{"nrhp_refnum":"86002661","name":"Connelly, Clifford B., Trade School","other_names":["Connelly Skill Learning Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1501 Bedford Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsburgh","county":"Allegheny County","state":"PA","lat":40.44462411600006,"lon":-79.98900394099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Clifford B. Connelly Trade School, later known as the Connelly Skill Learning Center, is a school complex on a sloping hillside directly above downtown Pittsburgh at 1501 Bedford Avenue. It consists of a six-story academic building and an attached shop building of two extra-height stories.","why_significant":"The school is significant for its role in vocational education in Pittsburgh, which began with the Board of Public Education's 1912 decision to offer trade training for boys and was expanded to a dedicated building in 1927-1930. The academic building's richly detailed facade and auditorium and the shop building's industrial design are cited as notable examples of their period. The building is also associated with architect Edward Lee and with Clifford B. Connelly, a prominent figure in Pittsburgh vocational education and Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry.","narrative":"Built on a hillside above downtown Pittsburgh at 1501 Bedford Avenue, the Connelly Trade School opened in 1930 after the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education decided in 1927 to replace scattered, overcrowded shop classes with a single facility. Its six-story academic building is faced in buff brick and has a central entry with a stone surround carved with beasts, a woman's head and trade panels. Behind it stands a shop building of two extra-height stories, with factory-type windows and a sawtooth roof largely of skylights. The academic building was designed by Edward Lee, who was also known for the City-County Building and the Chamber of Commerce Building. The school offered metal working, building, electrical and automotive trades, and its auditorium, painted pink and white, combines Classical and Art Deco motifs. The school is named for Clifford B. Connelly, a leader in Pittsburgh vocational education.","period_of_significance":"1921-1940","architect_builder":"Edward B. Lee (architect); J. G. Fullman, Co. (builder)","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now known as the Connelly Skill Learning Center and in use as a school; the form lists the present use as school and the condition as good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.0133-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/86002661.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002661/c831260245-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002661/c831260245-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Lee Paxton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CliffordB.ConnellyTradeSchool.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Lee Paxton</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CliffordB.ConnellyTradeSchool.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992202","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Innovation_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5132862"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/allegheny-county/connelly-clifford-b-trade-school-86002661/"}