Most of us know Pittsburgh from many angles – the view we take all visitors to - Mount Washington’s overlooks, or the view driving in from the airport across the Fort Pitt Bridge, and the view as we walk outside PPG Place and gaze at the shops across Market Square. But Pittsburgh offers many amazing landmark views from the air as well.
1. A Shining Beacon of Light
Anytime you fly over Pittsburgh by plane at night it is hard not to be drawn to a red blinking light atop one of Pittsburgh’s skyscrapers – the Grant Bulding. But did you know that this neon tower on the roof flashes out “P-I-T-T-S-B-U-R-G-H” in Morse code and can be seen for 150 miles on a clear night. This light was truly a “beacon” to early aviation pioneers as a landmark in navigation.2. Weather Prognostication
Another Pittsburgh landmark, the Gulf Building downtown (the one with the stepped pyramid cap) has a beacon on the top that forecasts Pittsburgh’s weather. Redish/Orange indicates fair weather, blue indicates rain is on the way. Interestingly enough, these were Gulf Oil companies’ colors!3. A Ship in Oakland
When Andrew Carnegie founded "Carnegie Tech" (now Carnegie Mellon University), he and architect Henry Hornbostel laid out the campus in the shape of a ship with Hamerschlag Hall, the most notable building on campus, as the ship’s prow. Of interest, the bow ornament of the USS Pennsylvania, an armored cruiser launched in the early 1900’s, graced the front of Hamerschlag Hall as the "bow" of the university for many years. A replica of the bow ornament remains with the original now at Soldiers and Sailors Hall.4. How do You Clean a Building?
One very notable sight flying into Pittsburgh from the East is a tall gothic skyscraper just east of Pittsburgh in the suburbs of Oakland – the Cathedral of Learning. This 42 story limestone landmark of the Univeristy of Pittsburgh until just a few years ago, was a dark sooty black, tarnished by decades of Pittsburgh’s steel mills and industrial plants spewing smoke into the sky. A $4.8M initiative to clean the building happened in 2007 and this lady now stands proud and clean, inviting a new crop of students into her halls of knowledge.As you approach Pittsburgh by air from the north east, it's hard to miss what looks like a giant sail on the city-side shore of the Allegheny River. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, whose design was inspired by the great bridges of Pittsburgh, is one of the largest "green" buildings in the US. It received a Gold LEED Certification from the US Green Building Council in 2003. The shape of the roof is both aesthetic, but also functional as it helps channel air throughout the building.
As you fly over downtown, you will no doubt notice Mt. Washington which graces the south shore of the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. There are two sets of what looks to be railroad tracks going up the side of the mountain. These "Inclines" were once the primary mode of transportation for residents living on Mt. Washington (then called "Coal Hill") to get into the city to work the plants and mills along the rivers. At one point, there were over 15 inclines along various parts of Mt. Washington carrying passengers, freight, automobiles up and down the mountain.
