Client:
Pittsburgh Department of Planning
Project:
Westinghouse Park
Location:
Point Breeze, City of Pittsburgh
Our Role:
Archaeological Survey, Landscape documentation
The most significant discoveries found during an archaeological survey of George Westinghouse’s home were excavated on his birthday, October 6th. Known as Solitude, the site was not only Westinghouse’s home but his private laboratory, a place of invention, creation, and experimentation. At Solitude, Westinghouse invented ways to control and transmit natural gas to both industrial and residential consumers. Natural gas derricks occupied Solitude’s backyard near the family’s Victorian gardens. The experiments conducted here made natural gas a new source of clean and cheap fuel for the iron and steel industries at a critical period.
Additional Interest: Archaeological testing was successful in identifying the sites of Westinghouse’s home and his laboratory connected by a spectacular brick tunnel. Also found were four natural gas wells, another tunnel, and landscape features including stone steps, entrance pillars, carriage roads, and specimen trees. Finding an authentic and significant archaeological site within a city park attaches a distinctive importance to this public space. The Westinghouse Site is an important part of our region’s history and development. Thousands of Americans can relate with the life and work experiences of this extraordinary man and his times. What lies buried in Westinghouse Park will impart exceptional knowledge about one of Pittsburgh’s most important individuals, a man whose ideas changed the world.
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