Westinghouse Park, Point Breeze North: 7051 Thomas Boulevard
On the surface, Westinghouse Park looks pretty ordinary: walking paths, a small playground and shelter, and assorted stone slab walls and city steps. But this space is unique in that what cannot be seen is almost as important as what can.
In 1914, when George and Marguerite Westinghouse died, there were no specific instructions regarding the disposition of their Pittsburgh estate, known as Solitude. As a result, the property passed to their only child, George Westinghouse III, who lived in California with his family.
George sold the estate to the Western Pennsylvania Engineering Society in 1918, and the Society, in turn, turned the deed over to the City. The transfer stipulated that the mansion be demolished and the land be used as a public park in memory of Westinghouse. All contents and building materials were promptly sold and the remains imploded and buried.
As a result, the underground tunnel leading to Westinghouse’s private lab, located under the stables, remained untouched. Maybe people knew about it, or maybe not. Either way, its presence was forgotten until 2005, when archaeologists uncovered the 220-foot-long brick-lined passage, which was still in remarkably good condition.
During his life, Westinghouse was awarded over 360 patents, and his creativity and intellect changed the course of world history. It does not surprise me that the tunnel was constructed with the utmost care and stability. And while I’m disappointed that a lack of “estate planning” led to the demolition of a Gilded Age mansion, perhaps the tunnel led to Westinghouse’s true home and the solitude necessary for his life’s work.
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