Status of City of Pittsburgh Property Related to
The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science
2001 October
City of Pittsburgh Inventory of "Buhl Planetarium Assets"
2002 January 23
Equipment and Artifacts Transferred to The Carnegie Science Center:
The following equipment and artifacts are either in use or in storage at The Carnegie Science Center. Each item listed was in The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science on the date of dedication: 1939 October 24. At that time, in accordance with provisions of a lease executed between the City of Pittsburgh and the Buhl Foundation in 1937, the new Buhl Planetarium building and all contents of the building were donated and conveyed to the City of Pittsburgh. Hence, although these items are in use or in storage at The Carnegie Science Center, they remain the legal property of the City of Pittsburgh.
*Items with an asterisk[*] indicate that these pieces of equipment or artifacts were in the building on the day of dedication, and hence, are City property. However, these specific items are not the original equipment, but replacements for the original equipment; apparently, Buhl Planetarium management deemed it necessary to replace this original equipment. Since this replacement equipment was deemed necessary for continued operation of the institution[and, in the case of the Planetarium and Lecture Hall sound equipment, was absolutely essential!], this replacement equipment is City property.
Equipment and Artifacts In Use or On Display at The Carnegie Science Center:
Artifacts Placed In Storage at The Carnegie Science Center -
gaw 10-9-2001
Addendum: 2001 December --
1) Eight Astronomical Paintings by Daniel Owen Stevens:
The Old Astronomer(This painting was also published in an Astronomy book.)
The Dragon
A Perspective in Time
Orion and Taurus the Bull
Cygnus the Swan
Nine Planets and A Million Suns
The Great Bear
Copernicus(Portrait of Polish Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus; commissioned by the Polish Arts League of Pittsburgh)
These paintings were displayed in Buhl Planetarium's lower level Mezzanine Gallery from 1939 through 1991. A thermometer and humidity gauge was placed near these paintings. Several times each day, a Buhl staff member would log the current temperature and humidity, to ensure the paintings were maintained in a good environment. A former staff member of The Carnegie Science Center has told Glenn A. Walsh that these paintings are now displayed in the staff offices of The Carnegie Science Center.
2) Portrait of Henry Buhl, Jr.
This portrait was unveiled, before relatives of Henry Buhl, Jr., on the afternoon of the date of dedication(1939 October 24). This portrait hung in the beautiful wood-paneled Library/Board Room, on the second floor of Buhl Planetarium, from 1939 through 1991.
A second portrait of Henry Buhl, Jr., and a portrait of his wife Louise, hung over Buhl's Information Desk on the first floor until 1991. It cannot be confirmed that these two portraits were in the building on the date of dedication.
At this time, there is no knowledge of where these three portraits may be. An educated guess would be that they are in the possession of either The Carnegie Science Center or the Buhl Foundation.
City of Pittsburgh Inventory of "Buhl Planetarium Assets"
2002 January 23
gaw 12-3-2001
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