Our Story

Past, Present, Future

Story of Pittsburgh Gateways

Story of EIC

The Energy Innovation Center is designed to engage corporate and community leaders, align workforce development and education, develop and demonstrate technology, and incubate businesses, to support emerging clean and sustainable energy markets.

We have joined with key stakeholders to transform a vacant property into a LEED Platinum Certified beacon for clean, efficient and sustainable energy solutions and technologies. Located in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District this 200,000 square foot building functions as a ‘living laboratory’ for industry-informed education and training programs and a center that co-locates diverse tenants, including energy sector corporations, national energy research laboratories, political and community leaders, economic development organizations, and leading academic institutions

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Center for Metal Arts

Pittsburgh Gateways serves as Master Developer for the five-building campus of the Center for Metal Arts. Making its home in the Cambria Iron & Steel National Historic Landmark site in Johnstown, PA, CMA is a world-class blacksmithing and metalworking school.

August Wilson House

The building at 1727 Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Hill District is at the heart of American literary history. The August Wilson House (AWH) was derelict when August visited in 1999 and still derelict when he died in 2005. After AWH was landmarked, initial restoration stopped the decay. Serving as owner’s representative, Pittsburgh Gateways was proud to be involved in the restoration.

Flag Day celebration on the steps of the Connelley Trade School, facing Bedford Avenue (date unknown).
Promotional brochure advertising the grand opening of the Connelley Trade School in 1931.
The Connelley School machine shop in 1954. This shop was designed to resemble a modern factory, where students were destined after graduation.
A student works on a milling machine, probably at Connelley (date unknown).
Science students at Connelley, December 1950. Photo by Samuel A. Musgrave, Pittsburgh.
A high school library at a Pittsburgh Public School, maybe Connelley (1950).
Among its extracurricular activities, Connelley had film and radio clubs (1950).
Students in the Connelley foundry (1958).
Students in the Connelley foundry (1958).
Group portrait of the Connelley Parent-Teachers Association on the school steps (1938).
1966 cover of “The Trojan”, the Connelley yearbook.
Connelley was always integrated and open to students from outside Pittsburgh. This profile from the school yearbook features an international student, Frederick (“Fred”) E. Nwoko, who traveled to Pittsburgh from Nigeria to learn auto mechanics in 1966.
Studio portraits with inscriptions dedicated to “Mr. Ososky”, a popular teacher (c. mid-1950s).
The Connelley School had a number of publications over the years, including the Connvocator. This page shows students from the Veterans Electric Power Shop (date unknown).
A promotional brochure designed and printed by the faculty and students at Connelley Vocational High School (probably mid-late 1950s).
Connelley brochure, probably from the mid-late 1950s. “We got to a Vocational High School. We know it’s different in some ways from an academic high school – they’re both fine, but we like to work with our hands as well as our heads,” reads the copy.
Connelley brochure, probably from the mid- or late 1950s. “We are looking forward to the day when we can go out and work full time at our trade,” the copy reads. The surrounding grid of black and white photos shows the various disciplines taught at the school.
Like many high schools, Connelley had several sports teams. Here, students compete in a derby (1936).
A Connelley basketball game (date unknown).
The Connelley baseball team (1958).
Connelley extracurriculars included music. A band portrait (1950).
The Connelley gymnasium decorated for a dance (1938).
Undated brochure featuring options for training in printing from Pittsburgh public schools and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (present-day Carnegie Mellon University). Connelley is featured on the brochure cover, bottom left.
The Connelley was school named in honor of Clifford. B. Connelley, an educational pioneer and distinguished Pittsburgh civil servant (portrait published in Notable Men of Pittsburgh and Vicinity, Pittsburgh Printing Company, 1901).
The cornerstone was laid in 1929 by James J. Davis, U.S. Secretary of Labor (left). This photograph also includes Clifford B. Connelley (center) and Marcus Arron (right), president of the Board of Public Education. Close inspection reveals this photo as a composite; it is unlikely that Connelley was actually present at the even
Composite photograph of Davis, Connelley and Aaron (left to right), as it appeared in a published copy of James J. Davis’ public address at the laying of the cornerstone.
US Secretary of Labor James J. Davis laid the cornerstone of the Connelley Trade School in 1929. In his speech he observed, “I certainly found that the door of Opportunity opens to the hard-working and skilled young man.”
William M. Davidson, Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools at the time of Connelley’s construction, admired Secretary Davis’ speech so much that he commissioned a printed version. It was printed at the Ralston Industrial School at Fifteenth and Penn Ave in Pittsburgh.
A 1930 time and material report from Connelley’s construction. Interestingly these reports reveal that skilled laborers and craftsmen earned more than unskilled workers.
When renovations began at the Connelley building, Energy Innovation Center staff found an archive of historical photos, documents and ephemera. Among them were some original artistic works, including this two-panel Trojan logo (artist unknown, 1959).
An original print with a Santa motif, thanking the donors to the Annual Charity Drive (1962).
Connelley Open House proof, blueprint (artist unknown, 1950).