Theculture ofPittsburgh stems from the city's longhistory as a center for culturalphilanthropy, as well as its rich ethnic traditions. In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen such asAndrew Carnegie,Henry J. Heinz,Henry Clay Frick, and nonprofit organizations such as theCarnegie Foundation donated millions ofdollars to create educational and cultural institutions.
TheFrank Lloyd Wright masterpieceFallingwater is about an hour's drive fromDowntown Pittsburgh. The North Shore has an 1895 neogothic church,Calvary Methodist, with an interior designed byLouis Comfort Tiffany. The church's stained glass windows are some of the largest and most elaborate work Tiffany ever created. TheChurch of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pittsburgh, an opulently decorated edifice with elaborateOld World flourishes is one of the finest examples of the so-calledPolish Cathedral style,[1] dominating the skyline overPolish Hill. TheAllegheny County Courthouse (1886), designed byH.H. Richardson, is a unique and influential building. At 42 stories, theUniversity of Pittsburgh'sCathedral of Learning (1937) is the second tallest collegiate building in the world. The tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh is the triangularU.S. Steel Tower. BothAcrisure Stadium (2001) andPNC Park (2001) are designed to give fans a view of the city skyline.
TheDavid L. Lawrence Convention Center, located on the south bank of theAllegheny River, is able to accommodate all sizes of conventions, exhibitions and conferences. Certified with a Gold rating by theU.S. Green Building Council'sLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design initiative, the building is considered the first ever "green" convention center and world's largest "green" building.
The region has hosted over 1,000 film and television works since the first production was filmed in the city in 1898. Since 1990 thePittsburgh Film Office has marketed the greater southwestern Pennsylvania region as a great location for movie, television and commercial productions. The PFO has assisted more than 102 feature films and television productions to southwestern Pennsylvania to generate an economic impact of more than $575 million for the region.[2]
Pittsburgh Filmmakers teaches media arts and runs three "arthouse" movie theaters and since 1981 theThree Rivers Film Festival has brought national attention to local talent and artists of the region.
ThePittsburgh Playhouse atPoint Park University has four resident theatre companies. Other theater companies includeBald Theatre Company,barebones productions,Bricolage Production Company,City Theatre,Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh,Quantum Theatre,Phase 3 Productions,Prime Stage Theatre,Pittsburgh Public Theater, Attack Theater,Unseam'd Shakespeare Company,Terra Nova Theatre Group,Cup-A-Jo Productions,Hiawatha Project,12 Peers Theater,Organic Theater Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Theatre Company,Carrnivale Theatrics,Theatre Sans Serif,The Summer Company,Throughline Theatre Company,No Name Players,Pittsburgh Musical Theater,Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera,Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company,Stage Right, andPittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre. ThePittsburgh New Works Festival utilizes local theatre companies to stage productions of original one-act plays by playwrights from all parts of the country. Similarly,Future Ten showcases new ten-minute plays.Saint Vincent Summer Theatre,Off the Wall Productions,Mountain Playhouse, andStage Right! in nearbyLatrobe,Carnegie,Jennerstown, andGreensburg, respectively, employ Pittsburgh actors and contribute to the culture of the region.
August Wilson, one of the best known playwrights of his generation, was a Pittsburgh native. The majority of his plays are set in the city as well including the two he won thePulitzer Prize for Drama for (Fences (play) andThe Piano Lesson).
Friday Nite Improvs, animprov show at theUniversity of Pittsburgh'sCathedral of Learning, is Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show. It has produced a number of professional writers and actors.
Since 1991, theGene Kelly Awards have honored students in drama in the region, giving a platform to some who have gone on to both theater and film careers.
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Traditional Pittsburgh foods reflect the city's multicultural heritage, especially that of the European immigrants of the early 20th century. While these immigrant populations introduced dishes such as pierogis to the city, they are now enjoyed by Pittsburghers in general. Other Pittsburgh food specialties were developed in the city. In general, these dishes are still popular because for many years, they satisfied the hearty appetite of the archetypal Pittsburgher: the hard-working,blue-collar steelworker.
Pittsburgh is home to several night spots.
In addition to numerous large and small neighborhood parks, Pittsburgh has five large city parks covering hundreds of acres:
Several other parks and gardens are in Pittsburgh:
The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are theCarnegie Library of Pittsburgh and theUniversity of Pittsburgh's University Library System.
