Downtown Pittsburgh category, Page 45
Digital series connects music lovers to Pittsburgh Symphony
On a warm fall night in Downtown Pittsburgh, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed in the Heinz Hall garden. Principal oboist Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida complemented the symphony’s strings ensemble for Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” with a sound that resonated, a memorial to the composer who died in July. Port...
Developer appeals ruling preserving former Froggy’s building in PittsburghVideo
A developer’s desire to raze a group of decaying brick buildings, nearly 125 years old, in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Firstside historic district will be heard by a state court. The heart of the site is the former Froggy’s, a popular watering hole from the late 1970s until it closed in 2004....
Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘COVID fan tutte’ documents pandemic production
With most of the performing arts world shut down by the pandemic, Pittsburgh Opera went ahead with its October production of Mozart’s “Còsi fan tutte.” “Every time we would tell folks we were having the performance, they would ask, ‘How are you going to do it?’” said Chris Cox, the...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s ‘Spread The Love’ campaign to provide money vouchers to customers
A campaign by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership gives hotel guests $100 in vouchers when they check in that can be redeemed on matched purchases at 15 hotels, 30 restaurants and 24 retailers in the city. The campaign is called “Spread The Love.” The list can be found here. “If you’re...
Pittsburgh Opera’s free February livestreams offer timely themes
Pittsburgh Opera will offer two timely programs during February. Six resident artists will perform in “Songs from the Heart: A Valentine from Pittsburgh Opera,” streaming free at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14 on the opera’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Making for an even sweeter experience, viewers can order a five-piece...
Pittsburgh police: Man found dead in Downtown alley after falling from building
Updated: Police on Thursday identified the man as Howard Letcher, 45, of Espyville. Authorities are investigating after police say a man fell off a building at about noon Tuesday in Downtown Pittsburgh. Police and paramedics responded to the call at about 12:15 p.m. for a man who had fallen several...
Man arrested after bomb threat prompts evacuation of Federal Building in Pittsburgh
One person is in custody after a bomb threat prompted police to evacuate the federal building in Downtown Pittsburgh Monday evening, officials said. Albert Henard Morris, 60, was arrested at a house in Homewood and is charged with terroristic threats and a threat to use weapons of mass destruction, according...
Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show set to open a month later than usual
The annual Duquesne Light Home & Garden Show is still on, officials said Monday. Show Executive Director John DeSantis said the 10-day event is planned for April instead of its usual March time slot. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the show is planned for April 9-18 at the David Lawrence Convention...
City cancels 2021 Pittsburgh Marathon; smaller regional races still on
The City of Pittsburgh has announced it will not grant a permit for the 2021 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, effectively canceling this year’s event. Officials decided that May, when the marathon has traditionally been held, was too early to host such an event in a year with an ongoing...
Dollar Energy Fund takes its Cool Down for Warmth fundraiser online
Downtown visitors won’t spot the traditional ice house in Pittsburgh’s Market Square today, as they have for the past six years in January. The annual Dollar Energy Fund’s Cool Down for Warmth will still host its 7th annual event — only virtually this year — because of the pandemic. The...
Black artists’ work creates ‘constellation’ in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh-based fashion designer Tereneh Idia says she’s been thinking about constellations since visiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. “I’ve been obsessed with the idea of how constellations are made and how we identify constellations in space,” she said. “I saw that there are peoples of these countries...
Point Park University students, alumni featured in Sheetz commercial
Keep an eye out this spring for a Sheetz commercial featuring Point Park University students. A professor in Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Kiesha Lalama, worked with a production team to cast and choreograph a television commercial for Sheetz convenience stores. “Working with Sheetz was amazing,” said...
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board expected to push in-person learning back to April
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board members are expected to make the “tough decision” next week to postpone the return of in-person learning until April 6, after the district’s spring break, board president Sylvia Wilson said Wednesday. “No one wants students back in school more than I do,” Wilson said. With covid-19...
