Founded on a triangle of land bounded by two mighty rivers, Pittsburgh has a long and storied chapter in American history. Currently the second-largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh grew from a fur-trading post into Steeltown, U.S.A. Its immense steel factories symbolized America’s new forefront in the Industrial Age, even as the smoke and soot from those factories left the city polluted and filthy. After decades of change, Pittsburgh today is considered one of the most livable cities in America. Historic Photos of Pittsburgh examines the growth and change of this important American city. Nearly 200 photographs spanning two centuries have been collected and captioned with compelling text. Rich in historic detail, filled with images of the past, this book captures the power and might of a great industrial city and is a must-have for both historians and the general reader.

New in Paper Allegheny City, known today as Pittsburgh's North Side, was the third-largest city in Pennsylvania when it was controversially annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1907. Dan Rooney, a longtime North Side resident, joins local historian Carol Peterson in creating this highly engaging history of the cultural, industrial, and architectural achievements of Allegheny City from its humble beginnings until the present day. The authors cover the history of the city from its origins as a colonial outpost to its emergence alongside Pittsburgh as one of the most important industrial cities in the world. Supplemented by historic and contemporary photos, the authors take the reader on a fascinating and often surprising street-level tour of this colorful, vibrant, and proud place.

The new edition of this long unavailable classic features an extensive analytical introduction by the noted architectural historian Dell Upton. Containing 416 black-and-white photographs, 81 measured drawings and an extensive text, this volume presents a splendid array of the early dwellings, barns, and other outbuildings, churches, arsenals, banks, inns, commercial buildings, tollhouses, mills, and even tombstones of western Pennsylvania.

This handsome volume presents 161 pairs of matching before and after photographs of Pittsburgh. A treasury of images for those who remember the old Pittsburgh, those who are curious about its past, and anyone interested in Pittsburgh's fascinating evolution from “smoky city” to the city it is today.

A collection of images celebrating the extravagant and historic mansions of Pittsburgh, PA. In the 19th century, the positioning of Pittsburgh as a major manufacturing center and the subsequent rise of the area's steel industry created a wave of prosperity that prompted the beneficiaries of that wealth to construct extravagant residences. Wealthy enclaves sprang up in the city's East End, across the river in neighboring Allegheny City, and into the countryside. Pittsburgh's Mansions explores the stately homes of the area's prominent residents from the 1830s through the 1920s. Businessmen such as H.J. Heinz, Henry Clay Frick, and members of the Mellon family commissioned elaborate homes from the preeminent architects of their day. Firms such as Alden & Harlow, Janssen & Abbott, and Rutan & Russell left their marks on the city's landscape, often contributing iconic public buildings as well as expansive private homes. Though many of the residences have since been lost, Pittsburgh's Mansions offers a look back at the peak of the city's prominence.

No other city in the United States is home to more Slovaks than Pittsburgh. It is estimated that close to 100,000 Slovak immigrants came to the area in the 1890s looking for work and the chance for a better life. The hills and valleys of this new land reminded newcomers of the farms, forests, and mountains they left behind. They lived in neighborhoods close to their work, forming numerous cluster communities in such places as Braddock, Duquesne, Homestead, Munhall, the North Side, Rankin, and Swissvale. Once settled, Slovak immigrants founded their own churches, schools, fraternal benefit societies, and social clubs. Many of these organizations still enjoy an active presence in Pittsburgh today, serving to pass on the customs and traditions of the Slovak people. Through nearly 200 photographs, Slovak Pittsburgh celebrates the lives of those Slovaks who settled in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, and the rich heritage that is their legacy.

Includes previously unpublished photographs of Pittsburgh by acclaimed photographer Elliot Erwitt taken between 1949 and 1950. These photographs, capturing the humanity and spirit of the architecture and people of the city of Pittsburgh, were thought lost until the negatives were recently located in the Pittsburgh Photographic Library.