Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts organization, is a driving catalyst behind the ongoing development of the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District, Pittsburgh
. The Trust is a multi-faceted organization, including a performance arts presenter, a theater/galleries owner/operator, a catalyst for Cultural District real estate development and an arts collaborator.
The Cultural District was inspired by H. J. Heinz II
, known as Jack Heinz. Jack and other individuals, including his son, United States
Senator
from Pennsylvania John Heinz, and William Rea
, began with Pittsburgh's first renovated former movie palace
, Heinz Hall, (which was built as the former Loew's Penn Theater), reopening after a complete restoration in 1971 as a new home for the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (the Trust) was established in 1984 to realize Jack Heinz's vision for a centralized destination for arts and entertainment.
The Trust's first major project was the restoration of the former Stanley Theater
. The Stanley Theater was originally designed by the firm of Hoffman & Henon and opened on February 27, 1928. Under the Trust's management, this theater underwent a $43 million dollar restoration and reopened in 1987 as the Benedum Center
for the Performing Arts. The 2,800-seat Benedum Center is the crowned jewel of the Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today.
The Byham Theater
, a building at 101 Sixth Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, was another theater venue restoration project. Built in 1903, the then called Gayety Theater was a stage and Vaudeville
house, and it featured stars such as Ethel Barrymore
, Gertrude Lawrence
, and Helen Hayes
. It was renamed The Fulton in the 1930s when it became a full-time movie theater. In 1990, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust bought the theater and refurbished the Fulton as part of its plan for the Cultural District. The Byham
family of Pittsburgh made a major naming gift for a 1995 renovation, and it has been the Byham Theater
since.
Today the 14-square block area has been transformed from a red-light district
with only two cultural facilities—Heinz Hall and the Convention Center—to a dynamic art zone with over several arts venues, including theaters, visual art galleries, public parks, plazas as well as commercial and residential living development. The Trust has effectively applied a holistic approach to ongoing urban redevelopment in Downtown Pittsburgh: streetscaping programs, facade restorations, new cultural facilities, public open spaces, and art projects.
PCT's first President & CEO, selected by Jack Heinz, was Carol Brown, who managed the organization from 1986 until 2000. J. Kevin McMahon
is the second and current President & CEO.
The Trust's annual operating budget was approximately $58 million in 2009.
The Trust's major programmatic milestones during its first quarter century of service in the Cultural District include:
In 1987, the Trust and its partners present an annual Broadway series in the Cultural District.
In 1992, the Trust opens Wood Street Galleries, its first visual arts project.
In 1995, the Trust purchased and refurbished a former XXX movie theater and re-opened the 194-seat theater as the Harris Theater. Pittsburgh Filmmakers screens independent, foreign and classic films at the Harris Theater.
The year 1999 was an especially prolific one for the Trust. That year, the Trust's 650-seat O'Reilly Theater opens as the permanent home of the Pittsburgh Public Theater. The 23000 square feet (2,136.8 m²) Agnes R. Katz Plaza is unveiled and features a 25 feet (7.6 m) bronze fountain designed by sculptor Louise Bourgeois
and the work of landscape architect Dan Kiley. Also during 1999 artists Robert Wilson and Richard Gluckman are selected by the Trust to create a series of public art projects in the Cultural District.
In 2000, The Trust establishes Shared Services, a Cultural District cost savings consortium which includes The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
, Pittsburgh Public Theater
, Pittsburgh Opera
, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
, and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
.
In 2001, J. Kevin McMahon
is named President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as the successor to Carol Brown.
In 2002, Pittsburgh Dance Council
becomes a programming division of the Trust.
In 2003, The Trust opens Theater Square, a 330000 square feet (30,658 m²) complex, which includes a parking garage, centralized box office, the 265-seat Cabaret at Theater Square, Backstage Bar, a restaurant and the Carolyn M. Byham WQED fm89.3 remote broadcast studio. This year, First Night Pittsburgh becomes a program of the Trust.
During 2004, the Trust presented the Quebec Festival and the Pittsburgh Festival of Firsts, and opened the three new art galleries: SPACE and 707-709 Penn Galleries. The Trust also acquires the property at 937 Liberty Avenue which is utilized by locals arts organizations for performance arts and visual arts exhibits. 2004 also marks the Trust's first Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, a free, quarterly arts open house.
In 2005, The Trust purchased the property at 805-807 Liberty Avenue. This combined property would become home to the James E. Rohr Building, the Trust Arts Education Center.
In 2007, The Trust presents the Australia Festival.
In 2008, the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Festival becomes a programming division of the Trust. During that same year, the Trust presents the 2nd Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.
In 2009, Three Rivers Arts Festival
became a programming division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Cultural District, Pittsburgh
The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....
. The Trust is a multi-faceted organization, including a performance arts presenter, a theater/galleries owner/operator, a catalyst for Cultural District real estate development and an arts collaborator.
The Cultural District was inspired by H. J. Heinz II
H. J. Heinz II
Henry John Heinz II , best known as Jack Heinz, was an American business executive and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
, known as Jack Heinz. Jack and other individuals, including his son, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Pennsylvania John Heinz, and William Rea
William Rea (real estate magnate)
William Rea was an American real estate magnate and civic leader in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.He was a key collaborator with H. J. Heinz II in the creation of Pittsburgh's Cultural District, and he served leadership roles on the boards of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, Pittsburgh Public...
, began with Pittsburgh's first renovated former movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
, Heinz Hall, (which was built as the former Loew's Penn Theater), reopening after a complete restoration in 1971 as a new home for the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (the Trust) was established in 1984 to realize Jack Heinz's vision for a centralized destination for arts and entertainment.
