PORTAL BRIDGE PICNIC: Join the Pittsburgh Modern Committee for our outdoor celebration of modernist design at Point State Park!
We invite you to join us on Saturday October 9th as part of Docomomo US National Tour Day 2021 highlighting architecture & design aspects of travel & leisure in the mid-20th century for Portal Bridge Picnic, an outdoor celebration of modernist design at Pittsburgh's beloved Point State Park.
Enjoy a walkabout, conversation, and refreshments with members of the Pittsburgh Modern Committee highlighting design context and details of the Portal Bridge (1963, Stotz brothers wtih Gordon Bunshaft/SOM ) and the surrounding Point State Park, opened in 1974 and a National Historic Landmark within the Pittsburgh Renaissance Historic District.
Presented with the challenge of integrating a pedestrian connection between Point State Park and Downtown, beneath an 8-lane highway-interchange, Pittsburgh architects the Stotz brothers responded with an elongated arch and walkway. Simple, soft, and elegant to the eye, but involving complex engineering and crafted of reinforced concrete, the 1963 vaulted portal invites an open view toward Gateway Center. Gordon Bunshaft, architect with SOM, amongst others, consulted on the design.
This event is hosted by the Pittsburgh Modern Committee of Preservation Pittsburgh.
Details
Saturday October 9, 2021, 4:00 - 6:00 pm ET
Point State Park
601 Commonwealth Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
4:00 pm: Meet near Point State Park (guests will be provided the meeting place in advance) for a walk-through Gateway Portal Bridge, exploring site history and design features.
5:00 pm: Gather in the meadow of Point State Park for modern design chat and snacks!
$15/guest, proceeds support the reserach & advocacy work of the Pittsburgh Modern Committee
Advance registration required
The first 5 registrations receive a hand-pulled original screenprint of the Portal Bridge, part of Pittsburgh Modern Prints, a series by Buildings by Shane in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Modern Committee.
