Syria Mosque: Difference between revisions

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Line 1: The '''Syria Mosque''' was a performance venue, located in the [[Oakland (Pittsburgh)\|Oakland]] neighborhood of [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. Constructed in 1912,<ref>[http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/chronology/chronology_driver.pl?searchtype=ybrowse&year=1912&start_line=0 Historic Pittsburgh 1912]</ref> it was designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060929205428/www.phlf.org/news/essays/eclectic/ch1/index.html Internet Archive, Walter C. Kidney, Dressed for the Occasion: On Electicism, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, accessdate 2008-07-25]</ref> Constructed in 1912,<ref>[http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/chronology/chronology_driver.pl?searchtype=ybrowse&year=1912&start_line=0 Historic Pittsburgh 1912]</ref> it was designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060929205428/www.phlf.org/news/essays/eclectic/ch1/index.html Internet Archive, Walter C. Kidney, Dressed for the Occasion: On Electicism, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, accessdate 2008-07-25]</ref> Located along [[Bigelow Boulevard]], over the years it held numerous events, mainly highlighted by concerts of the [[Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra]] and numerous internationally recognized music performers, such as [[Buddy Holly]] (4 times in 1957-1958), [[Sam Cooke]], [[Dionne Warwick]], and [[Solomon Burke]] in 1963,<ref>Jay Warner, ''On This Day in Black Music History'' (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):125.</ref> [[Bob Dylan]] in 1966, [[The Who]] in 1969, [[The Allman Brothers Band]] in 1971, [[Carly Simon]] in 1972, [[Pink Floyd]] in 1972, [[Frank Zappa]] in 1974, [[Genesis (band)\|Genesis]] in 1976, [[Count Basie]]'s final public performance in 1983, and [[Winger]] in 1989. Several political rallies were held at the center, including stops by presidents [[Harry S. Truman]] in 1944, 1952, [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in 1958, [[Richard Nixon]] in 1952, and the announcement of [[Henry A. Wallace]] that he would be a candidate in 1947. Longtime [[Pittsburgh Mayor\|mayor]], political boss, and [[Governor of Pennsylvania\|governor]], [[David L. Lawrence]], made his last public appearance at a rally here in 1966. On January 11, 1949, from 8:30pm to 11pm [[Eastern Standard Time Zone\|EST]], [[KDKA-TV]] (then WDTV and part of the [[DuMont Television Network]]) began its initial broadcast-on its "network" of Pittsburgh and 13 other cities on a [[coaxial cable]] feed from [[Boston]] to [[St. Louis]]. The program began with a one-hour local show broadcast from Syria Mosque, then finished with 90 minutes from [[American Broadcasting Company\|ABC]], [[Columbia Broadcasting System\|CBS]], [[National Broadcasting Company\|NBC]], and DuMont, featuring stars such as [[Arthur Godfrey]], [[Milton Berle]], DuMont host Ted Steele, and many other celebrities. On January 11, 1949, history was made at the venue as what would become [[KDKA-TV]] began its intial broacast--the first "networked" television program with shows from both the east coast and mid-west. The two year old [[Pittsburgh Ballet Theater]] opened its first season as a professional organization at the Syria Mosque in 1970.