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- Pittsburgh: 1941
- June 1941. "Rain. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for ... drip drip of rainwater off the eaves of the porch.
Pittsburgh by Vachon This is a beautiful picture. John Vachon's photos did ... church? Looks Orthodox. Perhaps someone familiar with Pittsburgh will know.
A Rainy Day The person walking with the umbrella ... Posted by Dave - 01/17/2023 - 2:46pm -
![June 1941. "Rain. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
I love the rain...This photo immediately brings forth the smell of rain, the hiss of car tires as they pass and the drip drip drip of rainwater off the eaves of the porch.
Pittsburgh by VachonThis is a beautiful picture. John Vachon's photos did not have the pathos and personal drama of Dorothea Lange's work, but more than any other American photographer, he has left an invaluable scrapbook of the vernacular American landscape. He is my favorite photographer.
What are the towers ...... in the background? Is that another church? Looks Orthodox. Perhaps someone familiar with Pittsburgh will know.
A Rainy DayThe person walking with the umbrella really makes the photograph work. You can almost feel the rain..
Pittsburgh PrecipitationI agree with others here about the evocative quality of this photo. Staring at this for a few moments I swear I can hear the rain coming down!
Canada Dry SpurCanada Dry Spur ("the cola drink with Canada Dry quality") was Canada Dry's attempt at entering the cola wars. By this time of course the company was owned by P.D. Saylor and Associates and the only connection with Canada was the name.
Such a wonderIt's 103 degrees on my front porch (yes, that's in the shade), my part of Arizona hasn't seen rain in 3 or 4 months. Guess whats going on my desktop. Thanks.
DSS
Look how it falls straight down!Not only can I relate to DSS since we don't get a lot of rain in West Texas, but I'm just amazed at how it's coming *straight down*. (Huge gusts of wind aren't sucking her umbrella inside out, and the rain isn't coming in sideways and raising welts on her skin!)
P.S. Not that I'm complaining...I love it here, and my glasses usually protect my eyes from the infrequent SIDEWAYS rainstorms!
Tioga Street, PittsburghPittsburgh has a lot of onion-dome ethnic churches all over town. The 1941 City Directory lists a Wm. James Confectionery at 7314 Tioga Street, which is where Point Breeze meets Homewood meets nothing original still standing. This would be east of downtown.
South Side P-BurgThis looks like the "South Side" of Pittsburgh and if I am not mistaken, this is an orthodox church which is now the private home and studio of the owner of the number one Pittsburgh chain of hair salons and spas.
Morrow TriangleAtlantic ave is a one-way northward running street to the east of downtown. The only intersection that makes a bend like the one photographed is at Liberty and Baum. There are no row homes or churches there now though.
The vantage point of the photo is a parklet called Morrow Triangle. The filling station and church are now the site of a car dealer. Unless there was a street name change that the Atlantic ave in the picture is different from the current Atlantic ave I think I'm right.
[The "Atlantic" sign is advertising a brand of gasoline. - Dave]
It's SouthsideI've lived in Pittsburgh all my life and this shot looks remarkably like the Southside (flats) to me just off Carson Street. Many churches of similar Greek Orthodox venue there. A previous poster indicated he thought that Atlantic sign was a street. It looks like a gas station to me, or something else.
It's DeutschtownThis is the corner of Madison and Lockhart, looking west. The church with the onion domes is St. Mary's -- Bavarian Catholic, believe it or not.
You can't go and see this intersection anymore since it was destroyed in the 1980s so that the Parkway North could be built. The church is still there, although now it's a hotel.
Pressley StreetThe previous comment is correct. That's St. Mary's (now known as the Priory) which sits at 614 Pressley Street.
Atlantic GasThe Atlantic sign is for the gas station. Atlantic petroleum was founded in Philly, then eventually acquired by Sunoco in the 80's or 90's.
(The Gallery, John Vachon, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8c19363a.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh: 1941")
- Gateway Center: 1952
- ... Our astute commenters have identified this as Pittsburgh's Gateway Center, circa 1952.
This is by far the most ... have no idea where it was taken but a good guess would be Pittsburgh, as that is the nearest city to where he lived (Titusville) and ran ... Posted by ceraurus - 01/21/2019 - 5:15pm -
- Pittsburgh: 1902
- Circa 1902. "Union Station, Pittsburgh." Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Upper berth Not ... it is still there!
Congrats Super Bowl XLIII Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!
Keep the Historic Buildings It is really nice to ... carried a small fraction of what one line would today.
Pittsburgh I live here, I practice here, I am still amazed at how many of ... Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:35pm -
![Circa 1902. "Union Station, Pittsburgh." Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Upper berthNot only is the building still there, but you can now live in it.
http://www.thepennsylvanian.com/
Still looks like that today. . . at least the main building does -- and the entry way (there must be another word for it) is much more impressive when you stand in the middle of it and consider the vaulted ceiling.
City of ChampionsIn 1902, the Pirates were champs of the National League. I doubt Honus Wagner did a mosh pit jump into the crowd during the victory parade like Troy Polamalu did yesterday though. Absolutely gorgeous building, and it's great that it is still there!
Congrats Super Bowl XLIII Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!
Keep the Historic BuildingsIt is really nice to see that some of our historic architecture still stands. It seems that so many of the modern buildings get torn down after 25 - 30 - 40 years and replaced with another disposable building.
TelephonyLook at number of wires on the telephone pole to the left. And it probably carried a small fraction of what one line would today.
PittsburghI live here, I practice here, I am still amazed at how many of the great buildings still exist. Sometimes I have to remind myself to look up and gaze at the fabulous architcture of the buildings in Pittsburgh. BTW the parade yesterday started right here, at what is now the Pennsylvanian.
Great Preservation News!Wow! I didn't realize that this structure still exists intact, which is amazing in this day and age. I was in it as part of a rail journey from Philly, in the summer of 1956, to Beaver PA, to begin working at my first career job for the Koppers Company in Kobuta, on the Ohio River. The only other time I was in that RR station was in June 1994, when my family came with me to see our eldest son graduate from Pitt Law School.
Train shedUnfortunately, the enormous train shed at the back of the building is gone. Today, if you take a train out of Pittsburgh, you leave from a tiny little metal building below and to the left of the building.
Still, this is a marvelous Pittsburgh landmark, made extra imposing by its siting. Because of the hill and the train lines, there's nothing around it. When you drive up Liberty Avenue from downtown, you round a corner and there it is in front of you.
PittsburgThe vaulted ceiling actually says Pittsburg rather than Pittsburgh, since the station was built during the time all place names were supposed to be standardized. That's my favorite part!
Union StationWhy were so many train stations named "Union Station"?
[Because they were served by more than one railroad. - Dave]
+109Below is the same view from July of 2011.
Pittsburg, PittsburghThe "h" was added to "Pittsburgh" after our 1st Pittsburgh renaissance in 1946. Any building like this one which pre -dates the renaissance.
[Pittsburgh was without an "h" only between 1890 to 1911. The full story is here. - tterrace]
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a17357u_0.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh: 1902")
- Pittsburgh Panorama: 1941
- June 1941. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for ... working on the roof: Look out -- it's a long way down!
Pittsburgh: City of Stairs Is there a city in America with as many stairs as Pittsburgh? This photo shows about eight staircases, as well as an area where ... Posted by Dave - 06/11/2020 - 10:21am -
- Pittsburgh 1961
- Pittsburgh in 1961 from the bluffs on the west bank of the Ohio. Certainly ... Don Hall, Sr.
Don Hall
Yreka CA
Vantage point, Pittsburgh 1961 Actually, I think the view is from the bluff above the south ... River. Maybe this was taken from Mt. Washington?
pittsburgh 1961 nice to see the city-less polluted
[The air in ... Posted by notycoon22 - 06/10/2007 - 7:26am -
![Pittsburgh in 1961 from the bluffs on the west bank of the Ohio. Certainly didn't look like this at the turn of the last century or this.
Photo: Don Hall, Sr.
Don Hall
Yreka CA
Vantage point, Pittsburgh 1961Actually, I think the view is from the bluff above the south bank of the Monongahela. You are looking toward the 'point' where the Monongahela joins the Allegheny to form the Ohio, just beyond the left edge of this picture.
Station Square?Looks like Station Square in the lower left, which would put the vantage point on the south bank of the Monongahela River. Maybe this was taken from Mt. Washington?
pittsburgh 1961nice to see the city-less polluted
[The air in Pittsburgh and all the big Eastern industrial cities is a lot cleaner now than it was in 1961. - Dave]
Another viewI have another view looking further left which I will try and dig out and scan. I must be very backwards as to the layout of the rivers.
Don Hall
Yreka, CA
Monongahela RiverIt is the Monongahela, above the point, and the Smithfield Street Bridge.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/Pittsburgh 0861 DMHSr lores.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh 1961")
- Pittsburgh: 1941
- January 1941. "Long stairway in mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for ... see what remains.
When the mills closed I moved to Pittsburgh (Ambridge) in 1980 and the sky was yellow. By 1984 when I left the ... Posted by Dave - 12/22/2018 - 11:03am -
![January 1941. "Long stairway in mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size.
HauntingSad but yet beautiful photograph. You can hear the ice crunching under the woman's steps on the long stairway. Would love to see a picture today to see what remains.
When the mills closedI moved to Pittsburgh (Ambridge) in 1980 and the sky was yellow. By 1984 when I left the sky was blue...most of the mills had closed.
This scene could be anywhere in the Pittsburgh area and is really representative of what it was like. Except for the vintage car, I've been in this scene.
I don't understand why I'm coughing......maybe it's the pollen???
Less smoggy, still cloudyWell, the hills are still there! The mills, not so much.
