Look right toward the modern Kaufmann's expansion. This was once the site of the Carnegie Building, a massive rectangular high-rise featuring a pale stone base, tall brick upper floors, and a bold overhanging roof cornice. Completed in eighteen ninety-five, this was Pittsburgh's very first steel-framed skyscraper, and the tallest in the city at the time.
It was designed in the Chicago school architectural style, a revolutionary method that used a rigid internal steel cage to hold up the building rather than relying on heavy exterior walls. This made it one of the first steel-skeleton structures in the world!
This Fifth Avenue landmark served as world headquarters for the Carnegie Steel Company, run by industrialist Andrew Carnegie. His empire eventually became U.S. Steel, whose massive modern tower we admired earlier. Sadly, this thirteen-floor beauty met the wrecking ball in nineteen fifty-two to make room for an expansion of Kaufmann's flagship store.
Take a moment to reflect on this lost piece of history. Let's continue on whenever you're prepared.
