Author Visit: Robert J. Gangewere

Robert J. Gangewere will discuss his new book Palace of Culture: Andrew Carnegie’s Museums and Library in Pittsburgh at the Peters Township Public Library on Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. A book signing will follow the program. To attend, register online, visit the circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430.

Believing that education and culture were not just for the wealthy, Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Institute in 1896, which included a music hall, art museum and science museum. Today, his cultural institution has expanded to include a library, music hall, natural history museum, art museum, science center, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the Carnegie International art exhibition.

In this first history of The Carnegie Museums and Library of Pittsburgh, Gangewere details the political turmoil, budgetary constraints, and cultural tides that have influenced the caretakers and the collections. He profiles the benefactors, trustees, directors, and administrators who have stewarded the collections through the years and provided individual histories of the library, music hall, museums, and science center.

Gangewere is a former editor of Carnegie Magazine and adjunct professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Bridges of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and The Exploited Eden: Literature on the American Environment.