The smell of moneyLooks downright Dickensian. There is a pulp mill out in the bay near where I live. For decades it belched a foul smelling brew of toxins from the stacks until the owners were forced to install scrubbers to clean up the exhaust. Now you'd hardly know it was there. When someone would complain to my friend's dad, who worked there for decades, he would reply, "That's the smell of money."
City StepsA few years ago Bob Regan documented these stairways in a book called "The Steps of Pittsburgh." There are some 700 stairways all over the city.
From the publisher's website:
Many of Pittsburgh's steps are legal streets, and all of them reflect the city's unique topography and history. Together, these 712 sets of steps provide a vital link in the city's transportation system as well as unusual challenges for pedestrians, joggers, the bike police, and especially pizza delivery.
. . .
San Franciscans like to boast about their steps and consider them a top tourist attraction, but they "only" have 350 sets. Cincinnatians do the same, but claim a mere 400. Neither have steps that are legal streets. Pittsburgh is clearly King of the Steps and a place beloved by the self-propelled. Whether you're an active step trekker or an armchair climber, The Steps of Pittsburgh should be on your to-do list!
Every year there's an event called the Step Trek that takes participants all over the steps on the South Side Slopes. It's pretty cool and great exercise!
Thanks for the beautiful photograph.
Led ZeppelinI was raised in a small, very industrial Connecticut town in the 1940's which had a similar wooden staircase from Main Street over the railroad tracks. When we had to attend church, it was necessary to ascend these many, many stairs, after which we were faced with a steep, almost straight up hill, to get to the level of tiers on which our church stood. It was so steep, the concrete was scored about every inch to give better footing and in icy, snowy weather, it was a real challenge. I used to think of it as a stairway to Heaven, and then the title above came out with their hit song. I thought of it first. The town was Seymour, for all you doubting Thomases. The church was St. Augustine's. Good day.
Smoke ControlPittsburgh passed strict (for the time) environmental laws a year later, in 1941. What they called "smoke control" back then was delayed until after the war, but went into effect in 1946 and cleaned up the city's air well before the steel industry went south.
Smoke Gets in Your EyesMy dad visited cousins in Pittsburgh around the same time this photo was taken. He spoke of sitting on the front porch and watching soot settle on the railing.
Hell with its hat offI saw that caption on a picture of a Pittsburgh populated by stacks belching smoke in the bad old industrial days. My daughter is studying ballet there now. It's a different place, really an beautiful city. Not hard to find reminders of those days, though -- soot-blackened buildings and decrepit factory sites.
Bisbee, ArizonaAnother vertical metallurgical town where stairways take the place of streets.
Three shirt townThey used to call Pittsburgh a three shirt town. You'd wear one in the morning until the sweat and soot mixture was turning your collar gray, then change into another at lunch, and then into a third at dinnertime.
I Had No IdeaI had no idea that Pittsburgh was a city of steps. You learn something every day. Thanks for posting this beautiful picture. Photos of some of the city's steps here (http://www.frontiernet.net/~rochballparks2/towns/pgh_steps.htm) for those as ignorant as I of the wonders of Pittsburgh!
Epic PicThis is an epic capture. Its like a frame from some Academy Award bait movie. This image is as fantastic to me as something from the new Star Trek movie - and I mean that as a compliment.
So inclinedMy son delivers appliances in Pittsburgh, a challenge in that city. And watching a cable guy run a new wire is like having a front row seat a Cirque du Soleil.
One of our roofers lives on one of these "stairway streets". He says that there are 214 stair steps to reach his front door and that the number one rule in his household is that you never enter or leave empty-handed.
Those Steps...........look like a heart attack waiting to happen. I'm surprised someone didn't rig up some type of trolley to get from one end to the other (both ways).
Dig Sixteen TonsAngular staircase, belching factory, grim lack of scenery: Makes me think of the bleak urban intro to Joe Versus the Volcano. Gotta hope someone in one of those houses has a hula lamp.
Honore SharrerYesterday's New York Times carried the obituary of Honore Sharrer, "a noted American artist of the 1940s and afterward whose bold, witty, incisive paintings documented the daily experiences of ordinary working people. Known for their jewel-like colors and painstaking attention to detail, her paintings were purposely flat, hyperrealistic and strongly narrative in their depiction of everyday life."
It doesn't have anything to do with this particular photograph, but I found this part of the obituary to be of interest to Shorpyites:
Ms. Sharrer’s masterwork, critics widely agree, is her painting “Tribute to the American Working People.” A five-image polyptych that recalls a medieval or Renaissance altarpiece, it is more than two yards long and a yard high and took five years to paint. Its central figure, a factory worker, is flanked by smaller scenes of ordinary people at a picnic, in a parlor, on a farm and in a schoolroom.
Completed in 1951, the painting was unveiled that year at Ms. Sharrer’s first solo exhibition, at the Knoedler Galleries in New York. Reviewing the exhibition in The New York Times, Stuart Preston called “Tribute” “a notable contemporary American painting” and “a bold, frank and fine achievement.”
“Tribute,” which is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution, was the subject of an exhibition there in 2007 devoted exclusively to it. Titled “Anatomy of a Painting: Honoré Sharrer’s ‘Tribute to the American Working People,’ ” the exhibition featured much of Ms. Sharrer’s source material, including Farm Security Administration photographs from the late 1930s.
Hats off to Jack Delano and all the FSA photographers.
"Paper Streets"I live in this neighborhood. The term we use is "paper streets" because on the city map, they look like any other street, but that's only on paper. My girlfriend has called me in tears when her Garmin couldn't get her home because it wanted her car to take staircases. These sets of steps also all have street signs like any other city roadways.
Paper Alley"Paper streets" are common here in Pittsburgh and the suburbs, but most common are "paper alleys." There is one directly across the street from me that runs up the side, then in back of all of the houses. It's now covered in grass and woods (and I imagine it has been this way for at least 90 years). My parents used to fight the boro to let them take ownership of the "property," however they have not budged in 35 years. Funny how the local gov't doesn't want to take care of it, and after my parents stopped, the neighbor does on the other side.
Love Pittsburgh!I have lived in Pittsburgh all 23 years of my life. I would never live anywhere else. It's sad we can't get this smoke-ridden image out of the minds of people. This is nothing like the city today. Pittsburgh is a beautiful, growing city that is leading the way in green technology. After the steel industry collapse, the city plummeted into debt. Now, we are a shining example. Anyways, that misconception will be shattered with the hosting of the G-20 Summit here in September! Pay attention to the news around that time.
Anyways, this is still a great image. You cannot deny this city's history, and the steel industry was vital to the US, especially during WWII. Pittsburgh has always been a pivotal cornerstone in American (and world) history. Does anybody know where this mill is located?
Warhol-landThis is the Pittsburgh that artist Andy Warhol was born into in 1928.
When this picture was made, a 12-year-old Warhol was living with his family in a house on a soot-covered hillside in a neighborhood just like this.
It's Tullymet StreetThese steps connect Sylvan Avenue and Chance Way in the city's Hazelwood neighborhood. The old wooden steps have been replaced with concrete. The house sitting just out of the frame is gone along with most of the homes on Sylvan.
[Thanks for the answer to a longstanding question! - Dave]
First Three homes are still thereIt looks as if the first 3 homes in the middle of the picture are still there. So cool to finally know where this photo was taken! many thanks to sinking_ship for solving that mystery!
This is still one of the most beat up areas in the 'burghWhen I return via Allegheny County airport in W. Mifflin, we always pass thru this area on our way to Oakland. It's pretty sad now but still very recognizable from this photo. My foreign born wife immediately recognized the neighborhood just from the lay of the land. Back in the early 70s I worked the last in-city blast furnaces at Jones & Laughlin steel just down the road towards Oakland. Very glad I had the chance to touch the history before it was gone.
Been thereI lived in the third house in from 1953/1960. Glad my house is still there.
First Two HomesSince the photo of first three homes still standing was submitted, the third one in is now gone also...along with pretty much everything in the 1940 photo...
(The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8c29017u_0.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh: 1941")
- Rolling Coal: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Champion No. 1 cleaning plant. Loaded coal ... with pea coal.
(The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Pittsburgh, Railroads) ... Posted by Dave - 04/03/2024 - 7:00pm -
- Coal Goes to War: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Champion No. 1 coal cleaning plant of Pittsburgh Coal Company." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. ... is coal-related
(The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Pittsburgh, Railroads, WW2) ... Posted by Dave - 03/27/2024 - 11:35am -
- Let's Eat: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Montour No. 4 mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Andy Piatnik, miner who is an Office of Civilian ... Posted by Dave - 03/29/2024 - 12:22pm -
- Luna Park: 1905
- ... Soda are still being produced today.
Pittsburg vs. Pittsburgh Great series of photos, captainslack. It is interesting to see that the entrance to Luna Park left the "h" off of Pittsburgh. I wonder if the h-less spelling was common back then or just a ... Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:34pm -
- Mantrip: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Westland coal mine. 'Mantrip' going into a ... Posted by Dave - 03/31/2024 - 5:20pm -
- Clean Energy: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Champion No. 1 coal cleaning plant. ... Posted by Dave - 03/30/2024 - 4:22pm -
- Pittsburgh Panorama: 1908
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "The heart of Pittsburgh." Panorama made from four 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit ... Company. View full size.
Come, Oh Come to Pittsburgh Some will remember my title as a song by Schwartz & Dietz, ... Posted by Dave - 02/05/2018 - 12:09pm -
![Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "The heart of Pittsburgh." Panorama made from four 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Come, Oh Come to PittsburghSome will remember my title as a song by Schwartz & Dietz, made famous by Beatrice Lillie.
