Devoted to the history and heritage of Western Pennsylvania, the Senator John Heinz History Center is Pennsylvania’s largest history museum and a proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
The six-floor, 275,000-square-foot museum and research facility – recently named “Best Museum” by the readers of Pittsburgh Magazine – presents the most compelling stories from American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection, all in an interactive environment perfect for visitors of every age.
The History Center is located in the city’s historic Strip District, home to a wide array of ethnic food shops, lively restaurants and bustling nightlife. The museum’s Smallman Street home combines the former Chautauqua Lake Ice Company building with a five-story Smithsonian wing that opened in 2004.
A variety of long-term and changing exhibits reveal the fascinating scope and impact of the region’s past.
The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a museum-within-a-museum located on the History Center ‘s second and third floors, celebrates Western Pennsylvania ’s unsurpassed sports legacy. More than 250 years of our region’s history can also be explored in our Library & Archives.
The Fort Pitt Museum, located in historic Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, is a two-floor, 12,000-square-foot museum that tells the story of Western Pennsylvania’s pivotal role during the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and as the birthplace of Pittsburgh.
The History Center also operates Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, the oldest site of human habitation in North America, located in Avella, Washington County, Pa.