Heinz History Center

The Heinz History Center is located in the Strip District. It is in a beautiful renovated building that was once the old Chautauqua Lake Ice Company building. The Center, which is named after the late Senator John Heinz, is the largest history museum in Pennsylvania.

The building itself is impressive…six floors, archways and arch windows and throughout the building. I consider it one of those historical beautiful renovated building. The Center is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. It is the perfect place to chronicle the history of the H.J. Heinz Company, a showcase to special collections of 3,000 artifacts, illustrating the rich ethnic history of the Pittsburgh region, including a sports museum to a number of famous Pennsylvania players and coaches of all sports. It also celebrated the achievement of the famous Pittsburghers and Pennsylvanians. But mostly, it is a tribute to the career of Senator John Heinz, a well-loved politician, who was killed in a plane crash, and philanthropist.

The Heinz Center is a wonderful place to visit for any history or sports bull, along with impressing out of town visitors. There are five floors of exhibits, and the sixth floor is a library and archive.

I went to see the exhibit this past week with my daughter. I love the old trolley that is on the first floor with other modes of transportation throughout the centuries. The other floors housed a special exhibit on slavery, and the history of the Heinz Company. Another floor was the excellent and permanent collection of multitude of sports memorabilia and a salute to the Pennsylvanian athletes. There was a special exhibit of Burton Morris art.

Some of the collections change from time to time and others are permanent. But this is one place to visit with your family or take out ones out of town visitors. Plus there is The Strip that also offers a wonderful setting for the Museum.