Culture of Pittsburgh
The culture of Pittsburgh stems from the city's long history as a center for cultural philanthropy, as well as its rich ethnic traditions. In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry J. Heinz, Henry Clay Frick, and nonprofit organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation donated millions of dollars to create educational and cultural institutions.
Architecture
The
Conventions
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, located on the south bank of the Allegheny River, is able to accommodate all sizes of conventions, exhibitions and conferences. Certified with a Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design initiative, the building is considered the first ever "green" convention center and world's largest "green" building.
Film
The region has hosted over 1,000 film and television works since the first production was filmed in the city in 1898. Since 1990 the Pittsburgh Film Office has marketed the greater southwestern Pennsylvania region as a great location for movie, television and commercial productions. The PFO has assisted more than 102 feature films and television productions to southwestern Pennsylvania to generate an economic impact of more than $575 million for the region.[2]
Theatre
The
August Wilson, one of the best known playwrights of his generation, was a Pittsburgh native. The majority of his plays are set in the city as well including the two he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for (Fences (play) and The Piano Lesson).
Friday Nite Improvs, an improv show at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, is Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show. It has produced a number of professional writers and actors.
Since 1991, the Gene Kelly Awards have honored students in drama in the region, giving a platform to some who have gone on to both theater and film careers.
Cuisine
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Traditional Pittsburgh foods reflect the city's multicultural heritage, especially that of the European immigrants of the early 20th century. While these immigrant populations introduced dishes such as pierogis to the city, they are now enjoyed by Pittsburghers in general. Other Pittsburgh food specialties were developed in the city. In general, these dishes are still popular because for many years, they satisfied the hearty appetite of the archetypal Pittsburgher: the hard-working,
- Cabbage rolls–(aka Halupki)– Beef, pork, rice, green pepper, wrapped in cabbage and baked with sauerkraut and tomato soup or juice.
- Chipped Ham – (aka Chipped Chopped Ham) thinly-sliced processed ham, from Isaly'ssince 1933.
- City Chicken– cubes of pork and/or veal baked or fried on a wooden skewer.
- Clark Bar – chocolate candy bar; developed in the city in 1917.
- Essie's Original Hot Dog shop- an Oakland staple since 1960.
- Halušky – noodles with fried cabbage (Polish), or cottage cheese (Slovak).
- boilermaker; with a shot of Imperial, an imp-n-arn.
- Italian sausage – with grilled peppers and onions.
- Kielbasa – eastern European sausages.
- Pepperoni roll - an Italian American snack made of soft white bread with pepperoni and cheese in the middle. Various shops in the Strip District as well as Giant Eagle sell this snack in Pittsburgh.
- Pierogi – Polish dish, pasta dough filled with potato and cheese, onion or sauerkraut.
- in it.
- Sarris Candies - chocolates and ice cream originating in Canonsburg
- Teutonia Männerchor - Deutschtown (East Allegheny) German food.
- Wholey's – Founded in 1912 in Pittsburgh's market square and now located on Penn Ave; Wholey's serves a wide variety of seafood and a famous fish sandwich. The Wholey company has been the anchor and main attraction of the historic "strip District" for over 60 years.
Restaurants/nightlife
Pittsburgh is home to several night spots.
- 2014 best restaurants[permanent dead link]
- 2003 news feature
- 2003 news remembrance feature
- 1998 feature on seafood
- 1994 news feature and a chefs feature from 1994
- News feature on the "new" Hofbrau
- 1984-85 dining guide
- Listing of nightspots from 1978
- Listing of nightspots from 1950, May 1950 and July 1950.
- Listing of nightspots from 1949 and another.
- Listing of nightspots from 1937 and August 1937.
- Hofbrau feature from 1934
Gardens and parks
In addition to numerous large and small neighborhood parks, Pittsburgh has five large city parks covering hundreds of acres:
- Schenley Park in the Oakland and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods. This park contains Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
- Frick Park in the Squirrel Hill and Regent Square neighborhoods
- Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
- Northside, home to the historic Allegheny Observatory.
- Duquesne Heightsneighborhoods.
Several other parks and gardens are in Pittsburgh:
- The National Aviary
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Libraries
The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System.
Many local history materials are available on-line at Historic Pittsburgh, a collection that includes materials from the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System, the Library & Archives of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh History is an on-line service maintained by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Literature
With the leadership of native Samuel Hazo the city hosted a poetry forum.[3] Pittsburgh is also renown for its deep and enduring literary culture.[4]
Pittsburgh literary history goes back to the early 20th century, with dozens of prominent authors, the city for a time was considered more closely identified with literature than with steel.[5]
Music
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2008) |
The
The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. And the Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh hosts early music concerts of artists from across the country.
