PHLF’s Winter Interns “Look Up” to See Their City

Over the years, PHLF has been fortunate to have many volunteer interns. This winter, we welcomed two more: Margaux Wilson, from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, who finished her internship in January; and Karlena Calabro, also from IUP, who will be helping out at PHLF until early spring.

Over my winter break I decided to apply for a volunteer internship at Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Among the many activities I helped out with during my internship, I participated in a staff walking tour of Downtown Pittsburgh in late December. During this tour, I realized that by not “looking up” I was missing out on the beauty of Pittsburgh. When I looked up at the different buildings, I finally got to see the amazing details of places I thought I was familiar with! For example, in Market Square, I never realized how intricate and decorative the human-scale buildings are, even though I have been in Market Square before. Along Fourth Avenue’s Historic District, I never stopped to look up before; if I had, I would have seen the small details that make the buildings feel so impressive!

 At first, I was nervous that I would not find anything interesting during my walk, but I was wrong. This tour allowed me to see a different side of my city and explore it from a new perspective. Now when I walk around Pittsburgh––or any other city––I start looking up at the buildings and admiring the architecture.

­           –Margaux Wilson, IUP, majoring in Art history (minoring in Asian Studies).

Interning with PHLF has been an insightful and exciting experience. I was given the chance to examine artifacts from Pittsburgh’s past and help set up educational tours/programs for Pittsburgh students. I have worked in archival studies and even examined hand written letters from 1863!

 At PHLF, the history of Pittsburgh comes alive and is totally accessible. It makes me feel more in touch and knowledgeable about the city and people around me. I am very happy with my internship so far.

– Karlena Calabro, IUP, majoring in Anthropology (concentrating in archaeology).

Below is a gallery of photographs taken by our winter intern Margaux Wilson during her walking tour of Downtown Pittsburgh.