Pittsburgh City-County Building
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh City-County Building is the seat of government for the City of Pittsburgh and houses both Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
offices. It is located in Downtown Pittsburgh at 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
and opened in 1917. Its main hall is surrounded by gilded classical columns 47 feet high, supporting a vaulted ceiling of Gustavino terra cotta tile. Architectural sculpture on the building was created by Charles Keck
.
Although massive in its own right, it is just the main structure in a complex of city/county service buildings in the neighboring blocks. The city/county annex is a block east of the structure "behind" it on Ross Street and it is also very large. The Allegheny County Courthouse
and offices border the structure to the north. Up until the 1960s, the corrections department had its offices to the northeast of the structure.
On the seventh floor of the building is a massive mural completed in 1940 entitled "Justice" by award winning artist Harry Scheuch. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09110/964137-455.stm
and Sarah Jessica Parker
police drama Striking Distance
were filmed both inside and on the Grant Street entrance to the building. Most notable is the nighttime scene of Dennis Farina
's supervisor character arguing with Willis' "Tom Hardy" over the "Polish Hill" documents. Scenes of the Superman remake Superman Returns
were slated to be filmed in the building's "crystal palace" grand mezzanine but the film production was delayed by Warner Brothers and the scenes were never added to the finished film.http://articles.mcall.com/1998-04-16/news/3203721_1_jimmy-olsen-clark-kent-lois-lane The very first film to feature the City Hall however was produced in the first decade after its completion. In the Name of the Law
starred Pittsburgh Pirates
great and future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner
as the hero, as a Pittsburgh Police
Superintendent pitched baseballs off the 144-foot-high roof in the film's climax.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
offices. It is located in Downtown Pittsburgh at 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Design
The building was designed by Henry HornbostelHenry Hornbostel
Henry Hornbostel was an American architect.He designed more than 225 buildings, bridges, and monuments in the United States; currently 22 are listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
and opened in 1917. Its main hall is surrounded by gilded classical columns 47 feet high, supporting a vaulted ceiling of Gustavino terra cotta tile. Architectural sculpture on the building was created by Charles Keck
Charles Keck
Charles Keck was an American sculptor, born in New York City. He studied in the National Academy of Design and Art Students League with Philip Martiny and was an assistant to Augustus Saint-Gaudens from 1893 to 1898. He also attended the American Academy in Rome. He is best known for his...
.
Although massive in its own right, it is just the main structure in a complex of city/county service buildings in the neighboring blocks. The city/county annex is a block east of the structure "behind" it on Ross Street and it is also very large. The Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse is a government building of Allegheny County located in the county seat, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- Early structures:...
and offices border the structure to the north. Up until the 1960s, the corrections department had its offices to the northeast of the structure.
On the seventh floor of the building is a massive mural completed in 1940 entitled "Justice" by award winning artist Harry Scheuch. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09110/964137-455.stm
Popular culture
Many scenes of the Bruce WillisBruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
police drama Striking Distance
Striking Distance
Striking Distance is a 1993 thriller starring Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, and Tom Sizemore as Pittsburgh Police officers pursuing a serial killer. It was directed by Rowdy Herrington and written by Herrington and Marty Kaplan...
were filmed both inside and on the Grant Street entrance to the building. Most notable is the nighttime scene of Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
's supervisor character arguing with Willis' "Tom Hardy" over the "Polish Hill" documents. Scenes of the Superman remake Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
were slated to be filmed in the building's "crystal palace" grand mezzanine but the film production was delayed by Warner Brothers and the scenes were never added to the finished film.http://articles.mcall.com/1998-04-16/news/3203721_1_jimmy-olsen-clark-kent-lois-lane The very first film to feature the City Hall however was produced in the first decade after its completion. In the Name of the Law
In the Name of the Law (1922 film)
In the Name of the Law is a 1922 silent-film featuring Pittsburgh Pirates retired Hall of Famer Honus Wagner as a hero in an early action plot...
starred Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
great and future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....
as the hero, as a Pittsburgh Police
Pittsburgh Police
The Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania...
Superintendent pitched baseballs off the 144-foot-high roof in the film's climax.
Trivia
- The grand Grant Street Entrance has many statues and memorials to past leaders, including the late mayor Richard Caligiuri and political boss William FlinnWilliam FlinnWilliam Flinn was a powerful political boss and construction magnate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Along with Christopher Magee , his political partner, the two ran the Republican Party machine that controlled the city for the final twenty years of the 19th century.-Early life:He...
. - The prominent inscription "PROTHONOTARY" over a side entrance reportedly prompted the remark "What the hell is a ProthonotaryProthonotaryThe word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. prothonotarius , from Greek protonotarios "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek protos "first" + Latin notarius ; the -h-...
?" from Harry Truman on a 1948 visit.