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Often Forgotten But Usually Fascinating: The Tales Behind Pittsburgh's Most 'Storied' Old Buildings

Pittsburgh’s Gilded Age skyscrapers often pale in height and granduer to their modern-day cousins, but the tycoons behind them do not. 

Credit Joe Appel / Courtesy of Mark Houser
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Courtesy of Mark Houser
Mark Houser is a columnist and historian who frequently appears in Pittsburgh Magazine.

Historian and columnist Mark Houser digs into the stories of these century-old wonders and the characters who built them for his monthly Pittsburgh Magazine series “MultiStories.” Houser shares a few of his favorites ahead of a free Pittsburgh History & Landmarks event in Wilkinsburg at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Explore more in his recent TEDx Talk debunking a common myth in Pittsburgh’s bridge lore or bring him along through a free audio walking tour Downtown.

Later in the program, 90.5 WESA's Bill O'Driscoll talks to journalist Brittany Hailer about her debut memoir. The new work confronts her upbringing as the child of two addicts, as well as her own sexual traumas as an adult.

And in part two of WESA's new Dividing Lines education series, reporter Margaret J. Krauss explores how discriminatory housing practices of the past exacerbated segregation, and are still affecting Pittsburgh Public students today.

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.

Kiley Koscinski covers city government, policy and how Pittsburghers engage with city services. She also works as a fill-in host for All Things Considered. Kiley has previously served as a producer on The Confluence and Morning Edition.
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