The Keenan Building (left, with the dome) and the Allegheny County Courthouse (right, pointed tower) remain familiar landmarks. I hope someone will identify other buildings.
I would guess that the street at the center is Fifth Avenue, but would appreciate a correction.
Multiple Glass Negatives Wonderful cityscape.
Are these glass negatives stored/organized in a way that you knew that they would create this panoramic? Or, does this take a sharp eye and memory?
[Click here. - Dave]
Wowzers.I would almost kill to have this cleanly colorized, so I could use it as my backdrop on my model railroad. This is amazing.
Thanks, Shorpy-folk!
Coincidence? I think notThe sign for Kaufmann's in the background. The Pittsburgh retailer for whom Frank Lloyd Wright built Fallingwater was named Kaufmann.
Smithfield Street ViewAt center is Smithfield Street. Just to the right in the foreground is the old Post Office (replaced with a new building on Grant Street in 1934). Steel framing under construction is the Oliver Building, completed in 1910.
Does anyone know what the metal standpipes with the funnels next to the top are? Great picture! I love Shorpy.
Panoramic WonderingsOver on the right side, I wonder what that row of pointed objects is atop the hill off in the distance to the left of Bailey-Farrell.
Maybe someone here could clear this up, because I haven't the slightest!
[Houses! - Dave]
You Want Names of Buildings?If the center street is Smithfield, then the mid-rise building to the left with the white awnings at the corner of fourth Street is the Standard Life Building. It was built in 1902 by Alden & Harlow, Pittsburgh's leading local architectural firm of the era, The Standard Life Building was originally an office building that housed the Pittsburgh Bank for Savings. It has been converted to studios and apartments.
A taller building behind it would be The Park Building, one of the oldest surviving steel-framed structures and the first high rise in Pittsburgh to have automatic elevators. Built by industrialists David and William Park in 1896, the 15-story Park Building is adorned by what Preservationists call “the most beautiful cornice east of the Mississippi”.
As mentioned earlier, the steel-framed, building under construction is the Henry W. Oliver Building. It is 25-story, skyscraper at 535 Smithfield Street, across from what is now Mellon Square. The building was designed by Daniel Burnham and built 1908-10.
(Panoramas, DPC, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-Pittsburgh_Panorama_1.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh Panorama: 1908")
- Leave It to Beaver: 1958
- ... with three straight wins after being down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ten years later in 1968, the Detroit Tigers came back to ... Posted by Dave - 07/15/2018 - 7:10pm -
![I was watching an episode from the second season (1958-59) of "Leave It to Beaver" tonight when I got to the part where Ward reads a note from Beaver's principal, Mrs. Rayburn. If you freeze-frame the note it says:
Mr. Ward Cleaver
485 Mapleton Drive
Mayfield, State
My Dear Mr. Cleaver:
This paragraph has absolutely nothing to do with anything.
It is here merely to fill up space. Still, it is words,
rather than repeated letters, since the latter might not
give the proper appearance, namely, that of an actual note.
For that matter, all of this is nonsense, and the only
part of this that is to be read is the last paragraph,
which part is the inspired creation of the producers of
this very fine series.
Another paragraph of stuff. Now is the time for all good
men to come to the aid of their party. The quick brown
fox jumps over the lazy dog. My typing is lousy, but the
typewriter isn’t so hot either. After all, why should I
take the blame for these mechanical imperfections, with
which all of us must contend. Lew Burdette just hit a
home run and Milwaukee leads seven to one in the series.
This is the last line of the filler material of the note.
No, my mistake, that was only the next to last. This is last.
I hope you can find a suitable explanation for Theodore’s
unusual conduct.
Yours truly,
Cornelia Rayburn
To judge by the contents (here's the last line, whoops, no, HERE's the last line) whoever did this folded the note first, to mark the middle third of the paper, then put it in the typewriter, started the body of the letter at the first crease and banged away until he had enough to fill out the middle section.
The Lew Burdette reference would put the date at October 2, 1958 — Game 2 of the World Series between the Braves and the Yankees, and a month before this episode ("Her Idol") aired. I see where this has been referenced elsewhere on the Web but as far as I can tell no one has transcribed the entire letter. Until now!
We now return to our regularly scheduled program. [Postscript: The Jim Letter]
Leave It To Beaver, 1958BEAUTIFUL!! :)
Thanks for the update.
We used to get this show Down Here (Oz) and I can remember watching every episode if possible.
Crikey...that gives my age away!
BK
Canberra
Australia
LITB on DVDSeason 1 and Season 2 are available on DVD from Amazon.
beaver lettertoo funny!!!!!!!!!
Ahh...that's awesome. ThanksAhh...that's awesome. Thanks for posting this!
I love it.That's FANTASTIC.
Awesome!Back in the 50's they never dreamed anyone would be able to freeze frame on the TV picture. How funny would it have been had the writer typed something REALLY embarrassing!
Great post!!Great post!!
Fan-freakin- tastic!!This is just too cool for mere words. Nonetheless, words must suffice. Excellent!!
Marvelous!I wish every movie had stuff like that for us to find.
21 inch B&W TV set.That's what you had if you really splurged on a TV for the living room in those days. No sense buying a color TV, since for the $700 (and up) one of those cost, you got to watch maybe one show a week in color - a variety show "special" with Fred Astaire perhaps. Anyway, you couldn't possibly read the letter from a 525-line video, no matter how big your TV was. Film, maybe, but not video.
[I don't know about that. I'm the one who deciphered the letter and created this post, and I used a 10-year-old, 27-inch, 525-line low-definition Sony. The main obstacle to being able to read it in 1958 would have been that it was onscreen for just a few seconds. - Dave]
Timely...Canadian viewers who get SunTV will be able to catch that episode this Friday (May 4th) at 12:30 pm...
Re: awesome!Don't you know? Back inthe fifties people didn't HAVE embarrassing thoughts that could spill out onto the printed page! Sheesh. Get with the program.
So, did a writer on the show type this up, ordid he hand it off to a secretary for her to type?
This comment has absolutely nothing to do with anythingit's just here to take up space. I'd use this space to root for my favourite hockey team and thus forever determine the exact time this comment was written but I can't get excited about any of them.
I would guessI would guess the tomfoolery is the prop master's work, and he probably made the prop the day before, or earlier in the day, so it's more likely the actual day of shooting was October 3rd.
["The date" means the date the note was typed. My hunch is that the show's producers, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, are behind it. They slipped written references to themselves into a number of other episodes. - Dave]
That's tamer than most propThat's tamer than most prop letters I've seen. In the last play I worked on the prop master ranted for 3 pages about the playwright, added sexual escapades in the characters backstory and other in-jokes. Thank god the audience is 40 feet away and there's no freeze-frame in live theatre!
wardi can't wait to get the second season. it's a great show. that is one hell of a letter. obviously Mrs. Rayburn is either on a nice dose of pharm's or desperately needs one.
awesome.
Rodine,
NYC
BK Canberra. crikey?For anyone reading BK's reply above, as another resident of australia, let me just assure you that nobody here actually uses the word "crikey". That would be like an american going around saying "dandy", "swell" or even that old chestnut, "geewilllickers". The crocodile hunter only ever used the word "crikey" when teasing an animal or selling something.
Thanks,
Dan,
Sydney.
Prop funIn a high school production of the musical Cinderella, the scroll that's supposed to contain all the names of His Royal Highness Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir (and so on) was covered by our props department with just one line, in big bold letters: "DON'T SCREW UP".
I use the word Crikey on occasionAnd have been known to utter the odd 'by jingoes', 'cobber' or, my personal favourite, 'strewth'.
Anyone who doesn't occasionally enjoy such words (especially when overseas) is quite simply un-Australian mate :)
Mark,
Sydney.
PS: Good work on the leave it to Beaver letter - I love this stuff!
LITBGolly geewillikers that was swell. The absolute bees knees. Just dandy. thanks.
Egads......So, where's the text for the second page, which contains the *real* "Roswell Press Release"? :)
That is so awesome! HowThat is so awesome! How freaking cool...I got chills reading it, because I'm sure that guy never thought anyone would ever read that letter.
Sarah
Too much like real lifeReading this, I am suddenly transported back 25 years to my American History class in 10th grade. I was supposed to be writing an essay about American gangsters of the early 20th century, and for some reason I became convinced that my teacher would never read everyone's paper every single time. So being the incredibly wise-ass young man that we all are at 16, I dropped in three or four lines, beginning mid-sentence in a paragraph about Al Capone's bootleg whiskey empire, all about how my grandmother's poodles enjoyed riding in cars (or some equally stupid text about my grandmother...the exact words escape me now), and then went on to say that I know that he (my teacher) would never read everyone's paper and that he would never know these lines were buried in my own paper. I then went on to finish the rest of the paper normally, and handed it in with a smile on my face.
The day after I turned in the paper, the teacher stood in front of the whole class and read my paper out loud. Had there been a way to drop through the floor at that time...I'd have taken it. 25 years later, I can STILL feel my face get red, just thinking about it!
I can commiserate with the author of Beaver's letter...
"the typewriter isn't so hot""My typing is lousy, but the typewriter isn’t so hot either"
why do I have this sense that in 1958 people weren't saying "the typewriter isn't so hot"
[I don't know. Why do you? - Dave]
bravo"After all, why should I take the blame for these mechanical imperfections, with which all of us must contend."
GLORIOUS.
greek to meLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus risus risus, ultrices vel, mollis vel, faucibus sagittis, diam. Nunc dignissim odio in est. In mattis condimentum erat. Nunc ac nunc. Vivamus eget elit. Aliquam pellentesque. Aliquam dignissim tellus vitae tortor. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Nam tincidunt pulvinar urna.
