Long Description:
The Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail, Grant St. between
Diamond St. and 5th Ave., designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in
the Romanesque style, were erected in 1888 on the site where a
British detachment under Major Grant met with tragic defeat during
the expedition of General Forbes upon Fort Duquesne in
1758.
--- Pennsylvania, A Guide to the Keystone State, 1940
Visiting the Courthouse
Although this is an active courthouse, visitors are welcome.
Most of the courthouse is a secure area, however, and visitors must
pass through metal detectors to gain admittance.
I highly recommend that any visitors first visit the information
office before starting the tour. This office is located off the
tunnel driveway leading from Forbes Avenue into the inner
courtyard. The people working in this office are extremely friendly
and helpful and have lots of free literature that will enhance your
visit.
Please note: Cameras are allowed inside the courthouse,
but photography is prohibited in any of the courtrooms and may be
restricted in other areas.
From a sign outside the courthouse:
”Chislett’s Courthouse 1841-1882
In 1841 the second Allegheny County Courthouse was
erected on Grant's Hill, a more prominent site than the Market
Square location of the first Courthouse and appropriate for a city
expanding eastward. The Greek Revival building was designed by John
Chislett (1800-69), a native of Bath, England, who became one of
Pittsburgh's leading professional architects. Chislett's Courthouse
burned in 1882.
The Compettion
Henry Hobson Richardson was among the architects who received an
invitation in 1883 to design the Allegheny County Buildings, he did
not respond. Five architects were chosen to submit a design: Andrew
Peebles of Pittsburgh, John Ord of Philadelphia, W. W. Boyington of
Chicago, Elijah Myers of Detroit, and George B. Post of New York.
When Post withdrew, Richardson was approached again, perhaps at the
urging of his Harvard classmate, Pittsburgh businessman John
Ricketson, this time he accepted. The competition drawings were
exhibited in Pittsburgh in early January 1884 and Richardson's
design was chosen on January 31, 1884. Construction began in 1884.
The Jail was completed in 1886, the Courthouse in 1888.
Courthouse and Jail: The Significance of the Plan
The Courthouse plan provided a central courtyard ensuring
natural light on both sides to the courtrooms and offices arranged
around it. Stairways in each corner of the courtyard and the Grand
Staircase in the base of the tower provide easy access to upper
floors.
The architect's plan for the courtyard was not followed. He
intended that it be paved in brick with a horse fountain in the
center. It was paved in asphalt and over time became a congested
parking lot. In 1976, $64,000 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation
enabled the County, assisted by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks
Foundation, to create the park and fountain seen today.
Courtroom suites consisted of a 27-foot-high courtroom and
adjacent two-story judge's chambers with jury deliberation rooms
above. Natural light from street-side and courtyard-side windows
lit the courtrooms, with additional light provided by elegant brass
chandeliers. Courtroom ceilings were constructed of brick arches
(plastered and painted) supported by a great iron girder. Woodwork
and furnishings were light oak. Courtroom 321 has been restored to
its original appearance.
The "nostrils" at the top of the tower were designed to admit
air into the building. Fans were to circulate the air through the
basement to expel it from the twin towers overlooking Ross Street.
This system was adapted from one installed in the House of
Parliment in London.
The base of the tower contains the Grand Staircase and once
housed the Law Library, while the upper portion was intended for
records storage.
In 1888, visitors to the Courthouse walked up a few steps from
the original Grant Street level and across a broad terrace to enter
the main doorways
When Grant Street was lowered in 1912-13 (as much as 16 feet at
Grant Street and Fifth Avenue), the terrace became the landing of a
grand staircase above three new ground-floor entrances.
When Grant Street was widened between 1926 and 1929, the grand
staircase was demolished. Visitors entered on the ground floor and
climbed a new interior stairway to the lobby. The original doorways
became windows, high above the ground.
The Courthouse wears Romanesque ornament interpreted through
Victorian eyes. The designs are mostly of flower and leaf forms and
they owe as much to English naturalism and its desire to depict
botanical forms as they do to Romanesque architecture.
The rounded arch - perhaps the best known element in
Richardson's work - is adapted from the Romanesque architecture of
the early 11th century.
As was common building practice at the time, some of the
materials and many of the workmen came with the architect. The
contractor was Norcross Brothers of Worcester, Massachusetts. The
stone carvers were employed by Evans & Tombs of Boston. The
granite for the exterior walls was cut in Massachusetts quarries
and sent to Pittsburgh. Foundation walls were sandstone from Beaver
Pennsylvania; roof tile came from Akron, Ohio; and iron and glass
came from Allegheny County. Davenport & Company of Boston
provided the furniture. The Courthouse and Jail were erected for
about $2,400,000.
The Jail was completed June 1886 and first occupied in September
1886. In 1904-08 the Jail was enlarged. Two cellblocks were doubled
in size, a new cellblock was built, and a new wall erected along
Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Pittsburgh architect Frederick J.
Osterling succeeded in making his addition harmonize with the older
building.
The Jail is simple and dignified, its massive granite walls
almost without decoration.
The main entrance on Ross Street led to a large eight-sided
tower; it is a rotunda from which three cellblocks extended to form
a "T".
The Bridge of Sighs is modeled on the 18th-century bridge by
that name between the Doge's Palace and the city prison in Venice,
Italy.”
The Vincent Nesbert Murals
In the second floor lobby of the Courthouse you will find 5
murals painted by artist Vincent Nesbert in the 1930s. An article
by Anita F. Morganstern on the artist’s life describes the history
of the murals:
”It was during that same decade [1930s] that the
Courthouse murals were executed. “Justice” was begun in 1933. The
Federal Art Program paid a token $300 for its design and the county
financed materials. Although further financing was not forthcoming,
Nesbert continued to work on “Justice” without pay, “in the hope
that the mural will encourage a love of art among Pittsburghers.”
At its completion, commissioners McGovern and Barr were so pleased
that they each rewarded the artist with $100 personal contribution
and then approved a county honorarium of $2,500 for the execution
of “Industry” and “Peace”.
In 1938, $4,500 was appropriated for the commissioning of “The
Battle of Grant’s Hill” (which took place at the site of the
Courthouse) and "Fort Duquesne" (later named Fort Pitt). In all
Vincent Nesbert's "labor of love" consumed five years, during which
time his familiar figure perched on a scaffold, in a kelly green
smock, stimulated widespread attention and notoriety."