Masonry Magazine December 1962 Page. 8
View of the heart of Pittsburgh, Penna., the site of the MCAA's 1963 Convention and Educational Trade Show. The Convention will be held at the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel, first building left of center. Point State Park, with the fountain accenting it, is the tree-lined area of the triangle. Within the park is located the Block House of the original Fort Pitt. Other Pittsburgh points of interest are discussed elsewhere.
Pittsburgh: '63 Convention Site
The City
Pittsburgh, the site of the MCAA's 1963 Education and Trade Show, has been called "the gateway to the west." The city was the springboard for the opening of the westward lands of the great U. S. continent.
In recent years, Pittsburgh has been repeatedly referred to as the Renaissance City of America. For this metropolis has come a long way since the smoky, sooty days of the mid-1940's. Great changes in its very heart have been wrought. Among the more dramatic features are: A smoke control program that has become world famous. Nearly one-fourth of the entire central business district-known as the Golden Triangle has been completely rebuilt. Multilane highways have been built and others are under construction to insure a smooth flow of traffic to and from the city. A 36-acre Point State Park has been built to recreate the historic ties with the past. (The Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel, a 23-story, $15 million structure is at the edge of Point Park.)
The "Block House" is all that is left today of old Fort Pitt, the wedge that opened the West. Long hidden in Pittsburgh's cluttered point, this pre-revolutionary stronghold has now been given the setting its historic importance merits. Point Park was created to provide that setting.
Things to See and Do
Among the many things to see and do in the downtown area are: BLOCK HOUSE: Remnants of the old Fort Pitt. You can visit 9 to 12 (except Monday), 2 to 5 Sunday. BUS TOURS: Around the Golden Triangle covering 35 miles in 3 hours. EQUITABLE PLAZA: In Gateway Center, an unusual open air promenade built atop a 3-story underground garage. GATEWAY CENTER. POINT STATE PARK: A beautifully landscaped area at the Point of three rivers. Adjacent to the park is Gateway Center-Pittsburgh's answer to Rockfeller Center. MARKET SQUARE: Pittsburgh's market place, an interesting experience. An old world flavor in the shadows of the new Pittsburgh. MELLON SQUARE PARK: An oasis of trees, fountains and waterfalls in the downtown area built above a six-level underground parking garage.
Workshop of the World
Headquarters of 100 major corporations, heart of throbbing, basic industries, home of hundreds of businesses-these are the characteristics that have marked Pittsburgh "Workshop of the World."
Pittsburgh is the home of the very largest manufacturers of steel, aluminum, steel rolls, rolling mill machinery, plate and window glass, jacks and safety equipment.