The Pittsburgh area is noted for a number of concrete arch bridges with unusually long span From 1881 to 1882, Westinghouse patented 18 inventions in switch and signal control. During this time, Thomas Edison had urged the widespread use of direct current (DC). The long-distance transmission of AC power was now a proven reality. Click on the Yearbooks below to view a copy Online at Classmates.com. Instead, Westinghouse, with a Hail Mary pass, went for the main chance. Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Statement, About the Literary and Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania, Proposing New Biographies or Feature Articles, >http://www.bookrags.com/George_Westinghouse#brcopybox>. Begun in 1939 as the Pittsburgh Opera Society with performances at Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh Opera is the seventh oldest company in the United States and draws on a rich legacy of music-making. Two years later, Westinghouse persuaded his parents to allow him to re-enlist in the war, this time with the Sixteenth Regiment, New York Cavalry, in 1863. Statements|PSU Hotlines|Accessibility. While we But he was a prolific inventor in energy too, pioneering the natural gas technology that powers US today, and demonstrating hydropower's utility by powering Buffalo, NY through Niagara Falls. Point Breeze (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Mansions--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh. The design of the memorial shows a strong Beaux-Arts influence, reflecting Hornbostel and Wood's training at the cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, while also incorporating modern elements like the depiction of contemporary peoplea student and two industrial workersin place of classical figures. [4] At times, the statue has been vandalized by spray paint. George Westinghouse Jr. married Marguerite Erskine Walker in 1867, and the couple relocated from New York to Pittsburgh in 1868, purchasing the home they named "Solitude" in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Westinghouse Electric Corporation Photographs, Detre Library & Archives at the Heinz History Center. This includes the backdrop of oak leaves visible through the openings in each panel, which are revealed as a series of fully sculpted trees when viewed from the rear. the older Tunkhannock Viaduct far exceeds the length of this bridge. Americas greatest inventor Thomas Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park was bringing forth a stunning series of improvements to the telegraph and the telephone, along with the invention of the phonograph, all laying the foundation for his invention of the incandescent light bulb. Unfortunately, weeks before the fair opened, Westinghouse lost a patent case with GE denying them the use of the GE incandescent bulb. The proposal called for a mind-numbing 100,000 horsepower of generating capacity, exceeding all the central station capacity then installed. Alumni from GWHS can use this site to get in touch with old friends from their high school in PA. You can share memories of those activities that you were involved with at George Westinghouse HS and you can view other alumni and read what other former students have posted about the time they spent . Married in 1867 at 20, the Westinghouses died three months apart in 1914, after 47 years of marriage. The power was stepped up and then stepped down to 440 volts and delivered at first to Buffalo streetcars and then throughout the city. To pursue this enormous project, an East Coast financial syndicate capitalized the Cataract Construction Company in late 1899, with $2,630,000. Acting as third assistant engineer for the USS Muscoota, Westinghouse supported the Union cause until the end of the war, at which time he returned to his home in Schenectady. At the early age of fifteen, Westinghouse began his legacy of technological development through his first inventiona rotary engine in 1861. He was only 15 when the Civil War broke out in 1861 but enlisted in the New York National Guard. the big three rivers. In 1883, Westinghouse became interested in natural gas. By 1907 sales had reached $35 million, equivalent to $700 million today. And, with Homewood Station immediately adjacent, he had access to fast transportation both around the city and across the country. The building not only has a deep connection to Pittsburgh's storied past - it was built as George Westinghouse's original air brake factory in 1869 - but gives Pittsburgh Opera a bright future. Subject ; Westinghouse, George, 1846-1914. Electricity also captivated him. Westinghouse saw the potential for electricity and formed the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1884. Some parts of the landscape, like the pond, predate the memorial itself, while others were added during and after construction. Consciously or unconsciously, he pretty much scuttled any attempt to produce a readable or interesting biography, quite necessary to keep his reputation alive and in the public mind. He doubled the size of his estate with the purchase of an adjacent five-acre parcel across McPherson Boulevard in 1879, giving him the entire block between Thomas Boulevard and the tracks. The Society transferred the deed to the City of Pittsburgh for a token dollar in 1918 on the condition the property would become a public park and a memorial to Westinghouses memory. Westinghouse installed test turbines in the Pittsburgh plant and by 1900 he had installed similar units in Hartford, Connecticut. With this in place, power plants would have needed to be