Driving time from Pittsburgh is approximately two hours. A friend and partner of Andrew Carnegie, Henry Phipps made his fortune in steel and real estate. From 1893 on, the Conservatory gained distinction as a repository of horticultural excellence - a distinction that exists today. Today Phipps is among the nation s oldest and largest Victorian glasshouse featuring lush tropical plants, palms, orchids and a miniature orchid collection, ferns and succulent plants, seasonal flower shows and butterflies. The Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines today overlook one of the world s great cityscapes.
Tourists marvel at the view while riding two of only a few remaining inclines in the country.
The inclines were here when coal was still mined from Coal Hill, now Mt. Washington. They were here when Station Square was a bustling passenger and freight train station, when three polluted rivers flooded annually and when Pittsburgh s industry and enormous prosperity darkened the skies so that a view of anything from the top of Mt. Washington was impossible. Since then, it has transported millions of passengers and today remains the oldest operating incline in the nation. The Monongahela Incline was so successful that a freight incline was added in 1884 to haul horses, buggies, furniture and coal. The freight incline survived until 1935, when it was dismantled for lack of business.