Pittsburgh in the 1960's

In 1960, Pittsburgh ushered in the new decade by shocking the world with an improbable win over the vaunted New York Yankees
with the biggest home run in baseball history, "Maz's Blast." Despite losses that included the lopsided scores of 16-3, 10-0 & 12-0
during the series, the Pirates prevailed in Game Seven. Hal Smith came to bat in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, two runners
on base, and the Pirates trailing by a score of 7–6. With two strikes, Smith hit a dramatic three-run home run off Jim Coates to give
the Pirates a 9–7 lead. His home run electrified the Forbes Field crowd, who thought his blast would win the World Series for the
Pirates. However, his hit would be overshadowed: the Yankees then battled back to tie the game at nine in the top of the ninth,
leading to Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer to win the Series in the bottom of the inning.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
PHOTO RESTORATION DONE BY THE STEELCACTUS FOUNDATION

ADDITIONAL VERBIAGE BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

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THE PIRATES WIN THE 1960 WORLD SERIES!
University of Pittsburgh students cheer wildly from atop the school's Cathedral of Learning as they watch the
Pittsburgh Pirates win their first World Series in 35 years (against the Yankees), Oct. 13, 1960.

MAZ FOR PRESIDENT
Mazeroski won the title for
Pittsburgh in Game 7 with a
game-winning home run off
New York Yankees pitcher
Ralph Terry in the bottom of the
ninth inning. A 14-year-old fan
named Andy Jerpe retrieved the
ball outside the ground and had
it signed by Mazeroski, but it
was later lost when used in a
game.

The Renaissance Continues
Construction workers and other spectators watch as the first car, a vintage model reminiscent of the days when the South Hills suburb of Pittsburgh was being developed, enters the
new Fort Pitt Tunnels. Seated directly behind the unidentified man in the front passenger’s seat is Mayor Joseph Barr and behind him, waving his hat, is Governor David L. Lawrence,
one of the major forces behind the Renaissance of Pittsburgh.

FORT PITT TUNNELS
Preparations are underway for the completion of the Fort Pitt Tunnels connecting
Banksville Road in the South Hills suburb of Pittsburgh with the Fort Pitt Bridge leading
into downtown Pittsburgh. The 3,600-foot-long tunnels were completed in 1960. Here
trucks pour concrete for the paving of the tunnel floor.

POINT CONCEPTS
Left: Description of this Point Park concept drawing reads,
“Trilon proposed by David A. Wallace, City Planner and
Architect, Baltimore, Md. at PRPA annual dinner meeting
January 23, 1961.” The trilon was never built; instead city
planners placed a fountain at Point State Park.

Above: Pictured is a concept drawing of the Point in
downtown Pittsburgh by Frank Lloyd Wright. Commissioned
by department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann, Wright
designed a circular structure thirteen levels high and one-fifth
of a mile in diameter, with a spiral auto ramp four and a half
miles long. This plan was never approved, however Wright’s
idea for a fountain at the Point and for twin bridges crossing
the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers were adopted.

The Allegheny Market House was located on the corner of Federal and East Ohio Streets
in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. The market, which opened in 1863, was a
forerunner of the present-day supermarket in that a variety of food and other products
could be purchased in the stalls that were occupied by individual concessionaires. The
market house building covered an area of 200 feet on each side, and it was designed to
be spacious, airy, and well lighted by arched windows, doorways, and portholes. World
War II, post-war suburban growth, inadequate parking, and the proliferation of the
supermarket led to the market house’s demise. In 1966 the structure was razed to make
way for Allegheny Center.

A view from inside the Grandview Park Overlook in Pittsburgh's Mount Washington neighborhood.
Downtown Pittsburgh and the Monongahela River can be seen in the distance.

CIVIC ARENA
The Civic Arena, located in the heart of the Lower Hill District section of Pittsburgh,
had its origins in the late 1940s, with Edgar Kaufmann’s enthusiasm for summer opera.

Dotted lines from the upper left to center show the proposed path
of the Fort Pitt Tunnels, which would speed traffic headed for
Pittsburgh on Banksville Road from the South Hills suburb of
Pittsburgh into the Golden Triangle. In the lower right is the partially
completed traffic interchange at the south portal of the tunnels. To
the left is the West End with the West End Bypass already
completed, and to the right is Route 51 South leading to West
Liberty Avenue and then to Brentwood and Pleasant Hills. Shown
in the distance on the other side of Mount Washington is downtown
Pittsburgh. The 3,600-foot-long, twin-tube structure was dedicated
on September 1, 1960.

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1963 - A view from Pittsburgh's Mount Washington neighborhood of the Point and
Gateway Center showing the Point Bridge (right foreground) spanning the Monongahela
River, the Fort Pitt Bridge (right background), and the Manchester Bridge (left foreground),
with the new Fort Duquesne Bridge immediately behind it spanning the Allegheny River.
The Gateway Towers apartment Building (left center) is still under construction. Both the
Point Bridge and the Manchester Bridge were demolished in 1970.

SAYING GOODBYE TO SOME FAMILIAR SIGHTS

The Knoxville Incline was built in 1890 and was located in Pittsburgh's South Side
neighborhood. The incline was designed with an 18-degree curve and had the longest
track ever built in Pittsburgh at 2,644 feet. It was the second incline in Pittsburgh with a
curved track. The Knoxville Incline’s route went from South 11th Street to Warrington
Avenue and then to Knoxville Avenue. The incline’s huge cars, designed by John M.
McRoberts, were large enough to carry cars or heavy freight. The Knoxville Incline was
dismantled in 1961.

The Civic Arena, located in the heart of the Lower Hill District section of Pittsburgh, was
designed by the architectural firm of Mitchell & Ritchey and the engineering firm of
Ammann & Whitney and Robert Zern. The Civic Arena opened in 1962 with a stainless
steel dome 415 feet in diameter (the world’s largest at the time) composed of eight
sections that are supported by a cantilevered tripod that holds six of the sections when
they are swiveled back. Each of the sections weighs 220 tons; all six can be opened in a
little over two minutes. The entire movable roof weighs 5.5 million pounds. The capacity of
the building at the time of its construction was 18,000. Pittsburgh companies were integral
to its construction, with the dome sections made by ALCOA, the motors for the retractable
dome by Westinghouse, and the ventilation system by Koppers.

MAKING THE WAY FOR THE NEW

United States Steel Building
Behind the three small buildings near the center is the intersection of 6th Avenue and
Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh. In the background (left) is the William Penn Hotel
and to the hotel’s right are the H.K. Poster Building and the First Lutheran Church on
Grant Street. The entire area in the center of the photo, including the three buildings, was
to later become the site of the United States Steel Building, later named the USX Tower,
Pittsburgh’s tallest Skyscraper.

The buildings (foreground) were located at the corner of Sixth Avenue (left) and Liberty Avenue (right) in
downtown Pittsburgh. On the far left is the Grogan Building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Wood Street,
home of the Grogan Jewelry Company. All of the buildings in the foreground (including the Grogan Building)
were demolished in mid to late 1960's to make way for what became Oliver Plaza, subsequently renamed
PNC Plaza. Three skyscrapers were built here with a park-like plaza between Liberty Avenue and Wood Street.

Construction of the Equitable Life Assurance Life Society’s newest
skyscraper office building located at Gateway Center in downtown
Pittsburgh. The $16 million, 22-story structure was designed by the
architectural firm of Harrison & Abramovitz. The exterior of the building
consists of 232 tons of stainless steel mullions in combination with
green glass. Construction of the building was completed in early 1960.

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