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Riverview Park and Allegheny Observatory Walking Tour
June 15, 2017 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Thursday, June 15, 2017
5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.
Advance paid reservations required by Monday, June 12, 2017: marylu@phlf.org; 412-471-5808, ext. 527
PHLF members: $15.00 per person
Non-members: $40.00 per person (includes one-year complimentary membership in PHLF)
The walking tour is limited to 25 people.
Wear your hiking boots and bring your walking stick since we will be traversing the hilly terrain and trails. Dress for the weather.
Parking Suggestions: On-street parking is available on Riverview Avenue and also along Riverview Drive in the park.
Meeting location: Riverview Park Visitor Center, 159 Riverview Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214. (Please arrive by 5:15 P.M. if you want to use the restroom before the walking tour. The tour will begin promptly at 5:30 P.M.)
Ending location: Allegheny Observatory, Riverview Park (same address as above).
Join Louise Sturgess, PHLF’s executive director, and Park Ranger Nancy Schaefer for an evening walk in Riverview Park that will begin in the newly re-opened visitor center. We will view several historic sites, including the Wissahickon Nature Center, Watson’s Cabin, and the restored Chapel Shelter. Enjoy the natural beauty of early summer as we learn about the plants and animals in this 267-acre woody retreat. Riverview Park, located near the highest point in the city, offers amazing views— but be prepared for rocky trails and steep climbs.
The last half hour of the PHLF tour (from 7:25 to 7:55 P.M.) will focus on the Allegheny Observatory, designed in 1900 by Thorsten E. Billquist, architect, with John Alfred Brashear and James E. Keeler as consultants, and owned by the University of Pittsburgh. Jimmy DeCecco from Pfaffmann + Associates will describe the comprehensive preservation plan for the National-Register-listed Allegheny Observatory and the work accomplished to date: the main entrance portico has been rehabilitated; the colonnade of the Fitz-Clark telescope dome has been reconstructed; and the entablature around the Fitz-Clark dome has been restored. Subsequent construction phases will address remaining terra cotta restoration; treatment of embedded steel; integral flashing systems; cleaning and repairing of brick walls and sandstone foundations; and the rehabilitation of windows, doors, and skylights.
Participants are invited to stay for a free, optional tour of the Allegheny Observatory, from 8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M., including a look through one of the telescopes, weather permitting. Please let Mary Lu Denny know if you want to attend this free, optional tour when you make your reservation for the PHLF portion of the event (from 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.)