Many local history materials are available on-line atHistoric Pittsburgh, a collection that includes materials from theUniversity of Pittsburgh's University Library System, the Library & Archives of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania at theSenator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, and theCarnegie Museum of Art.Pittsburgh History is an on-line service maintained by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
With the leadership of nativeSamuel Hazo the city hosted a poetry forum.[3] Pittsburgh is also renown for its deep and enduring literary culture.[4]
Pittsburgh literary history goes back to the early 20th century, with dozens of prominent authors, the city for a time was considered more closely identified with literature than with steel.[5]
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ThePittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs inHeinz Hall, which also plays host to other events throughout the year. TheBenedum Center and Heinz Hall provide venues for numerous musicals, lectures, speeches, and other performances, includingPittsburgh Opera. Pittsburgh is also home to one of the few professional brass bands in the world, theRiver City Brass Band. Other musical arts groups include thePittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) and the River City Youth Brass Band. The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh is an acclaimed semi-professional choir, with performances that are usually free to the public. TheTeutonia Männerchor, founded in 1854 and based inEast Allegheny (Deutschtown) furthers choral singing inGerman and folk dancing.[6]
ThePittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. And theRenaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh hosts early music concerts of artists from across the country.
Pittsburgh became an important gateway between the north, south, east and west of the U.S., playing a strong role in the development ofjazz. Jazz came to the city'sAfrican American neighborhoods after 1925. TheHill District became known as "Little Harlem" from the 1920s until the early 1950s. There were hundreds of jazz venues in the community, which later helped to promote the emergence ofbebop, the most famous was probably theCrawford Grill which nightly attracted top national talent.[7]
A number of influential musicians emerged from the city.Mary Lou Williams,Ahmad Jamal,Erroll Garner, andBilly Strayhorn, who wasDuke Ellington's primary musical collaborator for 28 years, came from the city's East End regions ofHomewood andEast Liberty. A number of musicians came from communities outside the city, including:Maxine Sullivan (Homestead),Sonny Clark (Herminie) andEarl "Fatha" Hines (Duquesne). Vocalist and bandleaderBilly Eckstine was one of the first musicians to be paid a $1 million recording contract.[7]
TrumpeterRoy Eldridge, drummerKenneth Spearman "Klook" Clarke, and influential bassistRay Brown were born in the city; singerLena Horne was raised in Pittsburgh. BassistPaul Chambers, also born in Pittsburgh, played on two of the most important albums in jazz history:Miles Davis'Kind of Blue (1959) andJohn Coltrane'sGiant Steps (1960).[7]
Other noted jazz musicians include:Eric Kloss,Dodo Marmarosa,Walt Harper,Tommy andStanley Turrentine,Horace Parlan, pianist,Nathan Davis, guitaristGeorge Benson, and drummersArt Blakey,Roger Humphries andJeff "Tain" Watts. A youngLena Horne also spent her formative years learning jazz and blues in the city's Hill District.
Pittsburgh's role in popular music began with nativeStephen Foster and his enduring classics of the 1800s. So influential was Foster's works that he has been called the "Father of American music", has had five films made of his life, has heavily influenced such talents asNellie Bly andJackie Gleason and has had two of his songs chosen as state anthems (Kentucky and Florida) as well as the annual selections ofChurchill Downs.
Pittsburgh is perhaps most associated for the plethora ofDoo Wop artists that were produced during the 1950s and 1960s, thanks in part to local legendary disc jockeyPorky Chedwick playing songs that in most other major markets wouldn't risk being played. Several groups such as theDel-Vikings,The Marcels,The Vogues andThe Skyliners exemplify the regions doo-wop contributions. During this same era notable solo acts such asHenry Mancini,Perry Como,Dean Martin andBobby Vinton came out of the region to reach world fame in the industry. A years long engagement at the city'sWilliam Penn Hotel also launched the national career ofLawrence Welk.
During the 1970s and 1980s rock era Pittsburgh had a major role in the success of bothWild Cherry and their most popular song/albumPlay That Funky Music (inspired by a fan's plea to them during a performance at theNorth Side's 2001 Club in 1976), and being the home toBret Michaels, known for his fame in the bandPoison. BothJoe Grushecky andDonnie Iris achieved one-hit wonder fame and lasting regional rock fame.
