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Motor Square Garden is hidden in plain sight. A beloved landmark for its romantic dome and ornate brickwork, it has hosted a changing spectrum of commerce and events through the decades since it was built, 126 years ago. Yet its architectural meaning, so apparent in its distinctive appearance, is often overlooked. The building has important predecessors in market halls locally and further afield, even as its artful details refer specifically to ancient and Renaissance models. Thanks to architects Peabody & Stearns, it also has ties to Chicago’s epoch-making 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, whose connections to Pittsburgh continue to inspire new scholarship. 

What’s the best way to build a market hall in a burgeoning industrial city? And what is that dome supposed to mean anyway? This lecture is part of the series “Delirious Pittsburgh”— because the best buildings give us wild-eyed excitement when described with rich architectural context and lively attention to artistic detail. 

About the presenter: Charles Rosenblum is a journalist, critic, and scholar writing about architecture, art and other aspects of visual culture. For the past 20 years, he has taught history of architecture and art at universities in Western Pennsylvania. His writing has appeared in books and publications nationally and regionally, including a several for PHLF. He has won journalism awards for architectural writing in the Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Quarterly. In 2013, he was historical consultant and on-screen expert for the 2013 documentary, Henry Hornbostel in Architecture and Legacy, broadcast on WQED. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia with a dissertation on the architecture of Henry Hornbostel.

This is a rental event presented by an independent organization separate from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The views and opinions expressed in the performance do not necessarily reflect those of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Trust is committed to its core values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, including freedom of expression. By purchasing a ticket, you are authorizing the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to share your information with the show’s producer. Prices, shows, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.