Newsweek Article: Detroit could learn a lot from Pittsburgh's rebirth

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Geeo

The current recession is nothing compared to what Pittsburgh went through 25 years ago.

I tell people that all the time---Pittsburgh went through a depression, not a recession.

Pittsburghers aren't very impressed by this 'recession.'

That MIGHT have something to do with why Pittsburgh's economy is more stable during this recession than other areas of the country.

[fleetiebelle]

At the time, they had the engineering school, the drama school (or dept., I'm not sure what they called it), and the "Margaret Morrison School for Women".

Oh, I know (I work in the university archives) but Carnegie Tech (as was) did not have much a national or international reputation until the mid-20th century. Most of the students came from within 500 miles. Carnegie wanted to educate the common man to lay bricks and engineer mines and build bridges (and the common woman to work in a store or an office.) He'd probably hate what his school has become, even though it's great for Pittsburgh.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Oh, I know (I work in the university archives) but Carnegie Tech (as was) did not have much a national or international reputation until the mid-20th century. Most of the students came from within 500 miles. Carnegie wanted to educate the common man to lay bricks and engineer mines and build bridges (and the common woman to work in a store or an office.) He'd probably hate what his school has become, even though it's great for Pittsburgh.

Well, yes, that's what my dad said, too. But a 500 mile radius was a long way in 1950. And well before Cal Tech even admitted women, they had Margaret Morrison, and the drama school. (Dad always talked about the 'dramats'.) By the later 60s, they were attracting students from all over. A friend from Missouri said he considered applying there in that era, but was "afraid" because it had such a national student body.

[Geeo]

I learned a fun fact while at the school of engineering last year, which is one of the oldest buildings on the CMU campus. It's a big brick building with sloping floors that connect different levels of the building. Big brick archways, too. I asked a CMUer what was up with this strange building, and she told me that Andrew Carnegie's thinking was that if the technical school failed, the building could be used as a factory. I guess that's how he became the richest man on earth - always thinking ahead.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Geeo

I learned a fun fact while at the school of engineering last year, which is one of the oldest buildings on the CMU campus. It's a big brick building with sloping floors that connect different levels of the building. Big brick archways, too. I asked a CMUer what was up with this strange building, and she told me that Andrew Carnegie's thinking was that if the technical school failed, the building could be used as a factory. I guess that's how he became the richest man on earth - always thinking ahead.

That's too funny! I was talking with someone on another thread about Carnegie libraries. He said Carnegie established these libraries as a place for books, and that modern-day libraries had been taken over by computers, that Carnegie likely wouldn't approve. I said that since CMU has become such a leader in computer science, I thought Carnegie would be just fine with that.

[valleygal]

I worked in Ambridge for five years and just recently moved to Florida. It seems to me that the folks there seem to think that the "mill" will be opening again. This thinking is preventing the town from moving forward.

Despite a huge brownfields investment, it is a negative, bitter place. It seems like the old-timers really don't want progress and block any postive momentum.

Two years ago, again after a boatload of controversy, a new high school was built, replacing one from the 30's. The prevailing opinion was, if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for the grandkids.

Here is an all too typical situation: While the school was being built, a local recreation area was taken over and used as a staging area for building supplies and equipment. The deal between the school board adn the town was that after construction, the recreation area would be returned in the same condition back to the town. The schoolboard offered to add I think it was four tennis courts, so that the tennis team had a convenient place to practice. The courts would also be available to the public. The local Council turned it down because "not that many people played tennis." They also stated that they would pursue their own funding, via grants, if they changed their mind in the future!

I think many of the small mill towns in the area think in a similar fashion, small. They don't want ot do anything that would be controversial or threaten their seat in the next election.

Pittsburgh had the benefit not only of fantastic institutions that were previously mentioned, but were led by several Mayors with vision.

[JoeLeaphorn]

Originally Posted by Geeo

Andrew Carnegie's thinking was that if the technical school failed, the building could be used as a factory. I guess that's how he became the richest man on earth - always thinking ahead.

Somewhat apocryphal. When Chrysler built its new corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI, it was rumored that the building was designed so that it could be converted to retail use in the event that Chrysler went under. This has been debated (Chrysler spokespersons deny it), though one of the design firms in no longer in business and a member of the design team says only that he heard "rumors" of this during the design process and that it would "not be hard to make that happen".