Quisque sed risus. Sed tempus, elit ut tempus iaculis, purus sapien vulputate leo, quis commodo pede magna vel turpis. Cras ac pede. Suspendisse tincidunt, nunc vel ultrices adipiscing, lacus augue bibendum magna, sit amet scelerisque felis nulla eu lectus. Sed sit amet elit. Pellentesque id dui.
Pellentesque vel justo. Quisque sit amet mi quis tellus rhoncus blandit. Maecenas arcu. Aliquam ipsum.
[More like "Latin to me" - Dave]
letter to mr. cleaver I thought it would read:
"Gee, Ward. Don't you think you were a little hard on the Beaver last night?"
Not a typical American, but...I say "swell" all the time. "Keen" and "Dandy", too.
Lew Burdette's World Series HomerDid come in the bottom of the first inning on October 2, 1958. The Braves had already won the opening game the previous day, also in Milwaukee. The bottom of the first inning, after the Yankees got a 1-0 lead in their first at bat, began when Bill Bruton hit a 2-2 pitch for a home run to tie the game. The Braves went on to win the second game and then the Yankees won the third. After the Braves also won the fourth game, The Yankees won three in a row to win the series. This had only happened once before in 1925 when the Washington Senators came back with three straight wins after being down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ten years later in 1968, the Detroit Tigers came back to win the final three games after being down 3-1 to win the 1968 World Series.
Donald F Nelson
LITB rocksexcellent "leave it to beaver" rocks!! ward rules! june was hot and i dont mean the month.
Common PracticeHaving been a Property Master in the television business for quite a few years, I can assure you that this is extremely common. The text could be the actor's lines if they have a tough scene and the prop guy likes them. Sometimes it is jokes designed to crack the actor up during the first take. Other times it is exactly this kind of stream-of-consciousness rambling serving no greater purpose than filling up the page. My specialty was always the fine print on package labels. The warning on the beer labels in the first "American Pie" movie said that beer could cause pregnancy, cause you to act like an idiot, or just plain F- you up.
Re: greek to me"Lorem ipsum" etc. is Latin not Greek.
Quasi-LatinSee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum
Cheers!
Have you everHave you ever noticed the newspapers Ward reads during this series? There is usually some reference to a MURDER or some other catastrophe. Highly unusual for Mayfield.
And I thought we were obsessed with Beaver at The First Leave It To Beaver WebSite
Stop by and learn about The Complete Unofficial Leave It To Beaver Trivia Encyclopedia
Marcus Tee
Speaking of Ward's newspapers...... do they ever include my two favorite column headlines:
New Petitions Against Tax
Building Code Under Fire
After watching nearly 200 old films (courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000), these seem to be the two most common newspaper prop filler headlines in films of the '40s and '50s. I wonder if they found their way into '50s and '60s television, too.
I adore thisSo far, this is the highlight of my day. Thanks for transcribing this!
Love the BeavI love this show. So many great quotes:
"Gee Dad, I wouldn't mind telling the truth if so much hollering didn't go along with it."
But who knew there were Leave it to Beaver easter eggs? This post made my day.
Re: "crikey"@Dan Re: "crikey"
That was helpful. I've always wondered when Steve Irwin said that why no one from our Australian offices used the term. You confirmed what I thought.
Thanks
Lorem Ipsum to BeaverThat is just so much better than the placeholder text one typically sees.
Are there jobs out there for lorem ipsum writers? Craigslist has not a one.
Excellent post. Thanks.
the sobsister
http://www.thesobsister.com
Building Code Under FireI think I've seen "Building Code Under Fire," & maybe the other headline as well in episodes of Perry Mason. Obviously some prop house printed a zillion front page mock-ups that were used forever. And often the program-specific headlines are in a completely different font than the rest of the mock-op.
I also dig when a prop magazine is on glossy paper so it will look real, but the glossy stock it's printed on is so heavy it barely moves, let alone looks real.
M. Bouffant
Great!I think that is so very cool!
interesting interchange!i enjoyed reading this very much. i'm in a library in orlando, florida.
Very funny and entertaining!Very funny and entertaining! Gotta love all those old B&W shows!!!
It's a pretty common practice.I've read some interesting freeze frames in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell, also.
oh?Can you post some BtVS freezeframes you find of interest?
That's what I'm alwaysThat's what I'm always scared of! too funny!!!
It's like the whole RoswellIt's like the whole Roswell Memo, but more important.
Written on 10/2/58I don't know why but I decided to do some research on the date this letter may have been written and I'm pretty sure it's Thursday October 2nd 1958. I tried to go further and find the time of day but I can only estimate late afternoon pacific time (assuming it was written in LA). The Lew Burdette sentence references the first inning of game 2 in the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Milwaukee went on to win the game 13 to 5 but the Yankees won the series.
Re: Written 10/2/58Another clue would be the caption under the letter that says it was written during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 2, 1958!
Thanks for posting this!It's too, too wonderful. Thank ghod there are people like you in the world who pay attention to details.
my quiz for allHi all!
You are The Best!!!
G'night
have you everI have noticed that, even in Mayfield. That was for Ward not the kids, the show was done from a childs view.
Marcus your web site is really great, and the encylopedia with its "map" is a lot of fun.
Nice running into you on this site.
OMGIf you read the letter upside down and backwards, it says that Space Aliens are going to attack the world on May 09, 2007.
HEY, THAT'S TOMORROW! RUN & HIDE!
Old school Formatting Well, I tried the paper trick (folding it in thirds and starting the body of the letter at the crease) and now my printer is broken and the red light is flashing. Now what?
Burdette "hit a homerun"?That's very odd, given that he was not a batter, but was instead famously known as the Braves' MVP pitcher, who won three games in the World Series of 1957!
[It's kind of hard to pitch when your team is at bat. Lew hit a three-run homer. - Dave]
Lew Burdette's homerunLew's three-run homer came in the first inning of Game 2.
Leave it to Beaver, 1958Great photo from the archives. I was only 3 years old at the time. I'm sure that I saw it a few years later. Loved the baseball reference. Keep up the good work. rcisco
Cisco Photo
Carmel, IN
Now you've done it.I always wondered what was written on prop letters, but never did anything to find out. Now I know how, and every movie I watch on DVD gets freeze frame and zoom.
Last night it was My Fair Lady and while Eliza is working on her 'H's, just over 1 hour into the film...well, you ought to check it out.
My family hates you.
Letters shown on cameraSo I guess Ward didn't read this one out loud as others were read out loud. Wally reading the letter from the Continental Modeling Agency and the letter from the Merchant Marines. Also they don't show the letter from Marathon Records but Beav read it out loud as does Ward reading the letter from Mason Acme Products.
Scrabby
Newspapers on LITBDid you notice how many different newspapers are shown on the show. I had to freeze frame to find them all.
Mayfield Times
Mayfield Dispatcher
Press Herald
Courier Sun
Mayfield News anymore?
Scrabby
Newspapers on LITBYou should talk to Marcus Tee at his web site (its posted a few comments down) he is the expert
The Beaver LetterWard did read it out loud - the crucial last paragraph.
Soapy SudsNotice how one magazine Ward is reading always has a Soapy Suds ad on the back.
Lou, The Braves and the Beav...As a Milwaukee kid (then not quite five years old), I got a special kick out of seeing this. Oct. 2, 1958 was my big sister's 15th birthday. At that age she was a HUGE Braves fan-- found and mailed the team four-leaf clovers, etc. So (the '58 Series outcome notwithstanding) a Braves victory and a three-run shot by Burdette was probably a birthday present for her.
A better letterHow fun! 100 years from now it'll be easier to find your transcription than to watch the entire episode. Perhaps the episode will have been made famous to future generations because they're hoping to catch a quick view of the Famous Letter. Full circle ironics and all that.
P.L. Frederick
Small and Big
The LetterThis is the greatest letter I have ever read. Thank you.
Other Letters on LITBWonder if the other letters that are sent to the Cleavers are written like this one. For instance the letter Beaver gets from the Continental Modeling Company which we only see the address or the letter from the Merchant Marines. Sometimes they don't even show the letter like the one from Mason Acme Co or Marathon Record Company.
Lew BurdetteI remember Lew pitching. He had a routine: Adjust hat, lick fingertips, wipe on chest! I later copied the move when I pitched in Little League!
BeaverI remember when Beav was playing with a set of trains over at Mary Ellen Rodgers's house. The were marked for the JC & BM railroad. Quite a nice layout, wonder who got to keep it.
[Right. JC & BM were Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, the series creators. - Dave]
Currently #1 on RedditThe Beaver Letter has been the No. 1 post on Reddit since around midnight. Check out the comments.
Modern speakWow, they used correct English in that letter. If that letter were typed today it would read:
Mr. Ward Cleaver
485 Mapleton Drive
Mayfield, State
My Dear Mr. Cleaver:
tl:dr GTFO. LOL, ur son iz dum. k thx
I admit it!I went out with Loren Ipsum in high school and we fooled around behind the stage.
Second base only!
Those 1960s BirthdaysEveryone here looks terrified. My 7th Birthday Party in La Puente, California.
Home Addressshame on that staff writer. If he had only payed paid attention to the opening theme he would know there was a clear shot of front door showing the house number as "211".
But .. specifically: 211 Pine Street, Mayfield, Ohio
[The Cleavers lived in two houses. The first was on Mapleton, the second on Pine. And as for Ohio, Mayfield was famously stateless. - Dave]
Leave it to Beaver - the Skokie ConnectionHere is an update on Leave it to Beaver including vintage stock footage of Skokie, Illinois. I also very proudly deciphered the Beaver letter featured here, only to find Shorpy beat me to it by several years. As you'll see, I give full credit where it is due.
http://silentlocations.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/leave-it-to-skokie-and-b...
