Calvary United Methodist Church
Located on Allegheny Ave. in Pittsburghs North Side neighborhood, the Calvary United Methodist Church was built in 1893 by some of Pittsburghs wealthiest families. Noted industrialists Charles Scaife and James Verner, and Horne Dry Goods Company business associates Durbin Horne and C.B. Shea were prominent members of the building committee. The church is constructed in the shape of a cross with 2 spires, one rising to a height of 175 feet. The exterior is elaborately decorated with buttresses, louvers, spired pinnacles and gargoyles. Geometric designs, St. Andrews Crosses, and angelic faces are carved into the Cleveland bluestone. The architects, Vrydagh and Shepard from Kansas City, and Thomas B. Wolfe from Pittsburgh, captured the strong Gothic spirit and adapted it to the Victorian taste for ornate detail. The church is best known for its magnificent stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, which many consider to be his finest work. The largest of the windows, know as the Ascention window , contains 8,268 pieces of layered glass in 52 panels spread out over 341 sq. feet. The church still serves the local community as a place of worship, youth programs, site for weddings, and venue for the arts.
See http://www.calvarymethodistpittsburgh.org for more information.
|
