Identity & Community

Pittsburghers Pack Downtown For City's 200th Birthday

90.5 WESA | By Noah Brode

Published March 18, 2016 at 5:14 PM EDT

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Locals packed the City-County Building downtown to ring in the city's 200th birthday.

Noah Brode / 90.5 WESA

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The original city charter, which is 200 years old, was on display at the City-County Building.

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An old U.S. Steel company map of the "Vicinity of Pittsburgh."

Noah Brode / 90.5 WESA

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A map shows the dates that Pittsburgh annexed various neighboring regions.

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A portrait of Pittsburgh's first mayor Ebenezer Denny.

Noah Brode / 90.5 WESA

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Two wiener dogs, Mowgli and Porter, dressed as hotdogs as part of the Heinz Company exhibit at the celebration.

Noah Brode / 90.5 WESA

City leaders met to ring in Pittsburgh’s 200th birthday Friday.

That’s when Pittsburgh went from a borough, to a city.

The very long, somewhat narrow Great Hall of the City-County Building downtown was packed with people of all ages for Incorporation Day.

The mayor and city councilors, who hold those titles thanks to the incorporation, were joined by other elected officials, history buffs and city residents.

“One hundred years ago today, Mayor Armstrong placed the cornerstone of a new building on Grant Street, that was a new building that worked between the city and the county – the City-County Building that we’re standing in today,” Mayor Bill Peduto told the crowd.

Peduto is the 60th mayor of Pittsburgh. The first was Ebenezer Denny, whose sixth-generation grandson was also in attendance Friday.

There are more than 200 events scheduled for the bicentennial celebration this year, with many being held at the neighborhood level. The Heinz History Center will also hold a “Birthday Party” in July.