INSPIRE Great Design, Vol. 1

Here at the Fox Blog, we’re debuting a new feature called “INSPIRE Great Design”, with posts written by Fox’s own design team members. This month’s author is:

Christy Utlaut, Interior Designer  at Fox Architects.

Where does your inspiration come from? An email? Maybe. When I’m out of the office…better yet out of town, I am inspired by almost everything. The good, the bad, and everything in between. I am inspired by the world beyond my back door. Those experiences are invaluable to me and help me be better at what I do.

I took a trip last week that inspired me. Here’s why.

There are more than 29 bridges crossing three rivers! The bridge in the picture is the Smithfield Bridge on the Monongahela River. It is the second oldest steel bridge in the United States.

John (Berendzen, Fox’s President) insisted we take a ride on a funicular (below). Built in 1870, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the country.

Last stop before heading to the airport, we visited Point State Park where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to join the Ohio River. The fountain pool looks like a continuation of the rivers.

My favorite structure was the former IBM building built in 1961-63,  Architect: Curtis & Davis out of New Orleans (a city I have yet to visit).

Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Stadium, located on the North Shore neighborhood, opened in 2001.

I had to Google what the deal was with the yellow bridges, and the yellow in general that is sprinkled around the city.

Turns out it’s not yellow. It’s gold, Aztec Gold. Story goes that many of the  bridges are Aztec Gold because they connect to, or are not far from, downtown…which is colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle.

We hope this post inspires you, if not to do great design, to at least get out there and be inspired. Check back next month for the second installment of INSPIRE Great Design!