Several notable bands emerged from Pittsburgh in the 1990s, includingRusted Root,The Clarks,Don Caballero, and the punk rock bandsAnti-Flag andAus-Rotten. Rusted Root and The Clarks appeared on theLate Show with David Letterman. Formed in 1999, thegarage rock groupModey Lemon toured the U.S. and internationally, gaining favorable reviews. SingerChristina Aguilera, a student atNorth Allegheny Intermediate High School, debuted locally at the 1999Lilith Fair, before going on to sell over 43 million albums worldwide.[8]
In the 2000s, Anti-Flag produced five albums, signed toRCA Records and appeared several times on theVans Warped Tour. RapperWiz Khalifa, who signed toWarner Bros. Records but left without releasing an album, topped theiTunes singles chart by the end of the decade.Mashup/laptop music artistGirl Talk (Gregg Gillis) found mainstream success. His 2006 albumNight Ripper gained favorable reviews andFeed the Animals (2008) topped year end album lists in national media.[8]
Since 2010, solo acts such as nativesJackie Evancho,Slimmie Hendrix,Wiz Khalifa,Daya, andMac Miller have achieved worldwide fame.Josh Groban was trained in Pittsburgh, having attendedCarnegie Mellon University.
While it has historically been overshadowed by other regional scenes, Pittsburgh's Hardcore/Metal scene has gained international attention since the mid 2010s, as witnessed by the critical and commercial success of the bandCode Orange. Other popular metal bands from Pittsburgh include Signs Of The Swarm and Those Who Fear.
In the late 2010s and 2020s, many Pittsburgh-based bands involved in the city's local music scene rose to nationwide prominence, includingFeeble Little Horse,Short Fictions, andMerce Lemon. This period of time has been marked by an uptick inshoegaze,noise rock,emo, andslowcore music coming from within the local scene, as well.[9]
Hellbender Vinyl, the largest vinyl record manufacturing company in Pennsylvania, is located in Pittsburgh.[10]
Pittsburgh Dance Council and thePittsburgh Ballet Theater host a variety of dance events. Polka, folk, square and round dancing have a long history in the city and are celebrated by the internationally famousDuquesne University Tamburitzans, a multicultural academy dedicated to the preservation and presentation of folk songs and dance.
Pittsburgh has several visual arts museums, including theAndy Warhol Museum, dedicated to the works of Pittsburgh nativeAndy Warhol. TheCarnegie Museum of Art is home to works by artists includingEdgar Degas,Vincent van Gogh,Claude Monet andRobert Adam, along with galleries of sculpture, modern art, the Heinz Architectural Center, a large film and video collection, and various traveling exhibits. Installation art is featured outdoors at ArtGardens of Pittsburgh. ThePittsburgh Center for the Arts shows contemporary art and provides resources forWestern Pennsylvania artists.
The town's history museum is theHeinz History Center with an annual attendance of 130,000.
TheCarnegie Museum of Natural History, located inOakland, has extensive dinosaur collections on display, including the most completeTyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered, and anEgyptian wing. The building may be distinguished by a life-size statue known as, "Dippy the Diplodocus" to the right of the main entrance. Other dinosaur statues are visible around the Pittsburgh area, these were decorated by artists nationwide and sold as a benefit to theCarnegie Museums. TheCarnegie Science Center, located in theNorth Side nearPNC Park andHeinz Field, is more technology oriented.
TheChildren's Museum of Pittsburgh, located on Pittsburgh's Northside, has a variety of interactive exhibits and programs for children and families including a multimedia art studio, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, water area and theater for performances.
Close by the Phipp's Conservatory is theSchenley Park Golf Course, a public golf links.Kennywood Park is widely regarded by rollercoaster enthusiasts to have some of the best rollercoasters in the world, including several early 20th century wooden coasters: the Racer, the Thunderbolt, and the Jackrabbit. A water park owned by Kennywood,Sandcastle, is another local amusement park.
Pittsburgh has recently gained attention as a burgeoning center for counter-culture, as well as punk music.[11] The annualPennsic War, theSociety for Creative Anachronism's largest re-enactment of pre-17th-century Europe, is hosted nearby.Anthrocon, one of the world's largestfurry conventions, returns every summer to theDavid L. Lawrence Convention Center. The PittsburghCacophony Society is also very active,[12] and in 2008, the PittsburghBurning Man community launched a winter regional burn event calledFrostburn.
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