History of The Pickering Building
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Built in the late 1800’s The Pickering Building was first home to Pickering’s – Greater Pittsburgh’s Greatest Furniture and Carpet Store. The property was built during the years Downtown was being rebuilt as a modern business district.
Advertised as “Greater Pittsburgh’s Greatest Furniture and Carpet Store”, it filled 6 floors and the basement with quality home goods. To celebrate their grand opening in the new location Pickering’s held a pie eating contest on Penn Avenue where cable cars could be found carrying people up and down the street. Thousands came to witness the spectacle. As the Pickering’s name and business grew, they expanded the building by erecting and adjoining a nine-story building in 1912. By 1914, they needed more space, so more floors were added to the adjoining building. |
The home goods store was a Pittsburgh mainstay for more than 60 years when it closed its doors in 1931. Ghost signs for Pickering’s can still be found today on the sides of brick buildings throughout Pittsburgh.
Unlike many buildings in the Cultural District, The Pickering Building is unique because from the exterior it looks like two buildings side-by-side, one 6 stories and one 12, but on the inside the two buildings are seamlessly connected.
Unlike many buildings in the Cultural District, The Pickering Building is unique because from the exterior it looks like two buildings side-by-side, one 6 stories and one 12, but on the inside the two buildings are seamlessly connected.
Link to Post Gazette article featuring The Pickering Building: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/art-architecture/2021/01/24/960-Penn-Pickerings-furniture-store-Downtown-Pittsburgh/stories/202101060120
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