“Legacies in Stone & Steel” - Mark Houser &the Stories of Skyscrapers That Define Downtown
Written by Molly Green
Mark Houser is not only an acclaimed author, professional speaker, and an expert on America’s first skyscrapers. Houser, a Pittsburgh native himself, is also the number one fan of Pittsburgh’s robust collection of antique skyscrapers.
When I met with Houser, I first wanted to ask the obvious question: Why skyscrapers? Houser asserts, “Pittsburgh is full of great old skyscrapers and the stories of the people behind them.” Houser wants Pittsburgh to appreciate not only their architectural grandeur but also their historical, cultural, and personal value. Though seldom in the literal sense, skyscrapers have long been overlooked. Although, to many of us, skyscrapers are nothing more than freakishly tall buildings we pass on our way to work, they offer a multitude of stories. This punny point is made clear in Houser’s first book, MultiStories (2020).
MultiStories takes readers on a tour through some of the most magnificent skyscrapers across the U.S. Most importantly, though, it tells the origin stories crafted by architects and powerful business leaders who transformed cities as we know them.
Downtown Pittsburgh has a particularly impressive array of skyscrapers. In our conversation, Houser wanted to acknowledge the little known fact that Pittsburgh has more skyscrapers designed by Daniel Burnham, an exceptional architect and urban designer known for the famed Flatiron Building, than even New York City. His favorite Pittsburgh antique skyscraper is the Arrott Building, built in 1902 for James Arrott, who was known as the “Bathtub King of Pittsburgh.” It is on Fourth Avenue, once known as the "Wall Street of Pittsburgh," and you can read its story at GoFourthPittsburgh.org, which highlights the people and places of the historic avenue and is being expanded currently to include Dollar Bank and other historic buildings.
Process and passion are equally important to Houser. His process includes research, such as digging up old newspaper recordings, and exploration, like travelling the country touring every skyscraper in sight. However, learning, writing, and speaking about skyscrapers would be impossible without passion. Said passion fueled Houser’s most recent book, Highrises Art Deco (2023), a collaboration with Chris Hytha, an artist and recent architecture graduate. According to Houser, the two of them make an excellent team, for they each have “a deep appreciation of the craftsmanship and character of these buildings that define these cities even still today.” Dozens of skyscraper art canvases and histories from their Highrises Collection are on display at the Benedum-Trees Gallery at 223 Fourth Ave., open Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. See here for more information.
In addition to the gallery, Houser engages the Pittsburgh community with his Rooftop Tours, which over 2,000 people have attended. His next tours will be May 10-11, 2025. You can learn more and grab your tickets at HouserTalks.com. This website also leads to Houser’s books, projects, talks, socials, and much more.
Houser affirms, “[Skyscrapers], more than anything else, define a city.” An understanding of how the buildings got here allows us to appreciate the people of the past, and the present, who breathe life into Downtown’s historic skyscrapers.