(Bizarre, Curiosities, Kids, TV)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/litb.thumbnail.jpg "Leave It to Beaver: 1958")
- Cat Patrol: 1942
- November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Montour No. 4 mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Assistant superintendent getting ready for a hunting ... picture was taken. The mine ran under my house is a leafy Pittsburgh suburb, and operated until it was flooded by a breakthrough from the ... Posted by Dave - 01/05/2024 - 5:37pm -
![November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Montour No. 4 mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Assistant superintendent getting ready for a hunting trip." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Yes pleaseLike fanhead, I'm all about that fabulous chair. What a work of art. The kitty ain't bad either but I prefer tuxedo cats.
Fair dealI would trade the shotgun for that gorgeous chair. And I'll throw in the cat.
Great trainerI would prefer to take a dog.
A hammer double.Heirloom material.
Having that talk with his cat.https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-talk-to-your-cat-about-gun-safet...
Hunting catsWhen the cat, Mary Ann, currently sleeping at my side was younger, she and her sister would accompany me when I would go out on our property deer hunting. One evening, I was sitting on a log and noticed the cat sitting in front of me was staring and her ears were pointed. I raised my rifle and spotted a buck about 40 yards away. At the shot, the deer ran and Mary Ann ran after it. It went into a thicket of briars and I had to work my way in. When I got there, Mary Ann was sitting on the deer's neck, swatting and biting its ears. As good a tracker as she was, I was never able to train her to retrieve.
Shotgun from the PastLooks like a very old E. Remington & Sons 12 Gauge.
[He's also packing a Mouser. - Dave]
The vibeof 1600's Dutch painting.
"Lifter"As subsailor says it's probably a Remington shotgun, a "lifter" design like the Remington-Whitmore. It looks like cleaning and oiling time (which I'm not sure I'd do in such nice clothes)
Shoots & FleasTeaching a cat to use a shotgun can lead to nothing but trouble.
Montour No. 4!I used to live over the hill from that mine and its mining town, known both as Lawrence and Hill's Station, which is likely where this picture was taken. The mine ran under my house is a leafy Pittsburgh suburb, and operated until it was flooded by a breakthrough from the adjacent, closed Montour #10. The rail line that swung like an arc south of Pittsburgh connecting the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company's mines is now a popular rail trail.
(The Gallery, Cats, John Collier, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8d09543a.thumbnail.jpg "Cat Patrol: 1942")
- Monongahela: 1910
- Pittsburgh circa 1910. "Monongahela River levee from Smithfield Street Bridge." ... Built 1902 in Brownsville, Pa. Originally owned by Pittsburgh and Brownsville Packet Company.
In 1903 she was reported to have burned at wharf in Pittsburgh (January 16, 1903)."The cause of the fire is unknown but it is ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:15pm -
- Pittsburgh Noir: 1907
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1907. "A Mill Street." Fifty Shades of Black. ...
What Time of Day Is It? Considering that this is Pittsburgh in the bad old days of smokestack industry, can we be sure that this ... the air quality I am so glad I did not live anywhere near Pittsburgh at the time it was taken.
Second that OMG Alfred Stieglitz ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:32pm -
![Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1907. "A Mill Street." Fifty Shades of Black. 7x5 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
WowThat has to be one of the most fantastic photos I have ever seen on Shorpy.
Dark ShadowsCheck out the Shorpy gallery of nighttime photography.
WOW!!!!Not often do I see an image and go WOW, but this image got that reaction from me. Yes I even said WOW out loud.
ArtistryNow we all know where rizzman1953's Grandpa (or Grandma) came from.
What a picture!This is stunning. Smoke, light, shadow, dark. The feeling is that of a true Hollywood film noir. Who knows what lurks in the shadows of those row houses? Just looking at this makes my lungs ache from the acrid smell of the furnaces. DPC did some truly amazing work. Well done Shorpy, keep em' coming!
What Time of Day Is It?Considering that this is Pittsburgh in the bad old days of smokestack industry, can we be sure that this is NOT a daytime photograph?
London callingI swear, this made me think of Sherlock Holmes. it looks like one of those dank nights that are always shown during a Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce whodunit.
SpectacularI had to read the caption twice - I would've thought this photo was from the 1930s or even the WWII era. It's a stunning image. I can just picture the men working the night shift in those factories while their families sleep in the little row houses.
Wow is old hat now, but WOWThis is an absolutely stunning photo.
Spectacular!And spooky.
Wow was my first reactionIf I ever produce an image this good, I am gonna throw away my camera.
Billy Joel said it."The good old days weren't always good." It's a stunning picture but due to the air quality I am so glad I did not live anywhere near Pittsburgh at the time it was taken.
Second that OMGAlfred Stieglitz would buy this photo. Pale grey smoke- stacks fade into smoke. The black telephone pole breaks up what would be a distracting vanishing point perspective. The glow on the windows sills is wonderful. This is a photo you could stare at and enjoy forever. Stylistically very unusual for 1907. I agree with Mattie, I would have guessed it to be the 1930's. Anybody know the artist? They were ahead of their time. Gritty and hard: compare to other Shorpies of the Edwardian era, many often look posed, with a flat subject (building) dead center and no thought given to distractions (litter) or anything on the edges of the shot.
When I first saw thisI said out loud, "OMG, what a photo!" Many thanks for posting this beauty!
Lone PedestrianIf you enlarge the picture, it appears there is a misty outline of a man crossing the street at the intersection just right of the fire hydrant. Either that or it is the creature from the black lagoon.
[Jack the Squiggler. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a27567a2.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh Noir: 1907")
- Pittsburgh Rising: 1908
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "A group of skyscrapers." 8x10 inch dry ... The Keystone State, built in 1890, traveled between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. In 1913 she was converted into the an excursion boat ... and Penn Avenue in the Strip.
In the late 1800s, Pittsburgh had more than a dozen inclines; only two remain. There is talk about ... Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:20pm -
- Pittsburgh: 1956
- "Pittsburgh Nov 1956." From the Kermy Kodachrome cache. View full size.
On a clear day You wouldn't be in Pittsburgh. I remember all the references to air pollution in Pittsburgh when I was a yute, believe it has cleaned up since.
Sans span ... Posted by Dave - 01/28/2013 - 11:58am -
- Bridges of Pittsburgh: 1905
- Circa 1905. "Pittsburgh from Mount Washington -- Monongahela River with Smithfield Street ... see the topography that lies beneath all the buildings of Pittsburgh today.
The Hill Great shot of the East side of the city. ... Those barren hills to the North are now home of Pittsburgh University. And there's a great bike trail where those rail cars and ... Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 4:55pm -
![Circa 1905. "Pittsburgh from Mount Washington -- Monongahela River with Smithfield Street Bridge and Pan Handle Bridge." Panorama made from two 8x10 inch dry plate glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Little engine that couldThe steam locomotive bottom left has me wondering. Upon magnification it appears to be numbered 301, but can't quite make out the number, railroad initials or wheel arrangement. If this is the Monongahela Railroad the initials could be PRR or P&LE. They did acquire two class D-3 locos in 1904 and 1905 with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement AND they were numbered 301 and 302. Then there was a 2-8-0 arrangement purchased in 1903 if the number is 201. Oh well, regardless of identity it certainly looks like an "engine that could" do its duty.
Topography underneath the cityWhat I love about this shot is you can see the topography that lies beneath all the buildings of Pittsburgh today.
The HillGreat shot of the East side of the city. Long before Boulevard Of The Allies and the Parkway took over the landscape. Those barren hills to the North are now home of Pittsburgh University. And there's a great bike trail where those rail cars and the mill once sat. This is all less than a mile from my place. I never get tired of looking at the old shots of this city and seeing how it has evolved into what it is today.
LOTS to LQQK at!!!That is just a totally awesome photo right there with lots and lots of stuff to look at. Just the railroad stuff (my favorite subject) can amuse one for hours. All those passenger and freight cars and rail served industries and in 1905 they probably kept track of where everything was and where it was going than they do now with computers, GPS tracking and less rolling stock and rail served industry!
In looking at the sky, though, one should be glad we DO have an EPA now. Of course, I suspect there may be just as many pollutants in the air now, it's just that we have cleaned them up so that you can't see them or smell them as well.
[Your suspicion is incorrect. The air here was much dirtier a century ago. - Dave]
I suspect you're right. --RJ--
Air QualityMeasured not in picograms per cubic liter, but in lbs. of cinder per cubic foot. Holy moley - that is dirty-ass air!
The little engineis a 4-4-2, presumably a P&LE class E-1 engine.
Jim CrowOf interesting note is the combination and coach in the yard near the Atlantic (4-4-2) locomotive. Though more than likely they are currently in storage, it's probable that the cars came off a train oriented like that. You saw that type of orientation quite often in the time of segregation, with black riders being placed in the section forward of the baggage compartment, and whites riding in the rest of the train. This gave rise to calling the orientation "Jim Crow." It would later be applied to special "Jim Crow" cars which had the baggage compartment in the middle of the car and passengers on either end.
(Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_Pittsburgh_Panorama.thumbnail.jpg "Bridges of Pittsburgh: 1905")
- Pittsburgh Posts: 1941
- June 1941. "Rain. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for ... one).
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Pittsburgh) ... Posted by Dave - 06/06/2020 - 12:53pm -
![June 1941. "Rain. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Is the circus in town?What is that large tent filling the street a block ahead?
Ah, I see nowIt's an awning on the next porch.
A thousand words?This is a picture you can hear.
DepthConsidering the light level, Vachon has achieved great depth of field without resorting to a slow shutter speed (man and umbrella in motion not blurred). I view in awe. Camera? Rollieflex?
