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Miniature Railroad
& Village
The popular holiday exhibit opens on November 23
Without new
buildings, new industry, and new residents, a city stagnates and dies--even
a fictitious one. That's why every year Carnegie Science Center adds to its Miniature Railroad & Village. This year the exhibit welcomes
miniaturized versions of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the homestead
and workshop of John Roebling.
Mike Orban,
exhibit manager, and Patty Everly, program coordinator, carefully consider
every addition. New features must connect to the technology, history, and
culture of southwestern Pennsylvania circa the late 1800s to the 1930s.
The North
Side’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church, known as the “bake oven” church, is the
only church in Pittsburgh designated a National Landmark. Designed in 1885 by architect
Henry Hobson Richardson (the genius behind the Allegheny County Courthouse
and Jail), the church is constructed of
five concentric circles of red brick
around three entrance arches. Everly says the church was a natural choice.
"It's historically significant and visually very appealing…it’s part
of the heritage of old Allegheny City and Pittsburgh."
 As to the Roebling house and workshop--John Roebling founded
the farming community of Saxonburg, created the first wire rope in 1840,
built the original Sixth Street Bridge spanning the Allegheny River in 1847, and with his son, Washington, designed and
engineered the famous Brooklyn Bridge. Mike Orban notes that Roebling invented wire rope “because
of the need for a stronger cable to haul canal boats laden with freight and
passengers over Pennsylvania’s mountains, which at that time were an imposing barrier to
transportation.”
From
October 1 to November 22, however, the exhibition will be closed for
maintenance. But you can watch the staff caring for the details of the
layout’s appearance and its mechanics, and ask questions. "It's a rare
opportunity to see the nuts and bolts behind the magic,” Everly says. The
new additions will be ready to receive visitors on Friday, November 23
--the day after Thanksgiving is the exhibit’s traditional re-opening.
A
knowledgeable volunteer staff helps visitors identify and understand the hundreds
of historic replicas and scenes presented.
Those who want to investigate in greater detail can check the
exhibit Web site, www.miniaturerailroad.org.
Visit Yinzburgh*
Yinz have
got to see Yinzburgh: An Exhibition
of Photographic Images from Melting Pot Pittsburgh, now on display at
the Miniature Railroad & Village.
This new photographic presentation is brought to you in
collaboration with Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History and
features over 30 original, unpublished images of Pittsburghers from the
late 1800s to the 1930s. About 95 percent of the exhibit was culled from
the archives of Photo Antiquities, a North Side Museum dedicated to 19th-century photography; the remainder comes
from private collections--including a never-before-seen candid of Negro
Baseball
League player Josh Gibson on loan by his family.
Frank Watters, Photo
Antiquities curator, says some of the photos are historically important and
others are just unusual. He hopes the exhibit will “spark one’s interest
and start the mind questioning.”
Keep your eyes open for your ancestors at “Find
Your Relative” or “Be a Picture Detective”—two new interactive displays
showcasing unidentified and interesting images. "We hope to spotlight the diversity
of Pittsburgh’s melting-pot culture in the time frame of the
Miniature Railroad & Village," says program coordinator Patty
Everly.
*Footnote: “Yinz”- (Irish)(second
person plural) from the greater Pittsburgh dialect, plural of “you,” or “you ones.” It is equivalent to “y’all” of the
southern U.S. dialect. Its origin is Irish, and came into common
use with the immigration of Scots/Irish people to western Pennsylvania.
“Burgh”
- (German) - City or town.
“Yinzburgh”
- (Carnegie
Science Center 2001) - meaning “Your town.” An exhibition of photographs of
Pittsburgh friends, neighbors, and just plain folks.
Glimpse the past
Catch a
glimpse of the past through the new photographic presentation located at
the Miniature Railroad & Village, brought to you in collaboration with
Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History featuring over 30
original, unpublished images of Pittsburghers from the late 1800s to the
1930s. About 95 percent of the exhibit was culled from the archives of
Photo Antiquities, a North Side Museum dedicated to 19th-century photography; the remainder comes
from private collections--including a never-before-seen candid of Negro
Baseball
League player Josh Gibson on loan by his family.
Frank Watters, Photo
Antiquities curator, says some of the photos are historically important and
others are just unusual. He hopes the exhibit will “spark one’s interest
and start the mind questioning.”
Keep your eyes open for your ancestors at
"Find Your Relative" or "Be a Picture Detective" -- two
new interactive displays showcasing unidentified and interesting
images. "We hope to spotlight
the diversity of Pittsburgh’s melting-pot culture in the
time frame of the Miniature Railroad & Village," says program
coordinator Patty Everly.
Sportsworks Scores!
The success of Carnegie Science Center's new UPMC SportWorks exhibit can be described as a touchdown, home
run, hat trick, hole in one, gold medal, and slam dunk rolled into one.
"We’re averaging about 2,000 people per day, and about 1999 of
them arehaving a great time!"
says Dennis Bateman, Carnegie Science Center’s assistant director of
exhibits and facilities. “It’s great to see people from toddlers to
grandmothers jumping, flipping, balancing, and shooting
geometric pool! Oh, and that 2,000 person would have a
great time too, if they'd remember to wear tennis shoes."
Bo Garritano, education coordinator at UPMC SportsWorks, says praise has
run from “Neat!” and
“Awesome!” to compliments on the “wonderful, friendly, and
knowledgeable” staff. “A gentleman who just moved here from South Carolina said, ‘This is wonderful!
I can't believe this is available for the kids,
and me too,’” Garritano says.
Covering every sport imaginable--virtual to
real--UPMC SportsWorks has
historical displays, a children’s section, and
sports medicine information. And remember: when visiting UPMC SportsWorks at Carnegie Science Center, wearing sportswear and
tennis shoes guarantees that you’ll run, jump, and soar with glee.
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