Photo of the Day: Sculpture and Rider, Allegheny Landing, Pittsburgh

I took this photo in what seems like an eon ago, in terms of freedom of movement: last October, while on vacation in Pittsburgh. I hadn’t intended to do so at the time, but the image captures at once one of the unique appeals of this stretch of greenery between the 6th and 7th Street bridges on the north bank of the Allegheny River next to PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ballpark: its sculptures and its use for recreation. 

Since its dedication in 1984, Allegheny Landing has pointed the way for other major cities on how to capitalize, in a different way, on one of the original reasons for their existence: their location by rivers. In the beginning, rivers served as points of commerce; now, more primally, they remind us of the mainstay of life itself: water.

Photo of the Day: The Men Who Remade a City

Allegheny Landing, in Pittsburgh, contains a nice little image of two figures seldom depicted in urban statuary: construction workers. In fact, the sculpture by George Danhires is called “The Builders.”  Dedicated in 1984, as a tribute to two projects termed “renaissance,” it is forward-looking, catching a moment when the city, having said goodbye to its smokestack past, was a couple of years away from embarking on its revival. I snapped this shot a month ago when I was making an overnight visit to the city, and I had to photograph this, as it was so emblematic of the big plans that made this city.