Success Stories - Fifth and Forbes Project

219 FORBES

...This Art Deco building was erected in 1930 by H. E. Crosby, corporate architect of the G. C. Murphy Company, at a cost of $250,000. George C. Murphy founded Murphy's in McKeesport in 1906. By the 1930s, there were 170 stores in 11 states. Even during the Depression 40 new stores were built.

239 FORBES AVENUE

This 126-foot-long facade of white terra cotta is distinguished by seven gigantic Corinthian columns. Notice the "D" above the second-floor windows, the Classical panels of fruits and vegetables, and the elegant urns in the window pediments. Donahoe's Market and Cafeteria was a Pittsburgh landmark from 1923 to 1970. [The third floor was a dance hall!]

241 SKINNY BUILDING

Skinny Building

428 WOOD STREET

...One of the finest examples in Pittsburgh of the Beaux-Arts style. The fanciful, monumental building of c. 1905 looks like a jewel box. Compare the Ionic pilasters (flattened columns) to those on the Neo-Classical building of c. 1915 next door, originally the F&W Grand 5 to 25 Cent Store, Inc.

320 FORBES AVENUE - HONUS WAGNER CO.

The name of the restaurant "The Royal" can still be seen on the rich, festive, Edwardian building of c. 1910. In 1952, Honus Wagner (1874-1955), a famous shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, bought the building and opened a sporting goods store.

314 FORBES AVENUE - THE LIBRARY CENTER

In 1902 prominent local architect Frederick J. Osterling designed this building for the Colonial Trust Company. It survives as the downtown's best example of Edwardian Baroque, a style characterized by the rusticated ground-floor level, the pairing of the colossal columns, and the elaborate cartouche that breaks into the crowning pediment.

310 FORBES AVENUE - THE CHART ROOM

The shell of the building goes back to the 1880s, but the present facade and interiors were created in the 1920s when this was the Wheel Cafe, a favorite haunt of burlesque performers. [This is also an example of a locally owned business restoring its own facade--Preservation Pittsburgh helped choose colors and advise on the paints.]

239 FIFTH AVENUE, GNC

Notice the classical ornament used to enrich the delicate moldings of this terra-cotta facade.

215 FIFTH AVENUE

Originally the Floyd Building of c. 1865-70, this is one of the finest surviving examples of the High Victorian Gothic style in the city, excluding churches. Notice the different-colored tiles set in the gable; the variety of colors is due to the material itself, and is not the result of applied paint.

204 FIFTH AVENUE - BUHL BUILDING

A design of Janssen & Abbott c. 1913, this building is clad in blue- and creamy-white terra cotta and decorated in Renaissance motifs. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

130 FIFTH AVENUE (Vacant)

This Arts & Crafts building was designed by Alden and Harlow, the city's leading architectural firm between 1886 and 1908.