Last week, a handful of representatives from Northside cultural entities saw a different side of the neighborhood ­– underneath it.

Representatives from The Children’s Museum, Saturday Night Light Brigade, The New Hazlett Theater, Venture Outdoors, Carnegie Libraries, The Allegheny Commons Initiative and Riverquest got a unique tour of the station and the underground tunnels that were recently built for the Port Authority’s North Shore Connector, which will open in the spring.

The tour was arranged by the public relations and marketing department of the Port Authority during discussions regarding a collaborative project to for the new T stations.  

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Science Center reached out to the Port Authority with the idea that Northside and North Shore cultural organizations could partner with the Port Authority of Allegheny County to develop, design and install promotional pieces at the North Side Station and the Allegheny Station. As a first step, the Port Authority offered the organizations an exclusive tour of the underground tunnels.

“The intent is to enrich the station’s appearance as well as promote the range of cultural attractions on the North Side / North Shore,” said Chris Siefert, deputy director of the Children’s Museum. “Optimally, this partnership would include artistic and design oriented enhancements reflective of the high quality, family oriented cultural offerings of the North Side.”

Though the project discussions are still in initial phases, the Port Authority is in the process of developing more specific plans for the opening of the station.

All photos courtesy of The Childrens Museum.