Protractors in the Pittsburgh Area (Ellsworth, Smithfield: felony, school, architecture)

[szug-bot]

knit afghans covering bridges?!?

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Originally Posted by Mugatu

Well now that you mention it, I have seen these around town. I never thought "protractor", but rather assumed they were a symbol representing our bridges. Thanks for the link, that's interesting. I had no idea this was a scavenger hunt with over 400 of these around the city.

That's actually what a lot of people believe they represent also. The bridges of Pittsburgh. I remember watching a video about it and that was a lot of the people's response.

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the whole pittsburgh protractors thing could be the single coolest postmodernist aspect of this city

found on the public steps heading east on ellsworth to highland avenue

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Pittsburgh Protractors
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hundreds of protractors affixed to surfaces all over the city.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/...gh-protractors

"HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT AROUND Pittsburgh are hundreds of numbered protractors glued to various surfaces. Their purpose—and provenance—remains a mystery of the first order.

The geometry implements are securely fastened to bridges, garbage cans, stones, mailboxes, benches, street signs, and other objects around the city. They can be found in many neighborhoods, but the Polish Hill neighborhood has one of the largest concentrations"

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Why There Are Hundreds of Protractors All Over Pittsburgh, PA

https://theculturetrip.com/north-ame...pittsburgh-pa/

"Pittsburgh is known for its art—artists, galleries, and museums. And like many large cities, it has more than its fair share of graffiti. But protractors? What gives? There are hundreds of these little measuring instruments in varying colors, randomly placed around the city. Here’s the perplexing story behind Pittsburgh’s protractors.

The thing is, nobody really seems to know why these protractors are all over the place."

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this is the greatest pittsburgh thread of all time

The Pittsburgh Protractor Map

Description

This map is a work in progress. To report protractor sightings, report errors on this map, or learn more about everything, please visit: http://ericlidji.wordpress.com

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/vi...449999998&z=13

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apparently what i stumbled upon has a number

#87

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#86 - right before it

didn't notice #86 until i got home and asked the internet

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The Great Pittsburgh Protractor Mystery

https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/t...actor-mystery/

"In a bit of strange local news, hundreds of protractors have been hidden throughout the city, superglued to signposts, curbs, utility boxes and other public spaces. Yet nobody appears to know from where they came or why they’re there in the first place. The protractors come in a variety of colors; each is numbered, presumably starting at one and going up to 456 — though some protractors in between have yet to be found. There’s even still debate as to whether or not these unmarked tools are protractors or just pieces of plastic shaped like protractors resembling the arc of our iconic yellow bridges.

Nevertheless, this geometric mystery first was reported in 2011, when contributor Eric Lidji created a map for his blog after finding protractors around the city for months. Though some have been found in East Liberty, Friendship, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, the heaviest concentration of them is in Polish Hill. You can find Lidji’s incomplete master list, last edited in 2011, here."

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A PAEAN TO THE DISAPPEARING PITTSBURGH PROTRACTORS

https://pittsburghorbit.com/2016/06/...h-protractors/

"They’re all over the damn place. Protractors–those same cheap plastic devices we had to pony up for to complete ninth grade geometry–are glued to guard rails, bridge supports, waste bins, mailboxes, lamp posts, and the backs of street signs all over the city.

If you haven’t seen them, you either don’t live around here or you haven’t been looking. There are–or were—hundreds of them[1]. In the hands of our pranksters/artists/mysterions (take your pick) each of the protractors has been painted a solid color, sequentially numbered by hand in big block numerals, and grafted to every manner of publicly-accessible metal surface.

Until now, The Orbit has resisted writing about the so-called “Pittsburgh protractors”. They’ve been around for a number of years and have achieved a certain level of obscure fame. The phenomenon is well documented in one dogged blogger’s map and database[2]. Even the local TV news got involved. The protractors don’t need us…or do they?"