constructed every couple of miles apartan extremely ineffective situation. This bridge is apparently officially named the "George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge" even though the pillars at the ends of this bridge read simply "George Westinghouse Bridge." Nearby was the famous Westinghouse Electric Corporation East Pittsburgh Works, which is now an industrial park. A few hundred feet later, with a roar, came a flaming blast of gas along with tools and the casing head. After six months of twists and turns, including purloined Westinghouse blueprints that found their way to GE and a futile attempt on the part of the Cataract Company to design its own generators, by October of 1893 Westinghouse had the contract. Soon after that, however, he decided to join the Union army in the Civil War in that same year. In addition to the corporation bearing his name, he has many other namesakes: the George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge in East Pittsburgh, that carries Route 30 over the Turtle Creek Valley; Westinghouse High School, a Pittsburgh Public School located in Homewood; the Westinghouse Memorial in Schenley Park; Westinghouse Park in Point Breeze; and . He developed other important railroad equipment, including devices for an automatic signaling and switching system that further improved safety and efficiency, and led to another Westinghouse company, Union Switch and Signal, established in 1881. Westinghouse & Co. still stood many years later alongside the main gate at General Electrics mammoth Schenectady works. All Rights Reserved. The railroad was his primary customer. He was the eighth of ten children. ExplorePAHistory.com When Westinghouse went into a new industry such as natural gas, he jumped in with both feet. However, he never lost the respect of his partners and employees. Westinghouse introduced automated substations, in 1879 in order to reduce the number of connections by routing calls to a central exchange. Finding Solitude in Westinghouse Park - Pittsburgh Quarterly [11], By 2014, the memorial was again in need of attention. With Westinghouse it was not so much a matter of money as it was always making things better by solving a succession of technological challenges. History of George Westinghouse | Westinghouse Nuclear His staff respected him to the extent that they avoided much of the labor-management conflicts of the era that affected his competitors. Edison Medal; Inventor; Union Army; Union College; Westinghouse Electric Company. At 21, he invented a car replacer to guide derailed trains back onto the tracks, as well a reversible frog, a device used with a railroad switch to guide trains onto one of two tracks. As a teenager, he joined the Union Army in the Civil War at the age of fifteen. The contract called for 92,000 lights to illuminate the fair. When the family moved to Schenectady, N.Y., his father established a shop for agricultural machinery and small steam engines. In 1881 he founded Union Switch and Signal Company. Westinghouse, Sr. was the proprietor of a small shop manufacturing a variety of machinery for agricultural and industrial applications. However, the pond continued to deteriorate and had to be drained in 2009. He looks on at three panels that represent the life of George Westinghouse and is presumed to draw inspiration from them. Theyre buried side by side in Arlington National Cemetery. December 21, 2021 Sean Collier PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD P ittsburgh filled in for Indianapolis in the 2014 tearjerker The Fault in Our Stars. In 1881 he established the Union Switch and Signal Company which was later merged into Westinghouse Air Brake. His research led Westinghouse to become a pioneer in the development and distribution of AC electricity. [2] In 2019, the memorial was designated a historic landmark by the city of Pittsburgh. Its not surprising that patent law makes frequent mention of: The state of the art. Inventions, while aimed at practical matters, are to a degree art and, by extension, the inventor is an artist. The Pennsylvania State University He died on March 12, 1914. The bronze memorial was originally covered in gold leaf, which was added "so as to permanently give the monument an interesting surface which will be enhanced by the smoky atmosphere of the city. Guide to the George Westinghouse Museum - Historic Pittsburgh At the end of 1887 he filed for seven U.S. patents that were among the most important in the history of the electrical industry. George E. Seman, 82, of McKeesport, formerly of Elizabeth Township, passed away Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Despite financial issues, Westinghouse oversaw one of America's most influential and innovative industries in history. Afflicted with a heart ailment in 1913, Westinghouse traveled to an estate in Lenox, Massachusetts, where he relaxed for the last bit of his life. George Westinghouse provided America with an example of determination and persistence in the development of countless practical innovations over the span of his lifetime. The Strip District's history is a living history and the legacy of the neighborhood's past is seen in great buildings such as the Pittsburgh Opera's building which was George Westinghouse's Air Brake Factory built-in 1869 and the Cork Factory Lofts built-in 1901 which were the Armstrong Cork Factory. inaccuracies or errors of omission. In September of 1869, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company was formed to manufacture this innovation.
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