PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates officially unveiled 60 commemorative bronze displays today on the façade of PNC Park.
The panels feature more than 10,000 fan messages that were previously engraved on sidewalk bricks around the stadium.
The new vertical displays are located at West General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. This design allows fans to find, view and photograph their messages more easily than the previous sidewalk installations. The organization transitioned to bronze plaques to provide a more durable and sustainable display after the original bricks, which were first installed in 2001, required multiple replacements.
Each of the 60 panels measures approximately five feet in height and six feet in length. Weighing about 300 pounds each, the plaques were manufactured by Pittsburgh-based Matthews International Architectural Products. Every panel is etched with approximately 170 messages and required more than 90 hours of production time to complete.
Pirates President Travis Williams said the move to a vertical display ensures the messages remain a permanent fixture of the stadium.
“We know how much these messages and memories mean to our fans,” Williams said. “By moving to a vertical bronze display, we are preserving the spirit of the original program in a way that is easier to experience and built to last. The plaques give us a more permanent display to honor these messages and ensure they remain part of the ballpark for generations to come.”
The team developed the final design alongside architect and urban planner Janet Marie-Smith and her colleagues at The Canopy Team. The project was completed in coordination with the Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority and the City of Pittsburgh’s Arts Commission. The new plaques maintain the original font sizes and rectangular or square formats used in the 2001 brick engravings.
To assist fans in finding specific entries, the organization installed several bronze QR code plaques along the façade. Messages are organized by year, following the same system used in the original sidewalk program. Fans can also use an online search tool at pirates.com/fanmessages to find their specific locations outside the park.
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