Exploring History

Barracks/Non-Commissioned Officers

At least two Barracks and one Non-Commissioned Officers building were used to house some of the military personnel who worked at the Arsenal. The buildings appear to have been similar in style. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of officers lived in the Arsenal at various times during the nearly 100 years the facility was garrisoned. This photo and detailed drawings show what the Barracks along 39th Street looked like in 1934. The Non-Commissioned Officers building can be seen in the background on the right side of the photograph.

Mess Hall

The Mess Hall was where the soldiers would eat their meals. Officers may have eaten in a separate area from the soldiers. The Mess Hall was three-stories tall and had a four-story clock tower centrally located on the side of the building that faced the Parade Ground. These photos show what the Mess Hall looked like in ca. 1900 to 1910.

Workshops

The U.S. Army used the Arsenal as a storage and manufacturing facility for gun carriages, horse and infantry equipment, and ammunition for almost 100 years. During that time, many changes occurred within the facility, often due to advancements in technology. New buildings were added and others were demolished. Buildings that were built for a specific purpose were remodeled for new uses. Even with all the changes, the manufacturing core of the Arsenal always remained located in the northwestern corner of the facility along 40th Street and the river. The manufacturing core was occupied by a cluster of one- and two-story brick Workshops and related buildings. At one time, these buildings included a Machine Shop, a Carriage Shop, a Boiler House, a Smith Shop, a Foundry, a Paint Shop, and a Storehouse. The Machine Shop was where they made or repaired various components of equipment and ammunition. The Carriage House was where they made gun carriages. Heavy artillery, like cannons, were mounted onto the carriages to make it easier to maneuver them around a battlefield. The Boiler House was in the same building as the Smith Shop and Foundry. The Boiler House provided the steam for various processes that were being done in the Smith Shop and Foundry. The Smith Shop was where they manufactured or repaired metal parts. The Foundry was where metal was melted into various shapes, like cannonballs. The Paint Shop was where they applied special protective coatings and finishes to the carriages and other equipment to increase their lifespan. The Storehouse was where they stored and distributed various nonfood-related supplies. Items like nails, paint, and tools needed for the construction and maintenance of the facility could have been stored in the Storehouse. These photos show what the Machine Shop, Carriage Shop, and Boiler House looked like in 1934. These detailed drawings show what the Machine Shop and Boiler House looked like in 1934.

World War I

1917-1918

World War I (WWI) began in 1914 but the United States did not become directly involved until 1917. In that same year, plans were made for two one-story brick fireproof buildings to be constructed within the former Arsenal to be used as warehouse space for the U.S. Army. Captain John M. Taylor was in charge of the work and the construction contract was awarded to the Austin Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Work on the buildings began in December 1917 and was completed by July 1918. WWI ended four months later. The warehouses were placed within the former Parade Ground and required demolition of the Mess Hall. This significantly altered the cultural landscape of the facility. Local Pittsburgher’s sometimes associate these warehouses with the Arsenal. The buildings did occupy a large amount of space within the grounds but they never functioned as part of the Arsenal. This historic map from 1920 and this historic aerial photograph from 1939 show how large the buildings were compared to the rest of the facility. This recent photograph shows what the warehouses looked like in 2016 before most of them were demolished. As of 2025, one small segment of the warehouses remains along 40th Street.

Parade Ground

Alleghany Arsenal

The Parade Ground was used for drills, training, ceremonies, and public events. The park-like setting with grassy areas surrounded by large shade trees and ornamental plantings was located in the residential part of the Arsenal. A wide pathway ran all the way around the perimeter of the Parade Ground. There was a circular fountain at the center and a flagpole near one end. This historic map shows what the Parade Ground looked like in 1890. This historic photograph shows what the circular fountain looked like in ca. 1905.

40th Street Bridge

Washington Crossing Bridge 1924

The 40th Street Bridge (Washington Crossing Bridge) was constructed in 1924 across the Allegheny River to provide a connection to Lawrenceville. A small part of the Arsenal was needed to make room for the approach spans and several of the old Arsenal buildings had to be demolished. The location of the bridge was selected to commemorate the place where Major George Washington and his guide, Christopher Gist, crossed the Allegheny River and nearly drowned in December of 1753. Washington had been dispatched to the area on a special mission to confer with the French. The 40th Street Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a total of 15 spans, including the three riveted, open spandrel steel deck arch main spans that are supported by massive Classical/Art Deco style concrete piers. Plaques on the railing represent the 13 original colonies. The bridge combines art and science having been designed by Architect Benno Janssen and engineered by Chief Engineer Charles Stratton Davis. This historic photograph shows what the bridge looked like soon after it was built in 1924. This full-page newspaper article from The Pittsburgh Post celebrates the opening of the bridge in December 1924.

Howard Heinz Warehouses

1926-1946

In 1926, the federal government sold the northern portion of the Arsenal property at auction, including 16 acres and 20 buildings, to Howard Heinz. Heinz was then President of the H. J. Heinz Company, a food processing company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh. Heinz used the two existing warehouses that were built during World War I for general storage and he leased the other buildings on the property for use as dwellings or shops. By 1946, the Heinz family had sold the property to the Arsenal Terminal Warehouse. This newspaper article from 1926 shows a picture of the men involved in the Heinz purchase of the Arsenal. The purchase price of $819,000 is roughly equivalent to $14,925,000 in 2025.

Pittsburgh Storage & Supply Depot

Alleghany Arsenal 1906-1908

In 1906, the Army decided that the Arsenal was no longer needed for manufacturing and storage so it was briefly transformed into a supply depot under the Quartermaster’s Department. The Quartermaster was responsible for gathering and supplying any kind of metal or wood material that the Army needed. There were eight depots scattered across the United States that sent supplies to Army posts all over the world. Even though major upgrades were planned at this facility, hardly any were completed because the Depot only occupied the Arsenal for a few years. The Depot was led by Captain Frank A. Grant, who had served with the Utah Light Artillery in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Philippine Insurrection that followed in 1899. This undated historic photo shows new signage for the Depot painted onto the Guard House. (At that time, Pittsburgh was spelled without the letter ‘h’ on the end.)

Commandant's Quarters

Alleghany Arsenal

The Commandant of the Arsenal and his family were provided with their own separate house in the residential part of the facility. The term ‘Commandant’ is no longer used by the Army but was once the title given to the person in charge of a military installation. The Commandant did not necessarily need to hold a certain rank but was generally a Colonel or higher. Colonel A. R. Wooly was the very first Commandant of the Arsenal and he oversaw the initial construction activities that begin in 1814. Captain Edward Harding was the Commandant of the Arsenal in 1850. Harding lived in the Commandant’s Quarters with his wife, Nancy, and their four children. The family had several live-in staff members, including two servants and a coachman. Harding passed away in 1855. More extensive research is needed to determine the names of other Commandant’s who were in charge of the Arsenal. These photos and drawings show what the Commandant’s Quarters looked like in 1934. There is also a drawing that shows the Commandant’s Quarters as originally planned in 1814 by the famous architect Benjamin Latrobe. As designed, the building had a grand entrance and a massive dining room with a vaulted ceiling. The kitchen and pantry area had its own entrance and was separated from the main house by a wide hallway. As built, the building was less grand but it did contain special design elements, such as decorative plaster cornices and center pieces on the ceilings.