Perched on top of Riverview Park is the Allegheny Observatory, providing striking views of the communities below just outside of Pittsburgh. Although the observatory is currently only used for lectures and reserved tours, its history and legacy is preserved with much of the original 1912 construction remaining. Walking up the grand stairs and into the lecture hall on our class visit I noticed a small replica of the original observatory, jarring my interest in the process and funding contributed to building the new observatory. In the city of Pittsburgh which is responsible for much of America’s steel industry, I looked into how perceptions of construction and the culture that followed will be explored as well as the working conditions of the men who laid every brick compared to present day.
With increasing pollution and artificial light from the city, the old location in Downtown Pittsburgh was less and less valid for astronomical research so the idea of building a new observatory away from the bustling city emerged. Building the new Allegheny Observatory was led by Swedish-born architect Thorsten E. Billquist who won a design contest to start work in 1896. Working closely with the director at the time, F.L.O. Wadsworth, they were able to allow astronomers to begin work just two years into construction in 1902. Billquist designed the observatory in a Neoclassic fashion, mainly composed of brick and sandstone, expanded upon the single-domed design of the previous building. The design layout resembled an L-shaped figure, with rooms cropped out for a library, lecture hall, research areas and most importantly the domes housing its telescopes.
In the first captioned picture, four African-American workers atop the observatory, one with a wheel barrow and others holding various tools of work. Planks of wood are strewn along the roof and noticeably no protective gear is worn, if these men were walking down the street no special attention would be made of them. No reflective vests or bright colored attire that we see today in construction are visible and workers operated at deadly heights without belayed belts or restraints. Workers were obviously exposed to the elements, dealing with the harsh and polar conditions of Pittsburgh only while wearing one layer of overalls and shirt.
The next photo is busier than the last, shown further along in the building process. Workers of varying descent line the sides of scaffolding, some peering down into the soon be rooms filled with busy astronomers and students. A couple of wooden planks act as a ramp for a wheel barrow pictured on a lower level, essential for moving piles of brick scattered on the roof. A pulley type system is worked on in the middle of the photo, hoisting up a long piece of steel which was then secured and positioned by multiple men on site. Although this rudimentary technology slightly sped up the construction process, most work was grueling manual labor, a majority entailing placing brick and stone. The last photo shows an outside view of the observatory nearing completion, scaffolding lining the exterior walls. One major noticeable difference in construction from the early 1900’s is the material used for scaffolding, primarily made of wooden planks much more susceptible to the elements. Scaffolding today is majorly composed of aluminum not susceptible to rot and the wear that wood experiences from weather.
Finished in 1912, the new observatory’s location atop of Riverview Park pioneered further learning about the skies primarily through university students and intrigued guests attending monthly lectures. With multiple domes, the new design allowed multiple telescopes to be used at once, allowing programs like STEP UP for undergraduate research thrive. Although Pittsburgh isn’t as plagued by the aftermath of the steel industry, the relocation of the Allegheny Observatory was essential to continuing its research and inspiring university students to explore careers in astrology.
Works Cited
Rooftop Workers. “Allegheny Observatory Construction.” Historic Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3A6422.01A.18.AO.
Scaffolding “Allegheny Observatory Construction.” Historic Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3A6422.02.03.AO.
Side View “Allegheny Observatory Construction.” Historic Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3A6422.02.07.AO.
Glaser, Arthur E. “History of Allegheny Observatory.” Allegheny Observatory, University of Pittsburgh, 25 May 2001, www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/history.html.
“Spotlight Series: The Allegheny Observatory.” Pennsylvania Historic Preservation, Ennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, 21 May 2014, pahistoricpreservation.com/spotlight-series-allegheny-observatory/.