{"id":1052,"date":"2014-01-17T05:01:55","date_gmt":"2014-01-17T05:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=1052"},"modified":"2015-01-09T15:46:06","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T20:46:06","slug":"bells-ring-at-forbes-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/01\/17\/bells-ring-at-forbes-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Bells ring at Forbes School"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"By <\/a>
By 1960, officials were concerned about the \u201ccombustible\u201d woodwork inside Forbes School. (Harry Coughanour\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Undated <\/a>
Undated photo of the school. (Pittsburgh Public Schools Photographs, Detre Library and Archives, Sen. John Heinz History Center) <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A parking garage now dominates the corner once occupied by Forbes School. (Steve Mellon\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Map <\/a>
Map showing the school in 1900. (G.M. Hopkins, Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, courtesy the Historic Pittsburgh website) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The auditorium\/gymnasium had been condemned by 1966. (Post-Gazette photo) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The library in 1966. (Post-Gazette photo) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Demolition <\/a>
Demolition of the school in January 1974. (Albert M. Herrmann Jr.\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Life was rough for the 350 patients at Mercy Hospital in October 1902. They suffered from any number of turn-of-the-century maladies \u2014 influenza, abdominal pains, \u201ccongested lungs,\u201d irritated bowels; surely some had been burned, sliced or mashed in industrial accidents, rolled under carriage wheels or clobbered by \u201ctraction cars.\u201d One poor woman was admitted with acute back pains, swollen legs, \u201cscanty and high colored urine\u201d and a \u201cvery disagreeable odor,\u201d according to one newspaper.<\/p>\n

But then things got worse.<\/p>\n

An electrical clock system was installed at the nearby Forbes School, one of Pittsburgh\u2019s largest educational facilities. The system was put in place by a \u201cwonderfully successful young electrician,\u201d one newspaper reported, and was quite clever: It allowed every clock in the school to be controlled by a central clock. At the top of each hour, all clocks chimed out the time.<\/p>\n

This included the clock placed in the school\u2019s bell tower, which rose more than three stories over a crowded Uptown neighborhood. Wires connected to the central clock triggered a hammer that struck a massive school bell and pealed out the hours.<\/p>\n

Hour after hour. Day after day.<\/p>\n

This was simply too much for Mercy\u2019s patients to endure.<\/p>\n

\u201cNerve-racked, tortured persons say their condition is made worse because they are unable to get any sleep,\u201d read a Pittsburgh Press article from Oct. 27, 1902. The hourly pounding of the bell was at least a discomfort, if not a \u201cpositive danger\u201d to the sick folks just one block away.<\/p>\n

Some patients said they didn\u2019t even try to sleep \u2014 they simply laid in bed and waited for the irritating gong. For them, no slumber was preferable to sleep rudely interrupted.<\/p>\n

The sounding bell was one of many ways in which the Forbes School, a solidly built three-story brick structure, dominated the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Stevenson Street. The school was \u00a0completed in 1885 and, judging from news stories we found, played a prominent role in the life of the Hill District for several decades.<\/p>\n

In 1911, a chorus of school children sang \u201cSanta Lucia\u201d and the Forbes School Orchestra played a march titled \u201cYankee Luck\u201d for the dedication of a new annex, which included a swimming pool, an auditorium that could seat more than 600 and a \u201cmanual training department.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school served children and foreign-born adults who attended \u201cAmericanization\u201d courses. As World War II began, 877 students filled the school\u2019s halls. They were a patriotic bunch. A newspaper story from Dec. 8, 1942, noted that students at Forbes purchased $4,500 in bonds in an effort to \u201cremember Pearl Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the largest purchases were made by adult students struggling to learn English. Many of the children, sons and daughters of immigrants, made surprisingly generous contributions. One child made his purchase with 1,800 pennies. \u201cHe is of Russian parentage,\u201d according to the story. \u201cHis father is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten Chinese children bought bonds, \u201cone boy taking $100 worth, the money coming from his school savings fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the early 1970s, officials decided the antiquated structure had outlived its usefulness. By mid-January of 1974, a heavy iron shovel began pulling apart the structure.<\/p>\n

It had been purchased by Mercy Hospital. The Forbes School bell would toll no more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life was rough for the 350 patients at Mercy Hospital in October 1902. <\/p>\n

Look at the picturesBells ring at Forbes School<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[945],"tags":[956,1110,1025,993,1057,1018,1041],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/tumblr_mziuoheE0J1rr5swxo5_1280.jpg?fit=1008%2C840&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":954,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/02\/14\/final-moments-of-forbes-field\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":0},"title":"Final moments of Forbes Field","date":"February 14, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Instead of demolition, the question was asked \u201cWhy not open it up for kids to play ball?\u201d","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/tumblr_n0yi05o5031rr5swxo7_1280.jpg?fit=1000%2C788&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":542,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/06\/20\/boyhood-memories-at-forbes-field\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":1},"title":"Boyhood memories at Forbes Field","date":"June 20, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Two boys, two hot dogs and a magical season at Forbes Field.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/tumblr_n7dmswA6VE1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2170,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/01\/02\/people-board-buses-and-trolleys-at-smithfield-and-forbes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":2},"title":"People board buses and trolleys at Smithfield and Forbes","date":"January 2, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Remember when buses looked like the one in this picture?","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/tumblr_mfejrsyxuo1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9872,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2021\/01\/31\/historical-panoramics\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":3},"title":"Historical Panoramics","date":"January 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"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. 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We wanted\u2026","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LunaParkThen.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":387,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/08\/06\/glimpses-from-the-bureau-of-mines-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":4},"title":"Glimpses from the Bureau of Mines\u2019 history","date":"August 6, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Western Pennsylvania and surrounding Appalachia will forever be linked with a legacy of mining.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/tumblr_n9usayZQ2D1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C923&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":364,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/08\/13\/market-square-pittsburghs-original-gathering-space\/","url_meta":{"origin":1052,"position":5},"title":"Market Square: Pittsburgh\u2019s original gathering space","date":"August 13, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The area has remained Pittsburgh\u2019s restless epicenter.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/tumblr_na7pdb9XsD1rr5swxo6_r1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C749&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1052"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4068,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions\/4068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}