Pa. Supreme Court: Mt. Washington billboard can remain
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with Lamar Advertising, finding that a large vinyl banner the company put on its Mt. Washington billboard nearly five years ago does not violate a Pittsburgh zoning ordinance. The banner in question was placed over a previous electronic billboard overlooking the city in...
Pittsburgh to participate in national remembrance of covid victims Tuesday evening
Pittsburgh will participate in this evening’s national Memorial to Lives Lost to covid-19. The City-County Building Downtown will be illuminated in amber for the memorial at 5:30 p.m. Other government and private buildings are expected to be included. In Washington, President-elect Joe Biden and incoming Vice President Kamala Harris plan...
Netflix’s ‘Archive 81’ filming in North Side and Downtown Pittsburgh
In November, a random group of visitors walked into The Government Center, an independent record store on Pittsburgh’s North Side, with no interest in making a purchase. “They came in to search out specific locations,” said owner Josh Cozby, referring to film scouts for Netflix’s production company, looking for spaces...
Pittsburgh City-County Building closed for Inauguration Day out of ‘overabundance of caution’
Offices in the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh will be closed Wednesday out of an “overabundance of caution” as rumors persist regarding potential unrest on Inauguration Day. In a letter to city employees Thursday, Mayor Bill Peduto said those who normally work in the Grant Street building should work from...
Downtown Pittsburgh art gallery Blaqk House won’t let vandalism stop exhibit
You can’t keep art down. As such, Cynthia Kenderson and Nicky Jo Dawson say they will not allow vandalism of their gallery to stop them from showcasing something beautiful. The co-owners of Blaqk House Collections, a Downtown Pittsburgh art gallery, had its windows and a glass door smashed in November....
Ski Lodge pop-up bar opens in Market Square
A collaborative effort is bringing the comforts of a ski lodge to Downtown Pittsburgh. Ski Lodge, an outdoor cocktail pop-up, opens in Market Square this weekend. The idea came though collaboration between Creatives Drink, Market Street Grocery and Mindful Hospitality. Groups will be seated in Market Square at personal fire...
Target gains approval for Downtown Pittsburgh store, plans to preserve Kaufmann’s legacyVideo
As Target officials worked on plans for a store in the historic Kaufmann’s building in Downtown Pittsburgh, they’ve taken pains to respect its legacy. “We’re well aware of the history and the culture of this building in the hearts and minds of the citizens of Pittsburgh,” Target architect Doug Bartolomeo...
Pittsburgh Opera postpones 1st-ever staging of Handel’s ‘Semele’
Pittsburgh Opera has postponed its first-ever production of George Frideric Handel’s “Semele” from February to May. The move was made “in response to ongoing covid-19 concerns, including high cases in Allegheny County and the slower-than-hoped-for vaccine rollout,” the opera said. “Semele” will be performed on six dates, May 8-20, at...
Pittsburgh’s Original Oyster House temporarily closed, donated food to Light of Life
The website and social media pages for the Original Oyster House in Market Square explain the closure: They show a person sitting by the water, holding a rod. “WE’VE GONE FISHING,” reads the message. “CLOSED FOR JAN. 2021.” “You can say we have temporarily closed to regroup,” said owner Jen...
PWSA donates $250K to nonprofit as part of lead violation settlement
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is following through on a settlement it reached in July to resolve violations of Pennsylvania’s Safe Drinking Water Act. As part of the settlement, PWSA agreed to donate $250,000 to Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit that will use the money to offer free...
History Center, Fort Pitt Museum to reopen following temporary closure
The Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in the Strip District and the Fort Pitt Museum at Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday. They were temporarily closed because of state covid-19 restrictions. “We are excited to welcome back visitors...
PWSA: Forklift pulled from Strip District sinkhole caused by water line break
A sinkhole opened Monday afternoon, swallowing a forklift on Smallman Street in the Strip District. The sinkhole opened about 2 p.m. near the 33rd Street intersection, according to Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority spokeswoman Rebecca Zito. “The forklift fell in, and we were able to pull it out,” she said....
