Lost: Andrew Carnegie's Pittsburgh Locomotive Works
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Feb. 26, 2010
Pittsburgh Locomotive Works, founded by Andrew Carnegie
This month, a power company is tearing down 19th-century buildings in Pittsburgh that once housed Andrew Carnegie's locomotive factory. Duquesne Light Co., which has owned the complex since the 1920s, said it was "becoming dangerous," according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"It is in a very poor state of disrepair," said Joseph Vallarian, Duquesne Light spokesman, who did not return phone calls from Preservation.
The Pittsburgh Locomotive Works thrived from 1867 until 1919, producing about 3,000 steam engines during that time. The brick complex's most notable building was its office, with a signature round tower. None of the buildings was landmarked.
News of the demolition came as a surprise to locals, many of whom had never noticed the buildings, due to an isolated location on Pittsburgh's north side. Railroad tracks and a highway cut off the area from would-be visitors.
"I would venture to say that most people in the region have never been down there. Some of the buildings were in rough shape, but the office was beautiful," says Ron Baraff, director of museum collections and archives at the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, who remembers touring the Locomotive Works campus. "It's a big loss, in that so much of the industrial landscape is already gone or disappearing."
After the site is cleared, Duquesne Light plans to use the land for storage and parking.
"The loss of these buildings is just a continuation of a pattern and practice of demolishing important historic buildings in Southwest Pennsylvania," says Dan Holland, CEO of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh. "I hope that these types of demolitions serve as reminders to the community that we need this to stop. … We can't just keep tearing things down and expect our community to grow."
Read more about Pennsylvania's industrial heritage
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