National Register of Historic Places

Carnegie Institute and Library

Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Listed
March 29, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79002158

About this property

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a nonprofit organization that operates four museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The organization is headquartered in the Carnegie Institute and Library complex in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The Carnegie Institute complex, which includes the original museum, recital hall, and library, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1979. Two of the Carnegie museums, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art, are both located in the Carnegie Institute and Library complex in Oakland, a landmark building listed on the National Register of Historic Places (ref #79002158, added 1979). It also houses the Carnegie Music Hall and the main branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Andrew Carnegie donated the library and the buildings. With the goal of inspiring people to do good for themselves and their communities, the terms for donations required communities to support them in exchange for the building and initial investment by Carnegie. The words "free to the people" inscribed above the entrance of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh illustrate his vision. The other two museums, The Andy Warhol Museum and the Kamin Science Center, are located in separate facilities on Pittsburgh's North Shore. Opened on May 15, 1994, the Andy Warhol Museum is the first museum to exclusively focus on an American postwar artist. The building which houses the Andy Warhol Museum was originally built in 1911 for industrial purposes, but was redesigned for the museum by architect Richard Gluckman. The museum currently has seven floors of gallery and exhibition space as well as an underground education studio and conservation lab. Warhol's primary artistic technique was silkscreen pop art, which he gained notoriety for in the early 1960s. The serial images derived from the culture's consumerism and conception of beauty are reified in a form of art which represent the identity of constituents in postwar American society. Images used by Warhol, which have made him famous for his contributions to pop art, include celebrities and consumables such as Marilyn Monroe and The Campbell's soup can. The museum's collection includes over 4,000 Warhol art works in all media—paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, and installation; the entire Andy Warhol Video Collection, 228 four-minute Screen Tests, and 45 other films by Warhol; and extensive archives, including Warhol's Time Capsules. While dedicated to Andy Warhol, the museum also hosts many exhibits by contemporary artists.

Location

4400 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
40.44311, -79.95025

Categories

ARTLITERATUREEDUCATIONPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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0.2 mi
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Pittsburgh Athletic Association Building
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Schenley Farms Historic District (Additional Documentation)
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Nearby Battles

Braddock's Defeat — Battle of Monongahela
1755Colonial
1.4 mi
Battle of Fort Pitt (Pontiac's War) 1763
1763Colonial
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Carnegie Institute and Library listed on the National Register?

Carnegie Institute and Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 29, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Carnegie Institute and Library?

Carnegie Institute and Library is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Carnegie Institute and Library?

The period of significance for Carnegie Institute and Library is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Carnegie Institute and Library?

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