Historical Panoramics

Post-Gazette artists and photographers have spent months digging for historic images of Pittsburgh landmarks -- Market Square, the Block House at the Point, Forbes Field and Luna Park. We found great panoramic views of Forbes Field and Luna Park, but not of Market Square and The Block House. We wanted to create those wide views, so with the help of the University of Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh City photographer Collection, period street maps from www.arcgis.com and historic Pittsburgh maps available online, we painstakingly stitched together photos, historic references and artist Dan Marsula's drawing to flesh out the pictures in a creative but historically accurate way.

For the reconstruction of Market Square circa 1946, we went to images of Diamond Street (which changed in 1958 to Forbes Avenue). Some of the buildings still exist, but in some cases we only had a small architectural detail to guide us in the identificaton and re-creation of the building that Marsula did.

As for the 1942 image of the Block House at Point State Park, it took a little more work to track down the buildings that surrounded the historic structure and are now long gone. One of the nearby streets -- which no longer exists -- was called Water Street. It ran along the Mon, and we found images of buildings that Marsula could re-create from the vantage point in the Block House photograph; he added in a vehicle from the time of the photo.

Next photographers took pictures from the same vantage point as each of the historic images -- or from as close as it was possible to get to the place where the photographer took the historic shot. In the case of the Block House, we used it as the anchor and then plotted in the distant Gulf Building and Rosenbaum's Department Store to figure out the exact location.

The results are mesmerizing. The landscape surrounding the fantastical Luna Park doesn't look the least bit familiar -- until you see the towers of Saint Paul Cathedral sticking up in the background of the picture. Though most Pittsburghers remember or are aware of the footprint of what was Forbes Field, seeing the present-day view taken from the same vantage point as the more than seven-decades-old image is a surprise: a good portion of the view is a big hunk of Posvar Hall wall.

We think you'll find these past and present images as fascinating as we do. We invite you to send any documents or images you have that would give us more information on these landmarks.

Forbes Field

Oakland | 1909

South Bouquet Street in Oakland has changed dramatically since 1909, the year that Forbes Field opened. That year, the Pirates opened the season at Exposition Park in the North Side and by the end of June had moved to Oakland's Forbes Field.

Those 1909 Pirates would finish the season as the National League pennant winner and went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers to capture the club's first World Series victory.

Present day photo: Andrew Rush/Post-Gazette

Forbes Field

Oakland | 1915

Forbes Field hosted several Pittsburgh sports teams over the years, including the University of Pittsburgh's football team. In this 1915 photograph, the Panthers are seen during their 19-0 victory over Washington & Jefferson on November 6, 1915.

After the demoltion of Forbes Field in 1971, the University of Pittsburgh constructed Posvar Hall, which stands on the site today adjacent to Schenley Plaza.

Present day photo: Andrew Rush/Post-Gazette

Luna Park

North Oakland | c.1905

Located at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and North Craig Street in North Oakland, Luna Park opened in 1905 as part of a chain of amusement parks under the same name. Pittsburgh's Luna Park closed just four years later in 1909.

Present day photo: Andrew Rush/Post-Gazette

Fort Pitt Blockhouse

Point State Park | 1942

Built in 1764, the Fort Pitt Blockhouse is the oldest standing structure in Pittsburgh. Working with a narrow original image, Post-Gazette artist Dan Marsula used maps and archived photographs from other angles to reconstruct what the Point would have looked like in 1942.

Present day photo: Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette

Market Square

Downtown | 1946

Formerly known as Diamond Square, several buidlings stood at the now open area in Downtown Pittsburgh. The construction of PPG Plaza, seen in the right of the current day photo, dramatically changed the views from Market Square.

Present day photo: Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette