The History of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners.

The facility opened as the Stanley Theater on February 27, 1928. James Bly Clark, an early theater tycoon who assisted in the founding of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, financed the $3 million dollar project. The Stanley was billed as "Pittsburgh's Palace of Amusement."

In attendance on opening night were Governor John S. Fisher, Mayor Charles H. Kline and Adolph Zukor, president of Paramount Studios. Regular admission cost 65 cents—25 cents if you came before noon.

H.J. Heinz II focused his attention on the historic restoration of the Stanley Theater. This became the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's first project after its founding in 1984. The $43 million dollar restoration faithfully restored this cultural treasure to its 1928 glory.  

There are over 90 crystal chandeliers, torchieres and sconces in the theater, all but one are original. The Grand Lobby mirrors, marble and woodwork are all original. At the landing on each staircase in the Grand Lobby are 18-foot high original mirrors reminiscent of Versailles.

Originally built as the Gayety Theater, the Byham Theater opened on Halloween night, 1904. It ran for many years as one of the country's foremost stage and vaudeville houses, with appearances from such stars as Ethel Barymore, Gertrude Lawrence and Helen Hayes. 

The Gayety boasted pressed copper cherubs painted with a bronze patina, imitation gold leaf, stained glass windows, plaster columns and wainscot of scagolia, an Italian faux marble technique. The entry vestibule showcases the original mosaic tile floor.

In the 1930s, the theater was renamed The Fulton and became a full time movie theater. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust purchased the theater in 1990 and following the first of four planned phases of renovation, the Fulton was reopened in May 1991.

The second phase of renovations brought new restrooms, box office, marquee, an elevator, lobby improvements and facade changes. In 1997, the Cherub Lobby was restored to its original splendor. The third phase of renovation in 1999 updated the theater rigging and HVAC systems.

 The O'Reilly was created with two purposes: to create a downtown home for Public Theater and to create additional venues for theater, music and other performances. 

The O'Reilly Theater was built at a cost of $25 million.

Designed by world-renowned architect Michael Graves, the O'Reilly Theater is also the only downtown performance venue that features a thrust stage, surrounded by the audience on three sides. The theater features 650 seats and state-of-the-art theater technology.

Theater Square, designed by Michael Graves in collaboration with WTW Architects of Pittsburgh, is widely considered the heart of the Cultural District.

Theater Square is home to a centralized box office, a 790-space parking garage, the Greer Cabaret Theater, the Backstage Bar and Meat and Potatoes restaurant.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Agnes R. Katz Plaza is arguably one of the city’s most recognizable and lovely sites.

In addition to offering an urban oasis for the community, Agnes R. Katz Plaza is utilized by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for outdoor live performances including JazzLive, First Night, Festival of Lights and Gallery Crawl events.