W+iD March 2023 Happy Hour

Meeting Place:

• Chatham Hall ( Formerly the Thomas J. Bigham House )
• Address: 655 Pennridge Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15211

Schedule:

• 5:30 pm: Meet at Chatham Hall for drinks, snacks and socializing
• 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Guided walking tour of Chatham Village
• 7:00 - 7:30 pm: Mingle at Chatham Hall to continue drinks, snacking and socializing

The one-hour outdoor walking tour will occur, rain or shine, please bring coats and umbrellas to suit the weather. The tour will include walking up and down some exterior steps. The tour will begin and end at Chatham Hall, 655 Pennridge Road, 15211. Free parking is available along Pennridge and Olympia Roads, please do not block driveways.

About Chatham Village:

Chatham Village is a 46-acre site with housing units for 216 families in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood, located less than two miles from city center. It was built as a project of the Buhl Foundation (1932, 1936,1956.) to provide a national example of high quality housing for middle class residents. Mostly built during the Great Depression, the masterplan was devised by New York city-based architects Clarence Stein and Henry Wright. The resulting planned community utilized the principles of the English Garden City Movement as a dense neighborhood of red brick rowhouses set around a series of large open landscaped courtyards. Pittsburgh architects Ingham and Boyd designed the buildings with the grounds designed by Pittsburgh landscape architects Ralph E. Griswold and Theodore M. Kohankie. The neighborhood was occupied from 1932 - 1960 as a rental community, it then became a Member-owned co-operative. The development was widely published and gained international recognition, it was awarded bronze plaques by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation in 1990, It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 2005.

Tour Leader:

David Vater is an architect and principle of his own design firm. He was born in Pittsburgh, obtained a Bachelor of Architecture Degree, from the University of Kentucky, 1977 and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Florida’s Preservation Institute on Nantucket Island, 1977. He is a long-time resident of Chatham Village, and a past President of its Board of Directors. He wrote the nominations which listed Chatham Village on the National Register and made it a National Historic Landmark. He has served as tour leader for numerous University, Professional and Historical groups.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sandler l Inspec (Donna Baran), Maharam Fabrics (Cynthia Noll) and Mohawk Group (Jennifer Prevade)