Bus Tour: Churches and Art in Greensburg, PA

Saturday, September 16, 2017
Noon to 6:00 PM

Please arrive by 11:45 a.m. to board the bus. The bus will depart promptly at Noon.

Advance paid reservations required by Friday, September 8, 2017: marylu@phlf.org; 412-471-5808, ext. 527

PHLF members: $45.00 per person
Non-members: $70.00 per person (includes one-year complimentary membership in PHLF)
The bus tour is limited to 25 people.

Bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy on the bus ride to Greensburg. In Greensburg, we will be walking from place to place. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.

Meeting location: Commerce Court (4 E Station Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219). Board bus opposite the Station Square parking garage.

Ending location: (same address as above).

First Presbyterian Church, Greensburg, shown here and above.

Join David McMunn, an expert on architect John T. Comès and a resident of Greensburg, and Louise Sturgess of PHLF, on a tour to Greensburg, PA, about 30 miles east of Downtown Pittsburgh. The County seat of Westmoreland County, Greensburg is a regional center of art and architecture of national significance. Once in Greensburg, we will drive past Seton Hill University’s performing arts center, the landmark train station, and the courthouse. Participants will then disembark and visit four significant places:

• Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, designed by Comès, Perry & McMullen in 1928 and beautifully restored, with stained glass windows by Franz Mayer and others;
• First Presbyterian Church, designed by Cram & Ferguson in 1919, with windows by Charles Connick, Howard Gilman Wilbert, Nicola D’Ascenzo, and others;
• Westmorland YWCA, originally the home of Senator William F. Huff, with an exterior designed by Betram Goodhue and interior designed by Ralph Adams Cram; and
• Westmoreland Museum of American Art, with a special exhibition featuring the kinetic art of Alexander Calder, George Rickey, and Tim Prentice.

Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg

As David McMunn writes: “Both of these churches offer an exquisite glimpse into the life, design philosophy and body of work of two very well-respected ecclesiastical architects plying their craft in the first four decades of the 20th century. Ralph Adams Cram was giving the Protestant and academic world the same vision and artistry that John T. Comès was offering the Roman Catholic Church. As visionary architects changing the architecture in their respective genres, they were indeed good friends and spoke highly of each other’s work—even in print! These architects gathered around themselves the finest artisans and craftsmen in stained glass, woodcarving, stonecutting, and metal work in order to offer their parish and congregation the best that could be had. Their work is priceless today. The Charles Connick windows that have been recently restored at the First Presbyterian Church are worth the trip alone. The Frederick Mayer windows at the Cathedral beam with old-world charm and clarity. Both churches boast significant investments in time, talent, and treasure in the exterior and interior maintenance of these splendid houses of worship.”

A mini-concert at the First Presbyterian Church played on an exquisite Austin pipe organ will be an added highlight to our afternoon in Greensburg.

Details are still being confirmed and are subject to change, but there is much to see and learn in Greensburg, PA. Please join us!