Jazz
Pittsburgh became an important gateway between the north, south, east and west of the U.S., playing a strong role in the development of
A number of influential musicians emerged from the city. Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, and Billy Strayhorn, who was Duke Ellington's primary musical collaborator for 28 years, came from the city's East End regions of Homewood and East Liberty. A number of musicians came from communities outside the city, including: Maxine Sullivan (Homestead), Sonny Clark (Herminie) and Earl "Fatha" Hines (Duquesne). Vocalist and bandleader Billy Eckstine was one of the first musicians to be paid a $1 million recording contract.[7]
Trumpeter Roy Eldridge, drummer Kenneth Spearman "Klook" Clarke, and influential bassist Ray Brown were born in the city; singer Lena Horne was raised in Pittsburgh. Bassist Paul Chambers, also born in Pittsburgh, played on two of the most important albums in jazz history: Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959) and John Coltrane's Giant Steps (1960).[7]
Other noted jazz musicians include: Eric Kloss, Dodo Marmarosa, Walt Harper, Tommy and Stanley Turrentine, Horace Parlan, pianist, Nathan Davis, guitarist George Benson, and drummers Art Blakey, Roger Humphries and Jeff "Tain" Watts. A young Lena Horne also spent her formative years learning jazz and blues in the city's Hill District.
Popular music
Pittsburgh's role in popular music began with native Stephen Foster and his enduring classics of the 1800s. So influential was Foster's works that he has been called the "Father of American music", has had five films made of his life, has heavily influenced such talents as Nellie Bly and Jackie Gleason and has had two of his songs chosen as state anthems (Kentucky and Florida) as well as the annual selections of Churchill Downs.
Pittsburgh is perhaps most associated for the plethora of
During the 1970s and 1980s rock era Pittsburgh had a major role in the success of both
Several notable bands emerged from Pittsburgh in the 1990s, including Rusted Root, The Clarks, Don Caballero, and the punk rock bands Anti-Flag and Aus-Rotten. Rusted Root and The Clarks appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. Formed in 1999, the garage rock group Modey Lemon toured the U.S. and internationally, gaining favorable reviews. Singer Christina Aguilera, a student at North Allegheny Intermediate High School, debuted locally at the 1999 Lilith Fair, before going on to sell over 43 million albums worldwide.[8]
In the 2000s, Anti-Flag produced five albums, signed to
Since 2010, solo acts such as natives
While it has historically been low-key, Pittsburgh's Hardcore/Metal scene has also gained international attention since the early 2010s, as witnessed by the critical success of the band Code Orange. Other extreme bands from Pittsburgh include Signs Of The Swarm and Those Who Fear.
Dance
Museums and art
Pittsburgh has several visual arts museums, including the
The town's history museum is the Heinz History Center with an annual attendance of 130,000.
The
The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, located on Pittsburgh's Northside, has a variety of interactive exhibits and programs for children and families including a multimedia art studio, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, water area and theater for performances.
Recreation
Close by the Phipp's Conservatory is the
Counter-culture
Pittsburgh has recently gained attention as a burgeoning center for counter-culture.[9] The annual Pennsic War, the Society for Creative Anachronism's largest re-enactment of pre-17th-century Europe, is hosted nearby. Anthrocon, one the world's largest furry conventions, returns every summer to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The Pittsburgh Cacophony Society is also very active,[10] and in 2008, the Pittsburgh Burning Man community launched a winter regional burn event called Frostburn.
See also
- Cultural District, Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Film Office
- Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
- Three Rivers Arts Festival
- Teutonia Männerchor
- Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta
- Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
- Pittsburgh Newspapers
- Media in Pittsburgh
- List of radio stations in Pittsburgh
- Sports in Pittsburgh
- Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Parking Chair
References
- ^ No Author Listed. "A History of Polish Hill and the PHCA". Retrieved 2006-12-22.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Pittsburgh Film Office - About Us". Archived from the original on 2011-06-21. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
- ^ Poetry forum to fall into silence | TribLIVE
- ^ Top 10 Reasons Why Pittsburgh is a Literary Star[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search
- ^ "Recurring Activities | Teutonia Männerchor". Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-05-17. "The Teutonia Männerchor is a private membership club with the purpose of furthering choral singing, German cultural traditions and good fellowship."
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-4980-4.
- ^ a b Mervis, Scott (December 27, 2009). "Pop Music: Radiohead tops a fractious music scene". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ^ I Heart Pgh (blog) article[permanent dead link]
- ^ Pittsburgh Cacophony Society blog Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.
External links
- Tim McNulty (2006-08-07). "Exhibit A: Local museums experience ups and downs attracting crowds". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Pittsburgh Cultural Guide[permanent dead link]
- The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Archived 2006-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Pittpunk
- Pittsburgh Music History Archived 2012-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
- Wall St. Journal feature
- Teutonia Männerchor
- Huffington Post feature
- Business Journal feature on the Lotus Club