Old Allegheny Market House
One block east of this site opposite Carnegie Library and facing Ober Park stood the Old Allegheny Market House built in 1863, the most famous market hall in the metropolitan area. It was a great square shell of brick filling an entire city block with a trussed roof of timber and iron that for a hundred years enclosed locally one of the immemorial functions of a city—the provision of food. Half Romanesque, half Italianate in style, it was a true architectural document of its time as well as the honored hub and landmark of the City of Allegheny. Even after the merger of Pittsburgh and Allegheny in 1907, it eminently retained its historic function and remained one of the most beloved buildings in Pittsburgh. Demolished in 1966 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh to make way for a highrise apartment house as part of the Allegheny Center Renewal Plan, its loss reminds us to be vigilant in the protection of of our historic resources.
This plaque was erected by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in September, 1977 with partial funding contributed by the Pittsburgh Hairdresser's Guild, and is dedicated to all those who patronized and loved the Market House.
Marker is on Children's Way east of West Commons, on the left when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
