The Gilded Age in Pittsburgh
Lifelong Learning | Registration opens 8/7/2025 9:00 AM EDT
Growth in heavy industry in Pittsburgh following the Civil War created a demand for labor. Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and later from the South flocked to Pittsburgh making it the 8th largest city in the US by the end of the century. While captains of industry amassed unheard of wealth in the era before income tax, most Pittsburghers experienced low wages and unhealthful living conditions. This richly illustrated course will explore conditions for all strata of society, technical innovation, architecture and planning, the boom and bust economy, politics, labor strife, and philanthropy.
Course Outline:
Week 1 Colonial Outpost to Industrial Giant
Week 2 Building a Greater Pittsburgh
Week 3 Two Strikes and a Flood
Week 4 The City Beautiful
Week 5 The Progressive Era and the Legacy of Philanthropy
Paul Tellers
Paul Tellers, RA is an architect and planner. He was the University Architect at Carnegie Mellon University, the Director of Planning at WTW Architects, Facilities Planning Director for a CUNY college in New York, and a Project Manager for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Paul’s community service included the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Oakland Task Force, Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission, Mt. Washington Community Development Corp., Mt. Lebanon Planning Board, and the Chatham Village Charitable Trust. Paul currently serves as a guide for historical Pittsburgh tours for Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Rivers of Steel, Doors Open Pittsburgh, and Bike the Burgh. Paul teaches lifelong learning courses at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Paul is a docent at the Carnegie Museum of Art and a member of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh.