The city of Pittsburgh started at the intersection of three rivers and has grown into neighborhoods and boroughs that radiate from the point. While the landscape of rivers and hills is striking, Pittsburgh is also home to some impressive architecture. In many neighborhoods, you can find examples of historic architecture and modern design, often in the same block.

We’ve recently published two stories highlighting some of the architecture and art in Downtown and Oakland. Both of these neighborhoods are home to some of the most interesting architecture of the region.

If you are interested in learning more about the architecture of Pittsburgh, here are some books to add to your reading list.

You can see an Amazon wish list of all of these books here. Know of another book that should be included on this list? Please let us know. Send an email to [email protected].

Books about Pittsburgh architecture

Buildings of Pittsburgh

• Author: Franklin Tolker
• Year: 2007
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

Pittsburgh Architecture in the Twentieth Century: Notable Modern Buildings and Their Architects

• Author: Albert M. Tannler
• Year published: 2013
• SHOP: Amazon

H.H. Richardson’s Allegheny County Courthouse & Jail Guidebook

• Author: Albert M. Tannler
• Year published: 2016
• SHOP: Amazon

Landmark Architecture: Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

• Author: Walter C. Kidney
• Year published: 1985
• SHOP: Amazon

Imagining the Modern: Architecture and Urbanism of the Pittsburgh Renaissance

• Author: Rami el Samahy, Chris Grimley, Michael Kubo
• Year published: 2019
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

https://www.facebook.com/PittsburghCityPaper/posts/10157175053587881

Pittsburgh’s Mansions

• Author: Melanie Linn Gutowski
• Year published: 2013
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

The Early Architecture Of Western Pennsylvania

• Author: Charles Morse Stotz
• Year published: 1995
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

Books about Pittsburgh bridges

Pittsburgh’s Bridges: Architecture and Engineering

• Author: Walter C. Kidney
• Year published: 1999
• SHOP: AbeBooks.com, Amazon

Engineering Pittsburgh: A History of Roads, Rails, Canals, Bridges and More

• Author: ASCE Pittsburgh Section 100th Anniversary Publication Committee
• Year published: 2018
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

Books about Pittsburgh cemeteries

Father Pitt’s Pittsburgh Cemeteries: The Art and Architecture of Death

• Author: Father Pitt
• Year published: 2014
• SHOP: AbeBooks.com, Amazon

Allegheny Cemetery: A Romantic Landscape in Pittsburgh

• Author: Walter C. Kidney
• Year published: 1990
• SHOP: Amazon

Allegheny Cemetery

• Author: Lisa Speranza & Nancy Foley
• Year published: 2016
• SHOP: Bookshop.org, Amazon

More stories about Pittsburgh architecture…

• Before it was home to the Allegheny County Health Department, this building was the Croatian Fraternal Union; we take a look at the significance of this building’s architecture.
• A not so brief history of The Original Hot Dog Shop, an Oakland landmark for decades, which closed in 2020.
• Hidden houses. We talk to historian and archivist Charles Succop about some of the houses that are hidden behind a neighborhood.
• Buried bridges. Take a listen to our interview with historian Justin Greenawalt and learn more about a buried bridge and the history of the Pittsburgh potty.