Martin Aurand, former architecture librarian and archivist at Carnegie Mellon University, will speak about Walter L. Roberts, who labored to attain and preserve a foothold in a city and professional culture that largely excluded him. This talk traces his training at Carnegie Tech, his work in New York City, where he helped plan the 1939 World's Fair, and his post-World War II career in Pittsburgh. As head of his own firm, Roberts was an accomplished designer whose buildings, including the Westinghouse Electric Vehicle Plant and the Hill House Center, embodied modern architectural materials, technology and practice and were conceived to benefit the inner city communities. His efforts and example as an architect, mentor and citizen staked a claim on the future for lives like his.
The East Liberty Valley Historical Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising public awareness of and encouraging scholarship about the history of the neighborhoods of the East Liberty Valley, including East Liberty, Garfield, Stanton Heights, Shadyside, Lincoln-Lemington, Larimer, Highland Park, Morningside, Friendship, Homewood-Brushton, Belmar and Point Breeze. This talk is free -- donations will be accepted to support this and other Historical Society talks.