Great Cars!Facing us across the street is a 1935 Chevrolet. The third car, facing us, is a 1940 Chevrolet. The first car facing us on the right is a 1936 Ford.
Bonus lovelinessThe abacus motif of the transom grill directly above the porch rail is just plain beautiful.
Posts and balusters still there!Astute Shorpy followers will notice that the fragment of column on the far left is the same column as the one seen in a different view posted in June 2008:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/3793
The location was identified in a comment as being on the corner of Madison and Lockhart. Here's the same view from the same location today:
https://goo.gl/maps/J1xaf8nmE5AJNUQ87
Posts and balusters are still present at this location. The lack of spindlework causes it to lose some of its old charm, in my opinion.
Ticket TimeParking left wheels to curb brings a parking ticket nearly everywhere. Well, except in England, of course.
Depth of FieldI had the same reaction that ManyBuicks did. I shoot with several twin lens reflex cameras from the 1930s, so I experimented a bit. I fastened a piece of frosted mylar at the film plane of my 1937 Ikoflex (identical to one used by Jack Delano) and sighted across the facade of my row of townhouses. At f/8 the depth of field was barely adequate, and not nearly as good as in Vachon’s rain shot. Considering that the original photo was probably shot at about 1/50 second (common on cameras of that era) to almost stop the walker, and the day was quite dark, I think that would have required film with an unrealistically high ASA speed, especially for those years.
Then I found the original scan at the Library of Congress. The film was medium format, alright, but it was sheet film. (The notch codes are visible.) That means that Vachon could have used a 2x3 Speed Graphic camera. They don’t have a front swing movement for the lens, but by dropping the bed and holding the camera sidewise, you can achieve the same result.
However he did it, John Vachon knew what he was doing.
[The film size is 4¼ x 3¼ inches. --Dave]
Singing In The RainJust, singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling.
Thanks to the keen eye of davidk I am also mesmerized by the abacus motif.
A distinction without a differenceSagebrushCity might have missed the format size of the camera, but everything else he posited Vachon doing could have been done just as well with a 4¼ x 3¼ Graphic, which also existed at the time (I used to have one).
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8c19404a.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh Posts: 1941")
- PGH: 1905
- 1905. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Mount Washington." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... bridge you can see a sign for "Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad" I think that may be the old B&O station. On the right ... unusual to have such a vent arrangement like that. Did Pittsburgh have a central steam plant that delivered steam to buildings ... Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:15pm -
![1905. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Mount Washington." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Mon Incline, Smithfield St Bridge, P&LE to either sideWe're probably on the Monongahela Incline, looking at the Smithfield St Bridge with the P&LE Station to the immediate left. Some of the buildings on the far river bank, to the left of the bridge, are still standing, and we've seen them in other Shorpy photos. On the right of the bridge you can see a sign for "Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad" I think that may be the old B&O station. On the right on the near bank, those are 'team tracks' for the P&LE, where local freight would be loaded onto wagons by teamsters (hence the name 'team track'). There's a flat car with what looks like marble or granite spotted by the stiff leg derrick on the far right, and closer to the river there's a wagon being loaded from what I'm pretty sure is a 'beer car', an insulated car like a reefer that does not have ice hatches. The barrels in the wagon would reinforce that view :-) To the left of that car, note the C&O car on the adjoining track with a noticeable dip. That car needs to have its truss rods tightened.
Fill 'er Up!Looks like water being pumped into the open-top structure in the rail yard. I guess it got some natural fill from Mother Nature whenever it rained.
Hellwith its hat off.
PGH 2011Here is a very recent night view from a different location on Mount Washington.
This one is for Train Lovers.The four-lane road to the left, crossing the Monongahela River, is Smithfield Street. The lovely masonry arches are still there by Google Earth Streetview (the lower tier anyway). Also still there is the 12 story building on the far side of the river, to the right of Smithfield.
It looks like there were two railway passenger stations, one on either side of the river. The building in the lower left, with the two-level roadway access is still there too. The sign out front calls it "The Landmark Building" with address "One Station Square". The station across the river is gone, as are the tracks on that side. There are still two tracks parallel the river on the near side which probably belong to the CSX Railway (At least there are current pictures of CSX trains on these tracks.) CSX predecessor roads include Chesapeake & Ohio and Baltimore & Ohio, so perhaps the still-extant station building belonged to one of those.
I really get a kick out of pictures of old towns, and old railway infrastructure. There seems to be many more pictures of locomotives, some trains, but few views of yards, stations, etc.
Asthmatics BewareClicking on the "view full size" button might cause you to need your inhaler!
Also still standing.. The courthouse!Also still standing is the magnificent Allegheny County Courthouse, designed in 1883 by Henry Hobson Richardson, built between 1884-1888. It's the humungous stone building near the top of the image, just to the right of the center. I've never seen it standing so proud; the march of progress has surrounded it with taller buildings that make its presence less profound.
I'm sure there's significance to the fact that it has no smokestack billowing puffy steam/smoke. Off-site heating? Government holiday? Thermal inertia?
StunningSo many landmarks to pick out. This is one I'll come back to over and over. I can almost see my office building from there, but it's just a tad too far away.
ContrastThe railway cars and those tracks look like a very elaborate train set and across the river, the smog and smoke in the air serves to hide most of the visible city. Based on the plumes of smoke the wind during the shot seems to have been from this side of the river. Maybe the photographer waited for just the right moment.
Steam.Quite a few buildings have a plume of white steam coming from a funnel-shaped exhaust, often located on the chimney stack, where the coal-fired smoke would exit. Is this an early form of pollution control? If it is, the air quality is still pretty grim. Or maybe it would have been even worse without the steam treatment. Since steam heat was common at this time the vents could just be excess steam escaping from the heating system. But it seems unusual to have such a vent arrangement like that. Did Pittsburgh have a central steam plant that delivered steam to buildings downtown? That might be the answer.
[What is the coal heating? Boilers. Which are the source of the vapor. - Dave]
Pittsburgh TodayIt's such a clean, beautiful city. What a change.
Los Angeles, 2019 A.D.Heads down when those flying police cars buzz just overhead.
Ahead of its timeIn the foreground and to the right of the flatcar load of stone is a rarity for 1905. The P&LE coal car is steel, rather than wood. Steel cars of any type were just starting to appear on the nation's railroads at this time.
The extra deep bottom side sill on that car was totally unnecessary, however the earliest steel cars were built that way because some railroads initially didn't trust the steel and so overbuilt.
The small freight yard in the foreground is an excellent example of a "team track." Customers were notified by the railroad their load had arrived (or empty car spotted for loading) and the customer would send a crew with wagon down to work the car, as seen being done here.
Team tracks allowed businesses without their own rail siding to use a railroad's service, and allowed firms with limited capacity rail sidings or desire to use other carriers to move their freight.
Most towns, even small ones, had at least a team track. Big cities had a number of team yards like this one.
Pittsburgh Steam ExplainedThe boilers placed in these buildings usually served a variety of applications at once. Each application may have required different steam pressures and/or temperatures. So a boiler would be configured to generate steam for the biggest load. To serve a smaller thermal demand, steam would be branched off the main distribution line and the throughput would be “stepped down” by simply venting the excess steam, which is what you see here. Thermally wasteful? Sure. But fuel was cheap then.
[On a more basic level: The large buildings here would have used boilers (mostly coal-fired) for steam heat and hot water. Hence the many vapor clouds in skyline photos from the era. - Dave]
Sentimental JourneyThe night before Amtrak took over rail passenger service I took the last westbound B&O Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh, repeating a trip I'd taken more than a dozen times as a kid. As they had for decades, the B&O used this station which the P&LE kept in immaculate condition. I remember walking up the grand staircase with the shining brass handrails, and out that door to the bridge. It looked the same, with streetcars still running on the right side. There was even a steamboat -- a dinner boat -- tied up where the two are in this photo. As I walked over the bridge to get a better look, they cast off and chugged up the river. I truly felt I'd stepped into a time warp.
PGH railroad cars Once again the old axiom is true: Every old railroad train picture has to have at least one Northern Pacific freight car in it!
Wagon GaugeThe wagons traveling across the bridge are yet another rarely seen example of wagons having the same wheel gauge or width as railroads, or in this case, streetcars, 56½ inches or Standard Gauge. In close quarters like these, one set of wheels would eventually fall into the inside wheel flange groove while the other set of wheels rode just outside the rail. Certainly easy enough to pull to the side to get out, but usually one just "rode the rail". In cobble stone streets wagons commonly "rode the rails" as it was a smoother ride, while not literally on the rails, but just to one side. This width or gauge began with the Roman chariots fitting behind two horses and became standard down through the years. The beginning of railroads used horse drawn wagons or carts on wooden plank with the same gauge as the wagons previously. Early automobiles such as the model T also used the same width to run in the wagon ruts made before it. The wheel width is still in use as standard gauge.
Sharpies!The radius curves there in the lower right in the yard are pretty tight. A few even has guard rails to aid the cars and locos around them. I wonder why kind of engine serviced this facility? 0-6-0? Probably nothing with a pilot wheel set unless they were very nimble.
Green spaceA neatly manicured green space can be seen by the heating plant on the right side of the bridge; flower beds included. No doubt that was mowed with a "push" mower powered by muscle. Look at the golf green pattern; nice job. This was a common site on railway properties large and small. These were probably sacrificed due to cost cutting: pity.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a06910a.thumbnail.jpg "PGH: 1905")
- Pittsburgh P.O.: 1904
- Pittsburgh circa 1904. "Post Office, Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street." 8x10 ... [Look over to the right. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh) ... Posted by Dave - 07/09/2018 - 1:40pm -
![Pittsburgh circa 1904. "Post Office, Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
Eclectic, to say the leastA classic rendering in the Mishmash Revival style, but still an impressive show of craftsmanship.
