[PRCo] Re: LEOW'S PENN THEATER

[John F Bromley]

Hi Carl

Thanks.  Ed Lybarger got it sorted out for me, I was right, Penn Av at 6th
St.  It is exactly as you say.  There's no connection to the photo - still
trying to figure out why a 22 was turning from Penn into 6th St when there
was no need to divert from 6th (at least no APPARENT need).

Thanks.

John.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Zager" <czager at mccsc.edu>
To: "Pittsburgh Railways Group" <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 3:09 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: LEOW'S PENN THEATER


>
> 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.
>