[PRCo] Re: LEOW'S PENN THEATER

[Carl Zager]

John,

Without seeing the picture (is it on the web?), this is somewhat tough for
me.

I worked at the United Artists Penn Theatre (formerly Loew's, now Heinz
Hall) in 1960-61. My mother worked as a desk clerk in the Roosevelt Hotel
across the street. I have seen a photo (I believe it is on Dave's
Pittsburgh pages <http://davesrailpix.railfan.net/pitts/pitts.html>) of a
car coming into Downtown at the corner of Sixth and Penn. I don't think I
have seen the 22 Crosstown photo to which you refer.

I've inserted some commentary in John's message below ...

On Wed, 21 Nov 2001, John F Bromley wrote:
> Me again.  I'm looking at a negative of a 22 CROSSTOWN car turning
> left off a single track street into an unidentified street (all I can
> see of street sign is the "ST" part, also a curve right and of course
> a track straight ahead.  Behind the car is the Leow's Penn Theater
> (Clark Gable movie if anyone cares), behind is a line of PCCs the
> first of which is a 94 SHARPSBURG.

Let's get oriented. 6th and Penn. Sixth street comes in (kinda NW to SE,
call it N to S) from the bridge and the river and runs across Penn to
Liberty. Penn Avenue comes down to the Point from the NE to SW (call it E
to W).

If you stand at Liberty and Sixth, looking back (N) toward the river and
Fort Duquesne Way, on the right (E) there was a 5&10, an alley, the main
entrance and marquee to the theater, then the Mayflower Coffee Shop, and
Penn Avenue. Across Penn (still on the right) was the Roosevelt, Steeler's
offices, an alley, a White Tower, and the J.P. Harris and the Fulton
theaters.

Still at 6th and Liberty, on the left (W) were some businesses which I
think were the outside of Rosenbaum's department store and the Jenkins'
Arcade, then Penn. Across Penn (on the 6th-Penn corner) was a drugstore,
then a parking garage, Ft Duquesne Way, and the river.

The Penn actually had two marquees: The box office was on Sixth but there
was also a slightly smaller marquee over an exit on the Penn Avenue side,
right across the street from the Roosevelt.

On Wed, 21 Nov 2001, John F Bromley wrote:
> I'm guessing the 22 car is westbound on Penn at 6th and turning TOWARD
> the center of town but why would a 22 car be there - didn't they come
> straight in over 6th St?  This one would have had to come from the
> north side via either 7th or 9th St to be making this turn.  there are
> other photos taken on 6th ST between Fort Duquesne and Penn on the
> same day, no track work to cause a diversion.  Date is August 2, 1947,
> a Friday.

If the car is westbound on Penn, turning left (S) on Sixth, the 6th Street
marquee would be ahead or over the car and the Penn marquee would be to
the rear of the car -- if the picture was taken from the drugstore corner.
If that is the case, then it came in 7th or 9th. I don't remember either a
left (E-W to N-S) or a right (E-W to S-N) from Penn to Sixth -- but I was
there 15 years AFTER the photo. 

But, let's assume it came across the 6th Street Bridge and is not
westbound at Sixth and Penn but rather southbound at Sixth and Liberty. It
would be turning left (E) onto Liberty toward the Fifth Avenue-Liberty
intersection. You would be able to see the Penn's 6th Street marquee over
the car and to the right. Foreshortening with a long lens might create the
effect of making that marquee look close. And it was a BIG marquee. Each
letter was white glass in a green metal carrier about 12"x18" high. What
makes this one hard on my memory is the "and of course a track straight
ahead." I can't think of why there would be that trackage at Sixth and
Liberty since the flow would be up Liberty to Fifth Avenue or down Liberty
to the Point.

I like this stuff. Sorry.



> 
> Confirmation?  Suggestions?
> 
> 

---
 Carl Zager		MCCSC Instructional Technology Coordinator
 czager at mccsc.edu	http://www.mccsc.edu/~czager/