Syria Mosque

Syria Mosque was a 3,700-seat ^[1] performance venue located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated on October 26, 1916,^[2] the building was originally built as a "mystical" shrine for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Shriners) and designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago.^[3] It was recognized as one of the best examples of "exotic revival architecture".^[4]

Photo of Syria Mosque taken ca 1913-1920 by Edward J. Shourek. The Syria Mosque was the birthplace of network television.^[5]

Located at 4223 Bigelow Boulevard,^[2] it held numerous events over the years, mainly highlighted by concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and numerous internationally recognized music performers, as well as political rallies and speeches. Despite community efforts to have Syria Mosque designated a historic landmark, the building was demolished August 27, 1991.

The Medinah Temple in Chicago (constructed one year after this building by the same firm) is a similar building still in existence (though now converted to retail space).

Concert events

Among the concert events:

• February 28, 1920: Enrico Caruso performs just 18 months before his death.
• October 5, 1924: John Philip Sousa
• Benny Goodman (1938, 1941)
• January 28, 1944: Symphony No. 1 by Leonard Bernstein had its premiere at the center.
• Louis Armstrong (three appearances, beginning in 1949)
• Charlie Parker (1950)
• January 9, 1953: World Premiere of Villa-Lobos' Piano Concerto no. 4 with Bernardo Segall and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Heitor Villa-Lobos.
• Duke Ellington (in 1954)
• Miles Davis (1955)
• Art Blakey (several occasions, in 1955 with the Jazz Messengers)
• April 28, 1955: Horace Heidt performs at Syria Mosque and MC's a talent competition, all for charity.
• Bill Haley and the Comets with Bo Diddley and the Drifters (1955)
• Buddy Holly (four times in 1957-1958)
• Sam Cooke
• Dionne Warwick and Solomon Burke in 1963.^[6]
• Bob Dylan in 1966 and again in 1990
• The Who in 1969
• The Band in 1970 and on September 21, 1976, the concert "Next to Last Waltz". On Thanksgiving night, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, they played their final concert. It became the Martin Scorsese documentary film The Last Waltz.
• The two-year-old Pittsburgh Ballet Theater opened its first season as a professional organization in 1970.
• Mickey Newbury in 1971
• The Allman Brothers Band in 1971
• Matthews Southern Comfort, Deep Purple and Faces July 16, 1971.
• Yes on December 16, 1971 on their The Yes Album Tour
• Carly Simon in 1972
• Pink Floyd in 1971 and 1972
• The Kinks September 1, 1972 and April 13, 1974
• Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band on October 15, 1972
• Jim Croce on February 23, 1973. Croce was scheduled to return to the Syria Mosque on October 27 that year, but he died in a plane crash on September 20.
• The New York Dolls on October 18, 1973
• The Doobie Brothers on November 15, 1973
• David Bowie in 1974
• The Carpenters in 1974^[7]
• ZZ Top in 1974^[7]
• The Eagles in 1974^[7]
• Jesse Colin Young in 1974^[7]
• Genesis in May 3, 1974 (Selling England by the Pound Tour),^[7] 1975 (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Tour) and April 13, 1976 (A Trick of the Tail Tour); a recording of the April 13, 1976 show has since been widely bootlegged.
• Frank Zappa on November 6, 1974, on November 17, 1984 and on February 25, 1988 / March 8, 1988
• Van Morrison on May 21, 1974
• Bruce Springsteen on August 9, 1975.^[8]
• Stephen Stills on October 25, 1975
• George Benson (1976, 1977 and 1986)
• James Brown (1976 and 1986)
• James Taylor on July 25, 1976

• Kansas on October 30, 1976, in a show that was recorded and later broadcast by 102.5 WDVE-FM
• Bob Marley (1977)
• Beatlemania (musical) in 1981, shortly after the death of John Lennon
• June 14, 1982: The inaugural Mellon Jazz Festival (among other venues).
• August 4, 1983: Count Basie's final public concert performance.
• Dio in 1983
• Dire Straits in 1985.^[9]
• Tears for Fears on June 15, 1985^[10]
• Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble in 1986.
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1986 billed as "The Thunderbirds".
• R.E.M. in 1985 and 1986
• The Bangles in a MTV broadcast concert 1986^[11]
• New Order in 1986
• The Cure, Whitesnake and Quiet Riot in 1987
• Jimmy Page in 1988
• The Ramones in 1988
• Jane's Addiction in 1988
• Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween in 1989 (as part of the MTV's Headbangers Ball Tour)^[12][13]
• Winger in 1989
• Jimmy Buffett on December 7, 1989
• Public Enemy, Queen Latifah and Biz Markie on February 1, 1990

Political events

Among the political events:

• October 24, 1923: British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
• January 2, 1944: Harry S Truman
• November 2, 1944: Harry S Truman, Orson Welles, Gov. Gifford Pinchot and Mrs. Kermit Roosevelt^[14]
• November 10, 1947: Making international headlines Henry A. Wallace announces he is a candidate for president.
• June 6, 1950: Ronald Reagan
• October 8, 1952: Richard Nixon addressing a crowd of 3,900.
• October 22, 1952: Harry S Truman
• November 1, 1956: Richard Nixon & Pat Nixon^[15]
• October 27, 1958: Dwight D. Eisenhower
• October 10, 1960: John F. Kennedy
• October 24, 1960: Richard Nixon
• November 4, 1966: The last public appearance by longtime mayor, governor and boss David L. Lawrence.

Birthplace of network television

On January 11, 1949, from 8:30 pm to 11 pm EST, KDKA-TV (then WDTV and part of the DuMont Television Network) began its initial broadcast on its "network" centered in Pittsburgh. The program began with a one-hour local show broadcast from Syria Mosque, then finished with 90 minutes from ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont, featuring stars such as Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle, DuMont host Ted Steele, and many other celebrities.^[16] The station also represented a milestone in the television industry, providing the first "network" of a coaxial cable feed that included Pittsburgh and 13 other cities from Boston to St. Louis.^[17]

Demolition

Despite community efforts to have the building designated a historic landmark, the Syria Mosque was torn down on August 27, 1991.^[18] The site serves as a parking lot for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Plans were announced that University of Pittsburgh would acquire it from the medical center in 2016.^[19]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Syria Mosque.

External links

• Picture Album
• Pittsburgh Music History -Lost Temple of Music
• Resurrecting the Syria Mosque
• Pittsburgh Post Gazette retrospective

Coordinates: 40°26′44″N 79°57′19″W / 40.445477°N 79.955149°W / 40.445477; -79.955149