Mister Rogers wears bronze

Final touches to the keyhole shaped old bridge pier ,on the North Shore, take place for the arrival of the 10-foot-tall sculpture of Mr. Rogers . The site is titled “A Tribute to Children” and will have the statue of Mr. Rogers tying his shoes, as he did at the beginning of every episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)

Construction continues to prepare for the bronze statue of Mister Rogers. (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)

The opening weekend of “A Tribute to Children”brought out kids eager to settle into Mister Rogers’ lap. (Patricia Lowry/Post-Gazette)

“A Tribute to Children,” Fred Rogers sculpture on North Shore opening weekend. (Patricia Lowry/Post-Gazette)

(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)

(John Heller-Post-Gazette)

David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,somberly reaches down to remove the wireless microphone after appearing on the “Today” show Thursday morning. He did the “Standup” infront of the WQED offices in Oakland about the death of Fred Rogers. (Darrell Sapp)

Cameraman Art Vogel tapes Fred Rogers, at WQED studios, Mister Rogers message for PBS broadcasts, advises parents on ways to help children deal with the imagery of the September 11th on the upcoming anniversary. (Richard D. Kelly)

Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers, in his office at WQED in Oakland. (John Beale)

Mister Rogers, Fred Rogers, changes his shoes in his office at WQED in Oakland. (John Beale)

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood brought laughter to many as it ran its course from 1968 until 2001. The charismatic, friendly-faced man was not only commemorated in many people’s hearts, but forever on the North Shore… dressed in bronze.

A 10-foot-tall, 7,000 pound bronze statue of the prominent figure was placed across the Point in 2009. Robert Berks sculpted the statue and is well-known for his tribute to Mayor Richard Caliguiri on Grant Street. He also has sculpted John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Einstein, made more than 300 portraits in bronze and over 12 monuments, according to the website dedicated to Mister Rogers’ statute. 

Robert Earl “Bob” Beckjord also helped shaped the design of the Mister Rogers statue. He was instrumental in the architecture of PNC Park. The Mister Rogers statue was ultimately named “A Tribute to Children” due to Mister Rogers’ influence on the younger generation.

“How appropriate to have a statue of Fred Rogers on the North Shore, and to remember what a great person he was and his enormous contributions to all children and adults,” Virginia F. Muth of McCandless wrote to the Post-Gazette upon hearing about the statue in 2007.

The project was funded by the Colcom Foundation, a charitable foundation started by Cordelia S. May, a good friend of Mister Rogers. The sculpture cost $1.3 million and the foundation paid $1.7 million for the parklet and plans. The foundation also promised to pay for any upkeep of the statue.

Although a philanthropist, May was worth $800 million after inheriting the Mellon family fortune. She was among the 400 wealthiest people in the country before her death in 2005. Both Rogers and May were fans of Berks’ sculptures.

“A Tribute to Children” was officially unveiled on Nov. 5, 2009. On Nov. 7, WQED invited the public to their studio to see a recreation of ‘the neighborhood.’ Mr. McFeely from the show was in attendance to sign autographs and take pictures with those enjoying the deeply-rooted feeling of nostalgia.

In 2011, the statue was given a makeover by Alicia Kachmar. Outpost Journal, a non-profit print publication, chose Ms. Kachmar to craft a red sweater out of yarn, as Pittsburgh was to be featured in the debut of their journal.

Kachmar told the Post-Gazette that she worked for about two months to crotchet the iconic red sweater. She had never crocheted a sweater before this experience. Mister Rogers sported the sweater throughout July.

Architecture critic Patricia Lowry wrote in 2009, “The real test of any memorial sculpture is not how it’s regarded in its first few months and years, but how it withstands the test of time, long after its subject has faded from living memory.”

Seven years later, the statue still remains a point of interest and a pleasant reminder of the past. This tradition will hopefully be carried on through the hearts of those who did not have the luxury of growing up with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.