Could Pittsburgh do with a defining structure? (Oxford: house, beach)

[MathmanMathman]

St Louis has its Gateway Arch and Seattle its Space Needle (Sydney its Opera House). Could Pittsburgh do with an iconic building to make it stand out more?

[AaronPGH]

PPG place isn't far off. Neither are the inclines.

[MathmanMathman]

^ I think two characteristics it needs is being prominent and freestanding. PPG place isn't very prominent or conspicuous among the other buildings and the inclines I don't think are technically freestanding as they rely on the hill, and they aren't very prominent either. The Gateway Arch, Space Needle and Eiffel Tower are freestanding and prominent icons identifying the place.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

St Louis has its Gateway Arch and Seattle its Space Needle (Sydney its Opera House). Could Pittsburgh do with an iconic building to make it stand out more?

Although not in downtown, I feel like the most recognizable structure in Pittsburgh is the cathedral of learning.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Although not in downtown, I feel like the most recognizable structure in Pittsburgh is the cathedral of learning.

Actually, that's Pitt's icon. So yeah, that's the basic idea.

[North Beach Person]

Wouldn't the US Steel building be considered such? It has a lot of symbolism.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Wouldn't the US Steel building be considered such? It has a lot of symbolism.

Close. Maybe if were significantly taller. But it's not now viewed as a Pittsburgh icon as it is just a tall dark tower. Nothing particularly uniquely identifying in its appearance and while being the tallest building in Pittsburgh, it's not particularly tall as buildings go. An icon would be something that lends itself to abstraction so a mere hint of its form instantly identifies it as Pittsburgh.

[North Beach Person]

I like this:



and this:

[ferraris]

I think we have several things that fit the bill, they just don't have as much publicity as the Sydney Opera House or St. Louis Arch.

The Point and its fountain
The Cathedral of Learning
The inclines
The bridges (in particular the 3 sisters)
Grandview Ave.
Carson Street

[Hopes]

The tall buildings you reference are in cities that have less hilly topography so you can see for miles and miles. At the top of the triangle, you can see very far, but it's not spactacular because of the hills and the weather making visibility difficult for miles.

The USX Tower used to appear very tall because it was up on the hill by itself. It doesn't look as tall now that One Mellon and Oxford are there too. But it was our icon. It still does define our city. Even though it says UPMC on the outside, we all know in our hearts the true meaning of the building. It will always be an icon to Pittsburghers, unless we stop teaching generations our history and that would be a shame.