Doors Open Pittsburgh, an organization that prides itself on encouraging Pittsburghers to embrace their curiosity about Steel City history, is heading out on the water for the first time.
It’s all part of a new boat tour called “Bridges, Buildings, and the Architecture of the Three Rivers” scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 11 from 2-3:30 p.m. The tour guides are local bridge expert Todd Wilson and local skyscraper authority Mark Houser, who will share their insights on Pittsburgh’s signature bridges and historic buildings.
The tour offers a different perspective on the annual Doors Open events that give the public behind-the-scenes access to many buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh, including government offices, theaters, churches, galleries and hotels, among other spaces.
Or in Pittsburgh parlance, it affords residents an opportunity to embrace being nebby.
“We’re excited to provide this rare opportunity to travel alongside the city’s shorelines with local experts as they share anecdotes from their research on the many magnificent bridges and buildings along the rivers that have been so integral to Pittsburgh’s story,” said Bonnie Baxter, founder and executive director of Doors Open Pittsburgh.
Baxter said the tour will go beyond the traditional boundaries for sightseeing cruises, continuing up to Herr’s Island, also known as Washington’s Landing. At one time the island was filled with large stockyards and meat packing plants. After being designated as a brownfield site in the mid-20th century, it underwent a major rehabilitation and is now considered a showcase project in urban development, according to Baxter.
Wilson is a transportation engineer who has co-authored two books on Pittsburgh’s bridges; “Images of America, Pittsburgh’s Bridges” and “Engineering Pittsburgh: A History of Roads, Rails, Canals, Bridges, and More.”
Wilson will share facts and lesser-known stories about Pittsburgh’s oldest still-standing bridges, as well as ones that no longer exist, as the boat tour begins at the Point and then continues down the Monongahela River. It will head back up and around the Point to reach the Allegheny River.
“When you’re on a boat using the river, you get to see the bridges from the midpoint of the structure,” Wilson said. “You get to go right underneath the middle of the bridge. So, you really get to see the symmetrical designs in a way that you cannot see or appreciate on the shore. You can look up at the bridges from underneath and see them in a different perspective.”
Houser is also a local author known for his book “MultiStories: 55 Antique Skyscrapers and the Business Tycoons Who Built Them.”
The pre-sale of tickets has begun and continues through July 11 offering $8 off general admission. Full-price tickets will then be $38 for adults and $12 for children. Due to the demand for tickets, Baxter said she expects a second tour to be added on Sept. 11.
For more information go to doorsopenpgh.org.
