Rivers of Steel Reopens the Carrie Blast Furnaces for Modified Tours and Workshops
Homestead, PA (June 12, 2020)—Rivers of Steel is excited to announce the opening of its 2020 season at the Carrie Blast Furnaces, located in Rankin and Swissvale. Beginning Friday, June 19, modified Industrial Tours of this National Historic Landmark will resume, followed by a variety of arts workshops, starting on June 28.
In preparation for these events, Rivers of Steel has been working with a local consortium of museums and cultural entities to determine best practices to safely open our institutions. The safety of our employees and visitors is of paramount importance, so it has been decided that at this time only to resume programming that occurs primarily outdoors, with additional restrictions.
Tours and workshops will be limited to 50% of the usual capacity, and social-distancing guidelines will be in place. Additional details regarding Rivers of Steel’s COVID-19 policy can be found at https://riversofsteel.com/covid-19-policy/.
Industrial Tours of the Carrie Blast Furnaces will initially be offered to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with the potential for additional tour times as the season continues through the end of October. Private tours are also available. Tours highlight the site’s iron-making technology, its workers, and their culture. Additional information and tickets for purchase are available now at https://riversofsteel.com/experiences/tours/industrial-tour/.
Arts workshop offerings include a range of metal casting workshops, for the novice to the professional, along with photography and graffiti / style-writing experiences. For the creative and the curious, Rivers of Steel’s workshops are designed to foster new perspectives while providing opportunities to build skills, network with peers, and connect with southwestern Pennsylvania’s cultural and industrial heritage. For more information, visit https://riversofsteel.com/experiences/workshops/.
Rivers of Steel is taking a tiered approach to opening its other four attractions. At the historic Pump House, located at the Waterfront in Munhall, the parking lot is now open to provide trailhead access and the venue is again available for rental events, with some limitations in place to fit within Green Phase mandates. The Bost Building in Homestead, the Explorer riverboat in Pittsburgh, and the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing, Greene County are currently closed. However, Rivers of Steel is continually evaluating options for their safe reopening.
Details on this phased reopening are available at https://riversofsteel.com/reopening/.
About Rivers of Steel
Founded on the principles of heritage development, community partnership, and a reverence for the region’s natural and shared resources, Rivers of Steel strengthens the economic and cultural fabric of western Pennsylvania by fostering dynamic initiatives and transformative experiences.
Rivers of Steel showcases the artistry and innovation of our region’s industrial and cultural heritage through its historical and 21st-century attractions―offering unique experiences via tours, workshops, exhibitions, festivals, and more. Behind the scenes, Rivers of Steel supports economic revitalization—working at the grassroots level to deepen community partnerships, promote heritage tourism, and preserve local recreational and cultural resources for future generations.
About the Carrie Blast Furnaces
Once part of legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry. In 2006, Blast Furnaces #6 & #7 were declared a National Historic Landmark. Today, visitors to the site can connect with the region’s industrial and cultural past through a myriad of public tours and programs offered by Rivers of Steel.
Contact Carly McCoy at 412.464.4020, ext. 243 or by emailing cmccoy@riversofsteel.com.
Rivers of Steel | The Bost Building, 623 East Eighth Avenue, Homestead PA 15120
www.riversofsteel.com
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