed, while too many things remain the same. Not changing, however, is the reason we produce the report. The old saying, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” applies. Sustainable Pittsburgh is …

Southwestern PA Sustainability Goals & Indicators Read More »

Education

Voyaging to College

by Margaret J. Krauss

The road to college is much like an expedition. It can appear overwhelming, exciting, and at times too far away to be tangible. However, much like planning a trip out of town or across the globe there is preparation involved, and it is always best to start that planning early. First, you must figure out …

Voyaging to College Read More »

Special Reports

Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow 2016

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

The 2016 Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow report, produced by Pittsburgh Today, analyzes recent data to assess the Pittsburgh region’s standing compared with 14 other regions in key economic and quality of life measures. Also included are numerous in-depth reports focusing on the most important issues facing Greater Pittsburgh. To view a PDF version of Pittsburgh …

Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow 2016 Read More »

Architecture & Neighborhoods

South Side Visions

by Elizabeth Deiseroth

I only met my husband’s grandfather a few times; he died at age 92, shortly after my husband and I were married in 1988. However, I think of Lee Dittley often, when I look at his charming paintings of the South Side of Pittsburgh. With only a ninth-grade education, he went from working in …

South Side Visions Read More »