Get the 'h' out of the 'burgIn 1904, that would have been "Pittsburg."
Looking for --It seems as if those old government buildings from this era always had some kind of cupola or tower over the basic structure. I assume it was to watch for Indian attacks.
Winged CreatureThere is one nifty winged gargoyle halfway up the corner of the building on the left. First that I've noticed in the many Shorpy Buildings.
No expense spared"Architects found that the soil was too soft to support the original building plan, so the plans were altered and a request for more funds was put before the United States Congress. Materials were shipped in from all over the United States, including marble and slate from Vermont, Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as mahogany from Africa."
To design a structure as ornate and expensive as this, and then to go back and ask for *more* money, requires a certain level of chutzpah.
Pastiche of a P.O.Quite an amalgam of styles piled up together. Built in the 1880s and demolished in 1966.
Planning some plumbingI see two large gate valves and other hardware but no excavation.
[Look over to the right. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a11821a1.thumbnail.jpg "Pittsburgh P.O.: 1904")
- The Automobilist: 1910
- ... page (a German surname later anglicized to Mesta) suggests Pittsburgh, PA as a possible locale for the period of the photo.
Wealth ... Posted by Dave - 09/11/2023 - 3:03pm -
![Detroit circa 1910. "Automobile on town street." More specifically, Jefferson Avenue at East Grand Boulevard. The building at right is Moesta's Tavern at 1407 Jefferson (also seen here). 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Ellie IncognitoI think this is Elinor Blevins in disguise. How many paople would own a pair of gloves like that?
Eat my dust...I've got a horseless carriage and you guys DON'T!
A pair of gloves like that?Put me down as one owner; got them about 35 years ago, kept the leather (hand) part nearly soaked in mink oil. The long fur sleeves are wonderful, used them today with the temps in the teens. Snowmobile used to call them "snot-wipers," the furry part being perfectly located for that work.
WindowsWhat are the words in the window of the building to the far right?
[Too blurry to tell. - Dave]
WHAT is the world coming to?Danged hot-rodders!
Seriously, can anyone make out the model of the car?
This looks to have been in an upper-class neighborhood. Look at the size of the houses and how clean everything was. Also, no packs of "feral children" are running wild in the streets!
Moesta's Store?The illegible shopfront sign got me curious, so I rummaged around in the LOC's Detroit Publishing Co. images that included automobiles. There are two more views of this street scene in the collection, taken at slightly different times, but each with a passing car. The LOC cataloger devised the titles from scrutiny of the original 5x7 glass negatives, listing one as "Street with automobile and Moesta's store," (LC-D418-31165) and the other as "Street with Moesta's store and Fuller Savings Bank" (LC-D418-31166). I'm not sure that the reading of "Store" is quite right, since the S-word looks longer than that in the image posted here, but the "Moesta" seems correct. There don't seem to be any other online references to these businesses, but a Moesta family genealogy page (a German surname later anglicized to Mesta) suggests Pittsburgh, PA as a possible locale for the period of the photo.
Wealth creationThe home on the left is a great house. Even when wages were only a dollar a day, there have been people that could do things that would make them rich. I think that is wonderful.
You big dummy...The driver of that car sure looks a lot like Fred G. Sanford to me...the G is for gasoline.
Early BuickMy guess on the make of automobile is A Buick Model 10 (produced from 1908 - 1911). This appears to be a runabout version without the back seat. Very sporty, no matter what.
DetroitJefferson Avenue and East Grand Boulevard. Shown below circa 1936.
Pungs-Finch?The auto looks like it might be a 1906 - 1908 Pungs-Finch (P-F) car made in Detroit, Michigan from 1904 - 1910. What first led me to this conclusion was the script lettering on the radiator - which although blurred seems to be two words. The script is certainly is not the word "Buick," but there are many similarities between the two marques.
Other identifying features in common with a P-F are the radiator shape and single strap running across the hood; tie bar below the front chassis; front axle almost directly below the radiator; rounded cowl shape and lights only on the cowl as seen in all early P-F advertising; fender line; tank or muffler below the left side chassis; and the curved body line from the top of the cowl to the front of the seat.
I am not 100% sure it is a P-F because I have not found any other photos with this exact script on the radiator or the horizontal lines running across the radiator. Everything else seems to match perfectly.
The Pungs-Fitch was made by a father and his son-in-law (W.A. Pungs and E.B. Finch). Pungs supplied the money and Finch supplied the engineering ability. They bought out the Sintz Gas Engine Company and claimed Sintz' history as their own. It is estimated that only a few hundred cars were made during their seven years in production and only two cars appear to survive.
The cars shown below are from the January 1, 1909 Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal. The fenders have been modernized, but otherwise looks nearly identical to the earlier models. Note that the Runabout and Touring Models used different hoods.
Moesta's Saloon in DetroitI found the following information online, but there was no date attached to the newspaper article nor the newspaper name.
"Detroit's most famous east side saloon, on Jefferson avenue at East Grand Boulevard since 1875, is being torn down. Formerly the headquarters of Detroit River yachtsmen, it was operated by Henry Moesta until prohibition drove him from business. His father, Henry Moesta the first, founded the tavern." Henry (the first) ran the business for about 17 years, and Henry (the second) continued on for another 23 years - roughly 1879 - 1919.
"I would have grown rich, like so many others," said Henry Moesta the second. "I preferred to obey the law like my father before me and keep always the memory of the honest place he constructed."
"The Moesta place was taken over by Harry Gordon when prohibition arrived."
"Henry Moesta's brother, Charles was also a famous tavern-keeper until prohibition arrived, when he too abandoned the business."
The story also states, "Now they are tearing the tavern down to make way for a bridge boulevard and the marine atmosphere that attached the vicinity of Jefferson avenue and East Grand Boulevard with the fresh flavor of the inland seas will never be the same again."
The street address was 1407 Jefferson Avenue which was directly across the street from the Detroit River. In the Detroit phone directory the business was described as a "Restaurant and Cafe, Imported and Domestic Wines, Liquors, and Cigars."
The photos below show the sign in front of Moesta's Saloon and a photo of part of the newspaper article showing Henry Moesta (the second) and his brother Charles Moesta along with two views of the business.
Note: This main portion of the article was very out of focus and I tried to copy everything correctly, but some words may not be correct in my quotes because reading portions of the text was so difficult.
Amazingly, there is actually a photo of the inside of the Moesta Saloon here.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a18077a.thumbnail.jpg "The Automobilist: 1910")
- Taking the Fifth: 1904
- ... the topographic conditions at this corner of downtown Pittsburgh before the removal of the Grant Street "Hump" in 1912. Today the ... Is that progress?
Today
Pittsburg or Pittsburgh? This is the second time in a few days I notice Pittsburgh ... Posted by Dave - 05/10/2018 - 11:33pm -
![Circa 1904. "Fifth Avenue at Grant Street, South Pittsburg, Pa." The Frick Building at left. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
Looking down the HumpThis photograph shows the topographic conditions at this corner of downtown Pittsburgh before the removal of the Grant Street "Hump" in 1912. Today the street grade is one full story (about 16 feet) lower than what is shown here. The basement story of the Frick Building, formerly completely underground, is now exposed, and so is the basement of H. H. Richardson's mighty Allegheny County Courthouse, just out of the picture to the left. The removal of the hump must have improved traffic circulation, but it had very unfortunate effects on the architecture of these two buildings, whose proportions are now thrown out of whack. Is that progress?
Today
Pittsburg or Pittsburgh?This is the second time in a few days I notice Pittsburgh being spelled as "Pittsburg". Was (or is?) this a common way of spelling, or is it an often made mistake?
[What the H? -tterrace]
+118Below is the same view from September of 2022.
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Streetcars)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a11819a.thumbnail.jpg "Taking the Fifth: 1904")
- Pittsburgh Poors: 1941
- January 1941. "In a slum area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for ... View full size.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Pittsburgh) ... Posted by Dave - 11/05/2019 - 1:04pm -
- Come On Down: 1905
- Pittsburgh circa 1905. "Monongahela Incline up Mount Washington." A funicular ... of two remaining of the 17 original passenger inclines in Pittsburgh.
View Larger Map
White River Flour It makes ... We rode it this summer You get a beautiful view of the Pittsburgh valley from the top. Must have been a hellish city to live in when ... Posted by Dave - 03/03/2014 - 1:34pm -
![Pittsburgh circa 1905. "Monongahela Incline up Mount Washington." A funicular railway that ran until 1935. The freight incline is on the left. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Short SkirtsI notice in a lot of these circa 1900 images that some women, contrary to stereotype, are wearing skirts that only come down to mid-calf. And it doesn't look like all of them are still girls, either: note the two women immediately behind the right-foreground group of girls here. Does anyone know what determined 'acceptable' skirt length back then?
Truly a contraption,but just what is so interesting that you have go to the top?
[Your neighborhood and house. - Dave]
The passanger incline still runs.Freight one no longer runs, maybe that's the 1935 date. The passenger is one of two remaining of the 17 original passenger inclines in Pittsburgh.
View Larger Map
White River FlourIt makes whiter and lighter bread.
We rode it this summerYou get a beautiful view of the Pittsburgh valley from the top. Must have been a hellish city to live in when the steel mills were going full-tilt.
It's good to knowthat they finished the house at the top of the bluff that is under construction in '05.
Pittsburgh Steel MillsI understand Thelightisgreen's sentiment regarding the air quality as it once used to be in this steel town. However the locals back then had a different perspective. My wife grew up there in the 50s and 60s, and almost every morning her mother would go out and sweep the "black sugar" off the porch stoop. One day my wife, who was only a child of 10 or so, asked her mother why they had to live in such a filthy place and how she wished the stoop would be clean all the time. Her mother immediately chastised her for her wish saying, "Don't complain. It means the mills are up and running, and your Dad and uncles are working."
