The beautiful bronze statue of Pittsburgh’s favorite neighbor was unveiled on Thursday morning. The statue of stature measures nearly eleven feet and is installed on the North Shore.

The project — more than six years in the making — began when philanthropist and Rogers family friend Cordelia May decided to fund a public memorial to Mr. Rogers, who died in 2003 at age 74.

Mrs. May, who died in 2005, commissioned sculptor Robert Berks, who also created the statues of Mayor Richard Caliguiri on Grant Street and of Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. The Einstein statue was one of Mr. Rogers’ favorites, said his widow, Joanne Rogers, and he would make a point to visit it when he was nearby. Read the entire Post Gazette article

While there were a lot of reporters on hand for the unveiling of this beautiful tribute to Mr. Rogers, Polish Hillarian Myra Falisz was on hand for a different view of the statue. In her role as roving reporter, Ms. Falisz shot several images of the installation.

Fred being installed and revealed under the dark of night, with some of his protective wrappings still in place

Visitors can walk through a keyhole to enter “Tribute to Children.” From the street side, the bronze statue faces the river and the city skyline

Known as “Tribute to Children,” the site featuring the new sculpture opens to the public today in a park on the riverfront near Pittsburgh Steelers’ Heinz Field. The bronze sculpture of children’s television pioneer Mister Rogers – created by internationally renowned sculptor Robert Berks – measures 10 feet, 10 inches in height and weighs more than 7,000 pounds. In a seated position
and tying his shoe, the embodiment of Fred Rogers faces the city skyline from where his “beautiful day in this neighborhood” message resonates internationally for more than four decades from the Pittsburgh studio of public television station WQED.

More of Ms. Falisz’s images are available in the slideshow.

If you have something that you would like to share with your neighbors on Polish Hill, please contact BLOGSKI at phcapgh@gmail.com