DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh
Founded2016
PurposeNonprofit offering historical tours of iconic buildings and cool new spaces
HeadquartersPittsburgh, PA
Founder/Executive Director
Bonnie Baxter
Websitewww.doorsopenpgh.org

DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that presents historical and architectural tours that go behind-the-scenes inside iconic buildings and new spaces. The tours encourage everyone to #Be Nebby and include an annual event; neighborhood, guided walking, bus and specialty tours; and virtual storytelling.

Mission statement

DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh encourages the appreciation of Pittsburgh’s architectural design, history and art through a series of immersive events that educate the general public by sharing the quintessential stories of the City’s past, present and future. This also gives tour goers access inside iconic buildings across Pittsburgh's many culturally eclectic neighborhoods.

History

DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh (DOP) was founded in 2016 by Pittsburgh resident Bonnie Baxter, after she had attended an event with a similar concept, Open House Chicago. 5,200 people attended the event in 2017.[1] Equipped with stories of Pittsburgh’s rich history in arts and culture alongside its multiple industrial Renaissances, Ms. Baxter was guided by a greater vision of increasing the economic and social capital of Pittsburgh through experiential learning celebrating the City’s regional arts, architecture, and cultural heritage.

DOP’s first Annual Event (AE) in 2016 invited over 3,000 visitors into 39 historic, commercial, residential, and government buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh. With that event, Pittsburgh joined the ranks of more than 40 cities with “doors open/open house” events around the world, including New York, Toronto, and Paris. The AE continued as DOP’s single, signature event until early 2019, when bus tours were added. Since then, DOP has gone on to add a variety of tours and event concepts to its educational programming. The City of Pittsburgh was founded in 1758 and claims 90 distinct neighborhoods with many architectural treasures, both old and new, to explore.

Many of the DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh tours tell the stories of marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community, the Jewish community, and the BIPOC community. Other events feature the quirky side of Pittsburgh: guides share stories of cemeteries, public art installations, and long-forgotten performance venues. Regardless of a person’s background, DOP welcomes all persons to learn, appreciate, and engage with multiple communities in the greater Pittsburgh area by creating immersive and approachable content.

As of 2021, more than 16,000 tour goers have attended a DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh event.

References

  1. ↑ Sostek, Aya (11 September 2018). "Check out famous Pittsburgh buildings at Doors Open Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
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