Trinity Cathedral

This "Manor of Pittsburgh," was offered for sale privately by John Penn, Jr. and John Penn, grandsons of the founder. In October of 1787, one year before Allegheny County was formed, three deeds were recorded at the Westmoreland County Courthouse carving land from the "manor." One deed gave the land which is now Smithfield United Church, one lot was given to the trustees of the Presbyterian Church, and an adjoining 2 1/2 lots were given to the Episcopal Protestant Church, "formerly called Anglican," the land on which the burial ground and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral now sit.

Trinity Burial Grounds:

The burial ground is the oldest unreconstructed historical site in the City of Pittsburgh and, as noted earlier, dates back to prehistoric Indian burials. At one time, this city block contained the graves of over 4,000 persons. By 1908, the burial ground was reduced to the present size. The burial places of Pittsburgh's earliest leaders and ordinary citizens remain today, surrounded by the bustling city. The burial ground at Trinity Cathedral includes the graves of Red Pole, Principal Chief of the Shawnee Nation; Dr. Nathanial Bedford, the City's first physician and a founder of the University of Pittsburgh; General William Butler and Colonel James Butler, soldiers of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, for whose family Butler County was named; Oliver Ormsby, early Pittsburgher for whom Mt. Oliver was named; relatives of General John Neville; and Captain Nathanial Irish, a Revolutionary officer, early settler and one of the founders of Pittsburgh.

The restoration of the burial grounds has progressed through a number of phases including a preservation study, a ranking of the monuments for preservation treatment depending on the severity of conditions, development of pilot treatments for preserving the stones, and site engineering drawings to establish the burial ground as a green place of respite for workers and residents of downtown. This inviting green space will be a destination in the core of downtown Pittsburgh. Benches, improved walking surfaces and attractive plants support this goal. Performance space and seating for contemplation or picnic lunches is also envisioned. Burial stones are being removed and treated and replaced or repositioned consistent with historical preservation and site restoration.

Heroes' Way:

As part of this project, a sidewalk along the East side of the Cathedral will be opened to Oliver Avenue constituting the only mid-block joinder of Oliver and Sixth Avenues and providing new linkage between the Duquesne Club area and the development of Piatt Place (in the former Lazarus building). The green space of the churchyard will also be open to the public during daylight hours. Also envisioned are musical concerts by children during lunch hours in warm weather. A "Heroes' Way" is planned for this sidewalk connection to Oliver Avenue with tributes to Pittsburgh contemporary heroes such as the firemen who died in fighting the Ebenezer Baptist Church fire and the crew and passengers of Flight 93.

Trinity Cathedral:

Trinity Cathedral is a beautiful, gothic church, a pleasing and dignified structure designed by Gordon W. Lloyd of Detroit, Michigan, a well-known church architect in Chicago and Central United States. The Cathedral Church was dedicated in 1872 and soon thereafter, a handsome English gothic style parish house, designed by Pittsburgh architects Carpenter & Crocker, was added. Today, the parish house includes meeting rooms and church offices as well as restaurant facilities open to the public.

Cleaning of the exterior of Trinity Cathedral will "spruce up" downtown Pittsburgh and make a historic building in the central corridor of downtown Pittsburgh attractive and inviting. More important, however, is the fact that cleaning is not simply cosmetic; the combination of chemicals and the caustic mixture coating the Cathedral is actually deteriorating the building and cleaning is an absolute necessity to save and preserve the structure. A cleaning method using a "dry baking soda" which was found clearly superior in its efficiency, quality and environmental compatibility, will be utilized.