Life’s Riches: Excerpts on the Pittsburgh Region and Historic Preservation from the Writings of Walter C. Kidney

Description

Walter C. Kidney

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, 2006

The excerpts that compose Life’s Riches come from ten books by Walter C. Kidney, an architectural historian of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation from the 1980s until December 2005. They were compiled for a reading of the late author’s works on January 24, 2006, at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ National Military Museum and Memorial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Walter C. Kidney was an architectural historian with a keen eye for the details and design nuances that make building-watching so enjoyable. He was also a writer of rare skill, and articulate raconteur who could blend fact with philosophy and turn prose into poetry. Those gifts are spotlighted in this jewel-like book, comprising excerpts from ten of the author’s works.

While he writes specifically about Pittsburgh, a city that he knew intimately and loved deeply, Kidney’s words have near-universal applicability.

“As he guides us through the streets of his hometown, he encourages us to explore the buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes that define and enrich our own communities. With scholarship and an occasional flash of humor, Kidney helps us see the importance of the distinctive sense of place that makes every city–whether Pittsburgh or Palm Springs or Paris–unique and appealing.”

–Richard Moe, former President, National Trust for Historic Preservation

• 112 pages, softbound; 9 ” x 6 ½”
• Also available in hardcover
• 71 b/w photos
• ISBN 0978828410