History Center, Fort Pitt Museum to reopen following temporary closure
The Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in the Strip District and the Fort Pitt Museum at Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
They were temporarily closed because of state covid-19 restrictions.
“We are excited to welcome back visitors to the Smithsonian’s home in Pittsburgh,” said Andy Masich, the history center’s president and CEO.
2020 is almost history, but we’re happy to announce that you can visit the Smithsonian’s home in Pittsburgh in 2021! The Heinz History Center and Fort Pitt Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m. pic.twitter.com/MbPrWVvi09
— Heinz History Center (@HistoryCenter) December 31, 2020
All guests will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing. Museum capacity will be capped at 50%.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is traditionally the busiest time of the year, said Brady Smith, director of marketing and communications for the history center. Because the museums were closed, they decided to extend the holiday installation, “A Very Merry Pittsburgh,” through Jan. 18. Visitors can explore Christmas artifacts from Kaufmann’s — which includes the store’s Santa Claus chair from “Santaland” – and items from Horne’s department store as well as learn how Western Pennsylvanians have celebrated Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Diwali.
Smith said they’ve been using this week to make sure protocols are in place. He said the facilities are large enough – the history center is 370,000 square feet — so guests can feel comfortable being indoors.
With the Steelers hosting the Cleveland Browns in a National Football League Wild Card game on Sunday night at Heinz Field, Smith said he expects extra interest in the sports museum.
“Recently we added some new game-worn jerseys to the ‘Super Steelers’ exhibit,” he said. “Pittsburghers have Steelers fever. With Penguins season about to start, fans can get ready by stopping by the ‘A Great Day for Hockey!’ exhibit.”
Families can also stroll through “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” design pop art and construct bridges in the interactive Discovery Place, and take a selfie in front of the 11-foot Heinz ketchup bottle.
Visitors are encouraged to purchase timed tickets in advance. Limited tickets will be available at the door.
The gift shop is open. Guests can also order online and pick up outside.
.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.