Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Courthouse · Pittsburgh, United States
Allegheny County Courthouse
- Dated
- Dated 1884–88
- Declared purpose
- County courthouse and jail
- Today
- Survives, still in use
- Architect of record
- H. H. Richardson, architect: about 46 when credited (1884, born 1838). Build time on record: about 4 years (1884–88).All architects of record →
Hidden history
Found, Not Built
H. H. Richardson's granite courthouse and its jail, joined by a 'Bridge of Sighs'. What the photos show is rough-cut stone in blocks that look too big for the time.
Built after a fire
The earlier courthouse burned in 1882. The new one was finished in about four years.
The architect never saw it finished
Richardson died in 1886, before it was complete.
Lowered streets
Grant Street was lowered later, and the old entrance level became a basement. That echoes the mud-flood question.
Questions worth asking
- Why did the old courthouse burn just before?
- What does the lowered street reveal about the ground level?
Possible original uses
- A fortress or treasury
- A seat of law and records
What the photos show
Surrounding Buildings
Old buildings nearby in Pittsburgh. Compare the stone, the domes and the dates.
Lost Buildings
Neighbours that were torn down or burned. Tap one for its photos.
Further viewing
Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.
