Walk the Streets of Pittsburgh on These Self-Guided Tours

Just as the brochures from the Pittsburgh History & Landmark Foundation read, there’s nothing like walking to get you in touch with a place. You’re up close and personal with your surroundings and your senses are put on overload as you touch, see, smell, and hear the area you’re in. Whether you’re a longtime resident, born and raised, or neighborhood newcomer, the many self-guided walking tours offered by the Pittsburgh History & Landmark Foundation are guaranteed to unearth something new for you about the City of Bridges. Explore these secret streets, learn about a neighborhood you’ve never been in before, or discover something astonishing about the rich history and heritage of this Pennsylvania metropolis.

One of the best parts of Pittsburgh is its architecture. From historic Victorian buildings to millenium-era skyscrapers, you can find a variety of styles to wonder at on the self-guided Downtown Pittsburgh and Market Square tour. At Market at Fifth, admire the overhanging roofs and wooden-framed windows of the Arts and Crafts building (once a shoe company) and the cast iron window hoods of the 1870 Italianate brick building as you learn about the vigorous struggle by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and others to preserve the history of Pittsburgh and instill an appreciation for the city’s past in its people. Fans of the Art Deco style should head to Market Square Place, where the geometric designs form stylized ferns and flowers on what was once the G. C. Murphy Company. After revitalization and restoration, the 1930 buildings is now LEED Gold certified and includes 46 loft apartments, a YMCA, and ground-floor retail locations.

You can also explore Pittsburgh’s roots and some of the original acres that first held city streets and blocks on the Gateway Center Walking Tour through Gateway Center and Point State Park, or the Pittsburgh Renaissance Historic District. Walk through landscapes In the 1950s, more than 90 buildings were demolished to make way for a neighborhood of shining, modern apartment and office towers surrounded by greenery, walkways, and fountains. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, taking the self-guided tour through this area of Pittsburgh will bring you to the Fountain of the Three Rivers at Gateway Plaza, the Fort Pitt Museum at Point State Park including the Block House (1764), and the Forks of the Ohio National Historic Landmark.

There’s a reason--446 actually--why Pittsburgh is nicknamed the City of Bridges. With almost 500 bridges, Pittsburgh has more than any other city in the world. The first was built in 1818 and the most recent in 1987. Take the Bridges and River Shores Walking Tour offered by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation to cross the Roberto Clemente Bridge and admire the other river crossings and significant architectural landmarks of the city as you go. Included on this tour are PNC Park, Heinz Field, the Andy Warhol Museum, and a view of downtown’s skyscrapers.

For more information on the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, click here. To access all six of the self-guided walking tours of Pittsburgh and its downtown neighborhoods, visit the website. 

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
100 West Station Square Drive, Suite 450
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-471-5808