Friends of the Zeiss
Telephone:
412-561-7876
Electronic
Mail: < friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc
>
Internet
Web Site: < http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org
>
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: 2005 July 26
For more information -- Glenn A. Walsh:
Daytime:
E-Mail < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Evening:
Telephone 412-561-7876
DESIGNATES BUHL PLANETARIUM A
HISTORIC LANDMARK
Pittsburgh, July 26 – In a unanimous vote, this morning Pittsburgh City
Council approved legislation declaring that the original Buhl Planetarium and
Institute of Popular Science building is a City
Designated Historic Structure; the vote came at precisely 11:24:17 a.m.
EDST. This is the culmination of a six-month process, for the historic
designation of this well known Pittsburgh landmark, begun by city resident Jon
Wilson Smith on behalf of Friends of the Zeiss.
This designation approval comes
within an hour of the successful return to space of
The Buhl Planetarium and
Ø First planetarium projector placed
on an elevator, to increase flexibility in the Theater of the Stars;
Ø First planetarium theater which
included a permanent theatrical stage;
Ø First planetarium theater (and,
perhaps, first theater) to install a
special sound system specifically for the hearing impaired—remember, this was
in 1939 !;
Ø First publicly-owned building in
the City (and, possibly, the State) constructed with air-conditioning;
Ø First permanent Siderostat
Telescope specifically designed for public use;
Ø First regional Science Fair for school students
(from 26 counties in
Additionally,
for more than 53 years, Buhl Planetarium housed an exhibit that was considered
the largest Mercator’s Projection Map in the world! And, the Zeiss II
Planetarium Projector, which operated as the primary educational instrument of
The Buhl Planetarium and
(More – Next Page)
News Release: City Council Designates Buhl
Planetarium Historic Landmark
2005
July 26 Page 2
of 2
Designation
as a City Designated Historic Structure, which was first proposed in 1989
(Buhl Planetarium’s 50th anniversary), would mean that the Buhl
Planetarium building cannot be demolished, or the exterior altered, without
approval of the Old Allegheny
Post Office and the Allegheny Regional Branch of The Carnegie Library of
Pittsburgh, both buildings beside Buhl Planetarium on the North Side, are
already City Designated Historic Structures.
Such designation does not protect the interior of the building, or
furnishings, equipment, or artifacts in the building, nor does any law exist
for their protection. Nor does designation require that the owner or lessee
continue operations in the building. The Buhl Planetarium building is owned by
the City of
To reach City Council for the final vote today, the process required that
the historic nomination go through five public hearings: three before the
Historic Review Commission and one, each, before the City Planning Commission
and City Council. Either by verbal or written testimony, 48 people testified in
favor of the historic nomination, at the five public hearings; no one testified
in opposition to the proposal. Consequently, both the Historic Review
Commission and City Planning Commission, unanimously, recommended that City
Council approve the designation proposal.
And, at the first public hearing in February, both the Pittsburgh History
and Landmarks Foundation and the Children’s
The public can read more about this historic
nomination, including viewing the historic nomination application in its
entirety, by going to either of these Internet web sites:
< http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org
> or < http://www.planetarium.cc >
Created in 2002,
Friends of the Zeiss is a non-profit organization working to preserve the
history and heritage of the building, equipment, and artifacts of
--30
–
Glenn A. Walsh
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Internet, World Wide Web Sites -
History of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science,
History of The Adler Planetarium and
< http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
History of Astronomer and Optician John A. Brashear:
< http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
History of Andrew Carnegie and Carnegie Libraries:
< http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
The Duquesne Incline, historic cable car railway,