Work Car?Behind the two fashionably dressed ladies one can see an electric powered streetcar that would have had a number of possible uses. This type of car is often classified as a work car, as opposed to a passenger car. It could have been in Post Office service, as some cities had this type of car. Another use would be a payroll car, used to collect cash from car barns, etc. It might have been used to move freight, parts between depots, etc. Any suggestions from Pittsburgh traction fans?
+111Below is the same view from July 2016.
(The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads, Streetcars)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a12735a.thumbnail.jpg "Come On Down: 1905")
- Potty Mouth: 1941
- ... saw it.
[Also note the newspaper/TP. - Dave]
Pittsburgh toilet "A Pittsburgh toilet, often called a 'Pittsburgh potty', is a common fixture in ... Posted by Dave - 12/22/2018 - 11:06am -
![January 1941. "This is the only toilet in a two-family house in New Brighton, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size.
No trapDid it flush into the sewer or a cesspool?
A familiar sightWe live in a 1925 house in NJ that has one of those toilets in the basement -- luckily, not the only toilet in the house. Sometimes, it comes in handy.
I almost missed the enema bagOh sweet Jesus, to make matters worse the enema bag hanging behind the top step surely would have brought nightmares to any kids in that house. It made me clench when saw it.
[Also note the newspaper/TP. - Dave]
Pittsburgh toilet"A Pittsburgh toilet, often called a 'Pittsburgh potty', is a common fixture in pre-World War II houses built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It consists of an ordinary flush toilet installed in the basement, with no surrounding walls" -- Wikipedia
Paging Thomas CrapperThat toilet is ancient even for 1940. The conical hopper bowls went out in the 1890s, I think. It also appears that the freshwater supply burbles up through the tank, which would be a potential cross-connection, a major health hazard.
MemoriesThis reminds me of growing up in the Bronx in the '40s. Your parents didn't say "flush the toilet", they said "pull the chain".
Pennsylvania WintersPrimitive as this seems today, it was a better option than our coal-patch outdoor privy!
Realtor's nightmareI'm surprised that any of these survive, but Esandrof says that they do.
What would a realtor would say when showing a home with a Pittsburgh Potty? Is it possible to put a positive spin on this feature?
MAGAYep, let's take America back to the 1940s.
If basements weren't scary enoughAn architect explains that they were a sort of relief valve for early sewers.
A beautiful composition Rather an untoward photographic subject for the era, but I like to imagine Jack Delano being shown around this house and not being able to resist the way the light illuminated this scene.
[The light, as in most of Jack Delano's interiors shots, was supplied by Jack Delano. - Dave]
(We have a toilet in the basement in our Victorian-era house in Boston - while whatever was there originally has been replaced with a contemporary model, I imagine it served the same purpose as the Pittsburgh potty.)
How does it flush?It may seem hard to believe that such an ancient piece of plumbing could have an automatic flush valve, but there appears to be one attached to the rear of the seat. I went to a Vancouver, Canada, high school that was built in 1905. It was three storeys high, and the only men's washroom was in the basement. When I attended this school in 1966, it still had the original toilets. The wood seat, the same as you see in the photo, was always raised slightly. When you sat down, it armed the flush mechanism. When you stood up, the flush valve opened and the water flowed. My Vancouver neighbourhood has a few of these basement toilets.
Flushed with pride?I boarded in a house with a Pgh. toilet. It got the most use when another boarder used the sole bathroom from thirty minutes to over an hour at a time, and in spite of other residents' pounding on the door and calling for him to give others a chance.
Someone once asked him what on earth he did in there, and he said, "I was *reading,*" as if that were not only obvious but logical. I remember how someone would yell, "I'm going downstairs!" when headed for the creepy Pgh. toilet, letting everyone else know privacy was needed.
In reply to Mattie's question, I believe the one where I boarded flushed into a sewer. Someone told me that the basement flooded a year or two before I lived there. She said the flood came from the sewer; clean-up was most unpleasant.
Unique, water-waster designI haven't seen a toilet like this since I went to camp as a kid. If you look closely, there isn't a 'trap'; the water/waste goes straight down! See how the seat is slightly 'up'? That is because when you sit on it, that opens the water valve to the bowl, and it continues flushing for as long as you are seated! This freaked me out when I was a kid, and to this day, I hate it when an automatic flush toilet goes off while I'm sitting on it!
(The Gallery, Jack Delano)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8c04428a.thumbnail.jpg "Potty Mouth: 1941")
- Dymaxion House: 1941
- ... shot or arrested as a terrorist!
Homegrown Fuller in Pittsburgh Available if anybody is interested!
... Posted by Dave - 03/28/2014 - 3:06pm -
![May 1941. "Diamaxion [Dymaxion] house, metal, adapted corn bin, built by Butler Brothers, Kansas City. Designed and promoted by R. Buckminster Fuller." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
Deafening in a hailstormAnd I thought Fuller's geodesic dome designs were peculiar!
HybridFuller was the first to demonstrate what happens when you cross a corn bin with a traffic signal.
Museum pieceOn display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is "the only surviving prototype of Fuller's dream home."
Easy to imagine one is walking through a spaceship when touring the Dymaxion house!
DymaxiaThere are two in New Jersey, visible from the public road in the winter, can't be seen in Google Street View (summertime, overgrown), but the 1979 aerial on HistoricAerials.com is good. Coords are 40.269486, -74.083348. This particular aerial view is of Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, in Monmouth County, built starting in 1941. I am certain that these buildings were erected there in 41/42. I wonder, could these possibly have been the actual first two that the Navy purchased? They were used as shelters for radio communication and testing purposes during WWII. They are now abandoned, and have not been in use for at least 20 years.
I will try to get a photo from outside the fence, and hope I don't get shot or arrested as a terrorist!
Homegrown Fuller in PittsburghAvailable if anybody is interested!
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10016/1028372-30.stm
Good Old BuckyHe sure had a great sense of humor, didn't he?
Its Fuller, but not DymaxionAs an amateur student of Fuller, this is his design for an easily produced house for the masses, but it isn't the Dymaxion. This is a term often applied to many of Fuller designs, but would be inappropriate for this particular house. The Dymaxion concept was one that was "stressed" for rigidity, and did not rely on gravity to hold it together. The Dymaxion house was characterized by a central pillar with cables radiating from the top to the ground that were pulled tight and stressed so that floors and walls could be attached to them. The load bearing elements of the structure were not the walls, floors and ceilings but the stressed cabling.
[You would seem to be rather mistaken (see above). Also, you've started off with a bad case of dangling modifier. - Dave]
While I might not be a scholar on the subject, I think my description is correct. Dymaxion is a combination of the terms "DYnamic - MAXimum - tensION" per the Fuller Institute, which would indicate a stressed structure.
["Dymaxion" is the coinage of PR men. Whatever definition the Fuller Institute came up with would seem to be a back-formation: "Its name means nothing you can put your finger on, Mr. Fuller says. He says the same men who invented the word 'radio' invented 'Dymaxion' to express his philosophy after talking with him for three days and deciding that he spoke mostly in four-syllable words." It was Fuller himself who applied the word Dymaxion to the structure in our photo. - Dave]
"Dymaxion Deployment Unit" at MOMAClick floor plan for details, or click here.
FacilitiesI don't see a bathroom in the cutaway plans. Anyone know where those were located?
[Left side of the drawing. Note toilet seat. - Dave]
Butler bins.I worked at the old Butler grain bin plant in Kansas City for a few months when I was just out of high school. Butler's grain bin division was bought out by Brock Grain Systems in 1997 and the plant is still operating under the new name.
The manufacturing operations that go into these things (grain bins or grain bin homes) are pretty simple. Shear, roll, punch, stack and next piece. The corrugations are added as the side pieces are rolled into arcs. Always two people working together because of the size of the pieces.
I can imagine rain on the bin/home's tin roof would quickly drive you to use earplugs. A hail storm would quickly drive you mad.
They're everywhereWe've got these things all over Monmouth County, NJ. The one below is in Wall Township on the former site of Camp Evans.
There's also one on a sports field I drive past everyday. I suspect that they store groundkeeping materials in it.
A third one is on top of the Army's Communications & Electronics Lab on Fort Monmouth. It can be seen from the Garden State Parkway.
I'm sure I've seen plenty of others around here but I usually don't pay them any attention.
Lustron HousesFrom roughly the same era, Lustron Homes were also designed as affordable, metal construction, prefabricated, low maintenance housing. While plentiful compared to the Dymaxion with about 2,500 examples built, they're still quirky though much more conventional in design.
A handful still exist, many in the Midwest, and there are two examples within a couple miles of me. They're a treat for the eye and built sturdily, often not requiring any painting or roofing replacement even after 50 or 60 years.
http://www.lustronpreservation.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house
Fuller DDUs in NJThere are DDUs at Camp Evans in Wall Township NJ. See
http://www.infoage.org/html/ddu.html
They have been primed and repainted since we posted the photos. They were transferred by the Army in March 2009 to our care and stewardship.
And here in San DiegoEven this would sell for half a million. Unfurnished. Without corn cobs.
Check out the Henry Ford MuseumA more elaborate version of the home has been restored and is on view inside the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Chez FarkFarked again!
(Technology, The Gallery, Farked, M.P. Wolcott)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8c14945u.thumbnail.jpg "Dymaxion House: 1941")
- Pittsburgh Hill District diner
- ... ran diners. My guess is that this family owned a diner in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District (featured in August Wilson's plays). Note ... Posted by eliz.avery - 04/27/2012 - 10:12pm -
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