Pittsburgh, PA from Fort Duquesne Incline Platform
Posted by: 
Muzikman
N 40° 26.300 W 080° 01.116
17T E 583234 N 4476872
Pittsburgh, PA Skyline from the Fort Duquesne Incline platform on top of Mt Washington.
Waymark Code: WMQ6Q
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/11/2006
Views: 205
History of the City:
Pittsburgh's history dates back to the pre French and Indian war. Sitting between the confluence of the Allegheny (upper left) and Monongahela (lower right) Rivers form the Ohio River (left, out of picture) sat a French fort (Fort Duquesne). This fort became an important part of the French and Indian war. Once the fort was captured by the British it was rebuilt (larger) and was named Fort Pitt (named by General Forbes after William Pitt). An outline of Fort Duquesne can be seen in the picture. This area is now a state park (Point State Park).
Because of it’s location around the rivers and the abundance of coal in the area, Pittsburgh became “The Iron City” and later “The Steel City”. By 1911 Pittsburgh was producing record amounts of the nation’s steel.
- 24% of the pig-iron
- 34% of the Bessemer steel
- 44% of the open-hearth steel
- 53% of the crucible steel
- 24% of the steel rails
- 59% of the structural shapes
During the industrial age many companies formed in Pittsburgh. A short list of some of the more well know of these companies are.
- Carnegie Steel / US Steel (USX)
- Mellon Bank
- Heinz (the makers of the ketchup)
- Alcoa (one of the largest Aluminum manufactures)
- Westinghouse
By the mid 1980’s, most of the steel mills shut down and the city went into some tough economical times (which it still has not totally recovered). Pittsburgh has tried to change its image of “The Smoky City” to one that shows off it’s natural qualities. A number of old rail road beds are now Rails Trails and it’s rivers are used more by recreational boaters than coal barges. The area has moved away from its industrial heritage and into the 21st Century where advancement in technology can be found at Carnegie Mellon University and some of the top hospitals can be found in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Because of the many water ways and topography in the area, Pittsburgh is also known as “The City of Bridges” with over 500 bridges. Pittsburgh has more bridges than any other city in the world (except Venice). Most bridge types are available in Pittsburgh, with the exception of cable-stayed, pontoon, or movable deck designs. There are even commercial boat tours dedicated to the bridges. In the photo, the following bridges are seen. (Starting on the right and moving left and back). Fort Pitt Bridge, Fort Duquesne Bridge, 6th St Bridge (Roberto Clemente Bridge), 7th St Bridge (Andy Warhol Bridge), 9th St Bridge (Rachel Carson Bridge) **These three bridges (6th, 7th and 9th) are known as the “Sister Bridges”. Fort Wayne Rail Road Bridge, Veteran’s Bridge, 16th St Bridge, 31st St Bridge.
Some of the prominent buildings in the photo are;
- USX building: Tallest brownish colored building in the center. This is the tallest building in Pittsburgh at 64 floors
- One Mellon Center: To the right of USX. With 54 floors this is the 2nd tallest in the city.
- PPG Place: In front of the USX building (with the castle like spires). It towers at 40 floors.
- 5th Ave Place (Highmark Place): With it’s light sandstone colored exterior and large needled top it really stand out. This is the 4th tallest building in the city with only 31 floors but tops out at 616ft tall (thanks to that needle).
- Oxford Center: This is the silverfish colored building on the right. Is it 45 stories.
History of Mt Washington (Coal Hill):
Towering over the south bank of the Monongahela River is the 400ft tall Mt Washington, it’s face almost cliff like. This “mountain” was once called “Coal Hill” due to the rich deposit of an easily accessible coal vain. The road that follows the ridge is Grandview Ave. Some of the most picturesque spots overlooking the city are found there. Currently this area is trying to gain a “Scenic By-Way” designation.
Taken from a Historical marker along Grandview Ave.
“This State's bituminous coal industry was born about 1760 on Coal Hill, now Mt. Washington. Here the Pittsburgh coal bed was mined to supply Fort Pitt. This was eventually to be judged the most valuable individual mineral deposit in the U.S.”
History of the Fort Duquesne Incline Plane:
The Fort Duquesne Incline was one of about twelve along Mt Washington. Today only two remain (Fort Duquesne incline and the Monongahela Incline). Both are within a short walk of each other. These inclines provided transportation to the works who lived on top of the hill and worked at the bottom.
The design is simple, a balanced inclined plane with a double track. The two cars permanently attached to steel cables, counterbalancing each while in operation. As one car rises, the other is lowered. Power is only needed to lift the net weight.
Built in 1877 the Duquesne Incline has been run by a non profit organization since 1964. The top station houses a small gift shop, a platform to view the hoist equipment of the incline, an observation deck (where the photo was taken) and many pictures of the city, both old and current. There is a small fair to ride the incline and an even small fair to view the inner workings. The observation deck is free.
Sight Seeing:
For small site seeing trip I suggest parking at the bottom of the Fort Duquesne incline (free) and ride the incline to the top. Then take a left out of the inclide building and walk along Grandview Ave, stopping at the overlook decks a long the way. Take the Monongahela Incline down to Station Square. Have lunch, dinner or if you are so inclined (no pun intended) do a bit of shopping in the many stores. Once you have had your fill, head back over to the Monongahela incline and return to the top, walk back up to the Fort Duquesne incline and return to your car. I would suggest planning the trip to allow your walk from the Fort Duquesne to the Monongahela incline during day light and then the return walk after dark to really experience this view in its full glory.
Most of this information was pull from my own memory. If you spot any errors, please let me know.
Some references are: