Latest news with #HeinzHistoryCenter
CBS News
18-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
CEO of WQED says, "We are not going anywhere" amid federal funding cuts
He says they've been thinking about a path forward for a couple of years now. "We're going back to our roots in many ways by being very focused on the local community," Jedlinski said. Jedlinski says that means using the airwaves to platform content from that community. "Whether they be professional filmmakers, whether they be teachers – the Heinz History Center, Duquesne University," Jedlinski said. Focusing on local is something WQED did, nearly two decades before PBS. "We are standing in the birthplace of educational television," Jedlinski said. Of course, the station will continue relying on people's funding, but it always has. "The station began with 60,000 Pittsburghers giving two dollars," Jedlinski said. Now it's telling those Pittsburghers it's not going away as the station plans to keep beaming. "We are still here – we are not going anywhere," Jedlinski said.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves Heinz History Center expansion
The Heinz History Center is set to get bigger after the Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday approved an expansion plan. "People will have to pardon our dust, but expand we must," Heinz History Center president Andy Masich said. The plan is to convert a space of buildings along Penn Avenue, currently being demolished, into a new six-story wing. "The expansion will add another 92,000 square feet," Masich said. There will be a ground-floor plaza among the additions. "[It will include] Pittsburgh's official welcome center," Masich said. "A new café, classrooms, new gallery spaces and a 150-seat auditorium." A fourth-floor terrace will also be added. "The addition will allow us to do some outdoor activities as well," Masich said. It's the first major expansion here since 2004. "That was shortly after we affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution," Masich said. Masich says this expansion has been in the works for years. "History is more important today than ever before," he said. He says when all the work is finished, the center will be a "destination attraction." "We think that Pittsburgh deserves a world-class museum, and that's what we're after," Masich said. Masich didn't give KDKA-TV any specifics on how much the expansion will cost. He did say, however, that the expectation is for everything to be done by 2028.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Heinz History Center will give kids free admission after $11.5 million donation
Kids will be able to get into the Heinz History Center for free year-round thanks to a donation of $11.5 million. The history center on Tuesday announced the donation from Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin, the same couple behind the $65 million donation that will rename the Carnegie Science Center in their honor. Beginning Sept. 1, kids will be able to get into the Heinz History Center and Fort Pitt Museum for free. Right now, tickets are free for kids 5 and under and $11 for kids ages 6 to 17. Admission costs for school groups will also be covered. "Learning and understanding our history has never been more critical. We are proud to support the Heinz History Center and its important mission," Carole Kamin said in a news release. "Dan and I hope this gift helps to eliminate one barrier for families and schools alike, so they can explore our region's rich heritage and be inspired to make a difference." The contribution will help support the history center's expansion, which is slated to include a new orientation theater, classrooms and exhibition space. "Thanks to the leadership and generosity of Dan and Carole Kamin, kids from Western Pa. and beyond will have more access than ever before to the History Center's award-winning exhibitions and programs," said Howard W. "Hoddy" Hanna III, chairman of the history center's board of trustees. "As the History Center prepares to expand its footprint in the Strip District, this gift will help secure long-term sustainability for the museum and further position the History Center as a premier cultural attraction in Pittsburgh." The Kamin Family Foundation was born from a family-owned business that became the 38th largest developer in the nation, with properties in 45 states totaling nearly 17 million square feet. Daniel Kamin is a Shady Side Academy and University of Pennsylvania graduate whose philanthropic vision is fueled by his passion for science and history. Carole Kamin is involved in several charities across the Pittsburgh area and was recently named as a 2025 woman of influence by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
CBS News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Heinz History Center unveils new exhibit revealing rare, unseen artifacts
The Heinz History Center has unlocked its vault to reveal several rarely and never-before-seen objects. The new exhibit, "Pittsburgh's Hidden History," opened on April 26 and tells stories from Pittsburgh's past with a "thematic journey through artifacts, photographs, and documents that connect with our region's history," according to an accompanying news release. Visitors can explore objects from iconic Pittsburgh landmarks like The Original Hot Dog Shop, Primanti Bros., Kaufmann's, and Kennywood. The exhibit also features a getaway sleigh used in a shootout between the Pittsburgh police and the Biddle brothers following a prison break in 1902. The story of prisoners' escape became so famous that a film, "Mrs. Soffel," which starred Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton, was made that details how the inmates escaped the Allegheny County Jail with the help of Kate Soffel, the warden's wife. This new exhibit marks the first time the sleigh has been on public view in a Heinz History Center exhibit. The sleigh the Biddle brothers used to escape Pittsburgh police during a 1902 shootout. Photo Credit: Heinz History Center Other highlights in the exhibit include a "scary Pittsburgh" section, featuring dolls, clown masks, and the green Vampiress from Kennywood's now-shuttered dark ride, Le Cachot. Some of the oldest objects in the collection include an 18th-century key to Fort Duquesne and an unfinished flint tool unearthed at Meadowcroft Rockshelter that dates back 14,000 years. For the Pittsburgh sports fanatic, a 1910 Honus Wagner trading card and the green club jacket worn by Eric Springer, the first African-American member of Oakmont Country Club, are also on display. Throughout the exhibition run, the History Center will host a series of Hidden History Trivia Nights on select Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m., including May 15, June 12, July 10, Aug. 7, and Sept. 4. These special trivia nights are for guests ages 21 or older. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 5, 2025. More information about the exhibit, admission, and the select trivia night programs can be found at this link.
CBS News
25-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
After decades away, the iconic Isaly's is returning to Pittsburgh's Strip District next year
This region is known for some absolutely iconic brands - Heinz, U.S. Steel, and Iron City Beer. While some are still around, others have faded away over the years, but now, one of those iconic brands is coming back. Inside the Heinz History Center at the edge of the Strip District, you can see an entire Isaly's display, and now, it's coming back to life. The history center is also helping them do it authentically. The ladies of yesteryear chopped the chipped ham, it was 59 cents per pound, and of course, there were Klondike bars. People came in droves, decades ago, to the region's most famous deli. Now, it will reappear in a building up for lease at 2111 Penn Avenue. For Pittsburghers, it was a surprise to hear what was coming to the currently vacant building and their guesses were, let's say, a little off the mark. "Apartments?" Guessed Jeffrey Baker, but his tune changed when he found out what's soon to be in the Strip District. "I love it, man. My dad worked at Isaly's." Right now, the Heinz History Center is where you'd have to go to relive the iconic memories, but this time next year, the old pictures will become reality after Jim Conroy bought the entire Isaly's brand about 10 years ago. Now, working with the Heinz History Center and other resources, he made the decision to bring back the iconic deli and restaurant. They will also pay careful attention to the original brand, which to this day still lives strong all around the world. "I worked at The Decade in Oakland," said Irene Fine. "People whom I would go visit down in Florida would say, 'Bring down a case of Iron City and a chipped ham.'" The space will fit 50-70 people, and it will be right on Penn Avenue. If you want to follow the progress, the Isaly's brand has 25,000 followers on social media and their Facebook page, Isaly's Nation, will have updates. Saving the best for last, people will remember the iconic ice cream that they used to serve. When it returns to the Strip District, the original ice cream is coming back, as well.