Stanley Theater
Stanley Theater may refer to:*Stanley Theater , New Jersey*Stanley Theater , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New Jersey...
. The Stanley Theater was originally designed by the firm of Hoffman & Henon and opened on February 27, 1928. Under the Trust's management, this theater underwent a $43 million dollar restoration and reopened in 1987 as the Benedum Center
Benedum Center
The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 719 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
for the Performing Arts. The 2,800-seat Benedum Center is the crowned jewel of the Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today.
The Byham Theater
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as The Byham Theater in 1990.Built in 1903 and opened...
, a building at 101 Sixth Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, was another theater venue restoration project. Built in 1903, the then called Gayety Theater was a stage and Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
house, and it featured stars such as Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
, Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
, and Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
. It was renamed The Fulton in the 1930s when it became a full-time movie theater. In 1990, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust bought the theater and refurbished the Fulton as part of its plan for the Cultural District. The Byham
William C. Byham
William C. Byham is an American entrepreneur, author and organizational psychologist.-Overview:Bill Byham, co-founder , chairman and CEO of Development Dimensions International is an...
family of Pittsburgh made a major naming gift for a 1995 renovation, and it has been the Byham Theater
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as The Byham Theater in 1990.Built in 1903 and opened...
since.
Today the 14-square block area has been transformed from a red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
with only two cultural facilities—Heinz Hall and the Convention Center—to a dynamic art zone with over several arts venues, including theaters, visual art galleries, public parks, plazas as well as commercial and residential living development. The Trust has effectively applied a holistic approach to ongoing urban redevelopment in Downtown Pittsburgh: streetscaping programs, facade restorations, new cultural facilities, public open spaces, and art projects.
PCT's first President & CEO, selected by Jack Heinz, was Carol Brown, who managed the organization from 1986 until 2000. J. Kevin McMahon
J. Kevin McMahon
J. Kevin McMahon is President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a $50 million private, nonprofit agency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The Trust, established in 1984, promotes the cultural and economic growth of downtown Pittsburgh through the development of a fourteen-block arts and...
is the second and current President & CEO.
The Trust's annual operating budget was approximately $58 million in 2009.
The Trust's major programmatic milestones during its first quarter century of service in the Cultural District include:
In 1987, the Trust and its partners present an annual Broadway series in the Cultural District.
In 1992, the Trust opens Wood Street Galleries, its first visual arts project.
In 1995, the Trust purchased and refurbished a former XXX movie theater and re-opened the 194-seat theater as the Harris Theater. Pittsburgh Filmmakers screens independent, foreign and classic films at the Harris Theater.
The year 1999 was an especially prolific one for the Trust. That year, the Trust's 650-seat O'Reilly Theater opens as the permanent home of the Pittsburgh Public Theater. The 23000 square feet (2,136.8 m²) Agnes R. Katz Plaza is unveiled and features a 25 feet (7.6 m) bronze fountain designed by sculptor Louise Bourgeois
Louise Bourgeois
Louise Joséphine Bourgeois , was a renowned French-American artist and sculptor, best known for her contributions to both modern and contemporary art, and for her spider structures, titled Maman, which resulted in her being nicknamed the Spiderwoman...
and the work of landscape architect Dan Kiley. Also during 1999 artists Robert Wilson and Richard Gluckman are selected by the Trust to create a series of public art projects in the Cultural District.
In 2000, The Trust establishes Shared Services, a Cultural District cost savings consortium which includes The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.- History :...
, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
, Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
, Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
, and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
August Wilson Center for African American Culture
August Wilson Center for African American Culture is a U.S. nonprofit arts organization that presents performing and visual arts programs that celebrate the contributions of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania....
.
In 2001, J. Kevin McMahon
J. Kevin McMahon
J. Kevin McMahon is President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a $50 million private, nonprofit agency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The Trust, established in 1984, promotes the cultural and economic growth of downtown Pittsburgh through the development of a fourteen-block arts and...
is named President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as the successor to Carol Brown.
In 2002, Pittsburgh Dance Council
Pittsburgh Dance Council
Pittsburgh Dance Council was established in 2002 as a programming division of . The programming mission of Pittsburgh Dance Council is to bring the best of contemporary dance from around the world to the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District stages....
becomes a programming division of the Trust.
In 2003, The Trust opens Theater Square, a 330000 square feet (30,658 m²) complex, which includes a parking garage, centralized box office, the 265-seat Cabaret at Theater Square, Backstage Bar, a restaurant and the Carolyn M. Byham WQED fm89.3 remote broadcast studio. This year, First Night Pittsburgh becomes a program of the Trust.
During 2004, the Trust presented the Quebec Festival and the Pittsburgh Festival of Firsts, and opened the three new art galleries: SPACE and 707-709 Penn Galleries. The Trust also acquires the property at 937 Liberty Avenue which is utilized by locals arts organizations for performance arts and visual arts exhibits. 2004 also marks the Trust's first Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, a free, quarterly arts open house.
In 2005, The Trust purchased the property at 805-807 Liberty Avenue. This combined property would become home to the James E. Rohr Building, the Trust Arts Education Center.
In 2007, The Trust presents the Australia Festival.
In 2008, the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Festival becomes a programming division of the Trust. During that same year, the Trust presents the 2nd Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.
In 2009, Three Rivers Arts Festival
Three Rivers Arts Festival
Three Rivers Arts Festival is a large outdoor festival of the visual and performing arts held every summer throughout downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The festival has been held annually, in June, since 1959....
became a programming division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.