Guide to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Records, 1975-2000 CTC.2000.02

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Records
Creator
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Collection Number
CTC.2000.02
Extent
112 Linear Feet (338 document boxes and 96 architectural designs)
Date
1975-2021
Date
1983-2000
Abstract
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust was formed in 1984 with the goal of re-establishing an arts and entertainment district downtown. The Benedum Center, Fulton Theater, Harris Theater, and the Wood Street Galleries are all owned and operated by the Cultural Trust. This collection contains the records of the Cultural Trust from 1984 through 1999. Included are marketing materials, financial records, institutional and real estate development, and the production records of the Benedum Center.
Language
English .
Author
William Daw.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in 2000. Additional materials were donated in 2022.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into nine series:

I. Benedum Center, 1983-1998

II. District Development, 1979-2000

III. Art Services, 1989-1997

IV. Harris Theatre / Art Cinema Renovation, 1989-1995

V. Institutional Development, 1986-1998

VI. Executive Offices, 1983-1999

VII. Finance, 1984-1996

VIII. Marketing, 1975-1999

IX. Audio Visual Materials, 2020-2021

History

In the early 1970s a group of prominent Pittsburghers led by H.J. Heinz II began an effort to return the Penn and Liberty corridor of downtown to the thriving theater district it once was. This area had been in steady decline since the 1950s. The era of the Nixon, Stanley, Alvin and Pitt theatres had long since passed. They all were demolished, dormant, or in disrepair. The Howard Heinz Endowment funded the renovation of the Loew's Penn Theater in 1967. In 1971, the new Heinz Hall was unveiled as the new home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society. In 1984, this group officially created the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust with the goal of creating a cultural district in downtown Pittsburgh. Their current mission statement is "to stimulate the economic and cultural development of Pittsburgh through the development and promotion of a downtown arts and entertainment district. The Trust encourages and presents diverse performing and visual arts programs in the Cultural District." The Trust purchased the Stanley Theatre and completely renovated it. It was renamed the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts and was dedicated in 1987. After the $43 million project was completed, the Cultural Trust began to develop other properties in and around Penn and Liberty avenues.

Jack Heinz named Carol Brown as the Trust's first president in 1986. She served until her retirement in 2001 when Kevin McMahon, former executive vice president of the John F. Kennedy Center, was named as the new president.

The Trust offers assistance and provides services to Pittsburgh local arts community. It organizes free quarterly gallery crawls through the Cultural District, internship opportunities, and student and teacher workshops. Other businesses and organizations located in the Cultural District have joined the Cultural Trust in the revitalization project of the Penn-Liberty Historic District. The Trust has facade restoration grants available to buildings that are within the Cultural District to help improve the overall appearance of the district. The Trust and the city of Pittsburgh have spent millions of dollars on beautification and improvements in the Cultural District.

Due to the theatre renovations, art installations, and other improvements all led to the creation of the Cultural District that was designated a national historic district in 1987. The newest addition to the Cultural District is the O'Reilly Theater and was completed in 1999. The 650 seat theater was designed by Michael Graves and is the home of the Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Previous Citation

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Records, 1926-2000, CTC.2000.02, Curtis Theatre Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Records, 1926-2021, CTC.2000.02, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by William Daw between 2006-2009.

Related Material

Ford E. and Harriet R. Curtis Theatre Collection of Pittsburgh Theatre Programs, 1840-present, CTC.1966.01, Curtis Theatre Collection, Archives & Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Scope and Content Notes

The records of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust contain the organization's office files from the beginning, in 1984, to the opening of the O'Reilly Theater in 1999. The majority of the materials concern the restoration of the Stanley Theatre and its reopening as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, the settlement files for every show that performed at the Benedum Center from its opening in 1987 to 1998, the development of the Cultural District between Penn and Liberty avenue, the planning and construction of the O'Reilly Theater, and finally the advertising and marketing information for a majority of the productions presented by the Cultural Trust as well as the marketing of the Trust itself.

The vast majority of the collection consists of paper files, but there are a few other types of materials, including photographs, slides, ledgers, newspaper clippings, and architectural designs. There are very few materials that date before the early 1980s.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Social life and customs
    • Cultural District (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • City planning -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Performing arts -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Arts -- Economic aspects -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Art and society -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Arts -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Societies, etc.
    • Art and popular culture -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Theater
    • Community foundations -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List