Pittsburgh sites open to public for Rogers fans

Pittsburgh offers several public locations where visitors can view original items from the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The show aired from 1968 until 2001, and the city served as the setting for the program's famous street scenes.

The Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh displays props in its Special Collections Gallery. These items include the castle of King Friday and the tree home to Ex the Owl and Henrietta Pussycat. The Carnegie Museum of Art in the Oakland neighborhood also holds ties to the show. In 1981, Rogers invited his viewers to examine the masterpieces displayed on the museum's walls.

In nearby Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the Fred Rogers Institute operates on the campus of Saint Vincent College. The facility features displays of Rogers' sweaters and puppets. It also houses the original clock where the character Daniel Tiger lived.

Outside the studio, a bronze sculpture titled Tribute to Children stands along the North Shore. Completed in 2009, the larger-than-life statue is positioned near the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which merge to form the Ohio River. Rogers also took his audience to the National Aviary in 1993. The facility contains more than 500 birds and is the largest indoor aviary in the United States.

Paul Larson, a producer for the program, visited these sites recently. He noted that the city is culturally rich and friendly. He said he understands why Rogers enjoyed living and working in Pittsburgh while creating the show.