7. Music leaves Oakland.

For almost a decade, there was a Bermuda Triangle of Oakland clubs -- The Decade, Graffiti and the Electric Banana -- that nurtured the careers of such bands as the Iron City Houserockers, the Cynics and the Clarks. When Graffiti closed in 2000, all three were gone. Somewhere in between, the Oakland Beehive and Club Laga also came and went. That forces college students -- obviously a big audience for club shows -- to head to Friendship, the South Side or Millvale to see bands.

8. The Andy Warhol Museum celebrates its own 10th birthday and continues cutting-edge and controversial programming, including "Without Sanctuary."

The Warhol's boundary-stretching and contemporary focus has attracted a hip and politically active audience, foundation support including a $4 million gift for its endowment last year from Teresa Heinz Kerry (the Top 50's first No. 1) and international attention for its namesake, itself and Pittsburgh.

9. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh gets a heralded makeover.

The expansion of the Children's Museum in 2004 is building-as-sculpture. Visitors interact with exhibits that blend art and high tech, but also get to "play with real stuff," like a Mini-Cooper. Museum director Jane Werner (No. 3 last year) led the transformation that sensitively connected two historic buildings with a new "green" one, which won a national American Institute of Architects' Honor Award this year.

10. The Waterfront complex, with entertainment, restaurants and shopping, rises under the Homestead end of the Homestead Grays Bridge.

Although traffic has slowed due to bridge construction and the theater suffered from a fatal shooting and a bomb scare, the 22-screen megaplex is still the best place to watch a blockbuster. Now part of the AMC chain, the theater set a standard for moviegoing, while the complex seems to have everything a hungry shopper could want.

11. The development of the Green Building Alliance sparks Pittsburgh's emergence as a leader in creating green buildings.

The erstwhile Smoky City now has more certified, energy-efficient buildings per square foot than any city in America, thanks to the Green Building Alliance, the vision of its funder, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and the work of its director, Rebecca Flora. The nonprofit has served as a model for cities from Boston to Shanghai.

12. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh pursues a multimillion-dollar upgrade of facilities.

Under former director Herbert Elish, the library raised funds to renovate its aging Main Library in Oakland and branches in Squirrel Hill, Homewood, Brookline and Woods Run and move its Hazelwood and Downtown libraries to improved spaces. A bond issue generated $15 million for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburg and a $55 million capital campaign is ongoing. The result of the upgrades was a marked increase in library use, making the Carnegie system the most-visited member of the county's Regional Assets District.

13. Pittsburgh loses George Romero's "Land of the Dead" to Hollywood's rush to cheaper Canadian venues but continues to push for movies to be made here.

The Pittsburgh Film Office weathered runaway production, scrutiny of director Dawn Keezer and the loss of Romero's zombie movie. However, it turned Oscar galas into fund-raisers, pushed for tax incentives and landed projects big and small, from "Inspector Gadget" and "The Mothman Prophecies" to "10th & Wolf" and the CBS pilot "Smith."

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Meghan and Kathy Austinson, center and right, enjoy a meal before "Forbidden Broadway" takes the stage at the Cabaret at Theater Square, part of Pittsburgh CLO's year-round local presence and one of the newest additions to the Cultural District. Click photo for larger image.

14. Pittsburgh CLO produces new musicals to tour, with some financial losses but with many gains.

Under Van Kaplan (a Top 50 fixture since taking over in 1998), Pittsburgh CLO expands its role on the national scene, investing in new musicals in development, on tour and on Broadway. Some of its own tours prosper, some don't ("Copacabana," "Doctor Dolittle"), but even the latter may pay off over time, while Broadway investments ("Spamalot") pay off more quickly and give CLO the inside track on national tours. CLO also has extended its presence year-round with the 250-seat cabaret theater.

15. Carnegie Museum of Art dissolves its Film and Video Department.

The 2003 budgetary move included the firing of staff members such as curator Bill Judson, one of the country's noted scholars of the subject. In doing so, the museum also eliminated its popular film programming, as well as its only consistently present contemporary art curator, one who had built the museum's department to rank among the most admired in the country.

16. "The Guardian," a prime-time show written, directed and produced by a Pittsburgher, is set here and does some filming here.

Upward of 10 million TV viewers nationwide saw the Pittsburgh skyline each week in the opening credits of the CBS series "The Guardian," which ran from 2001-04. It would be tough to get better free publicity for the city than that.

17. Pittsburgh Glass Center is established in 2001 and draws national and international attention.

The state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot facility in the Friendship neighborhood -- which offers classes, a gallery and studio space -- has attracted students from across the country and instructors from abroad. Once a car showroom, the now "green" building has gained the attention of those who support the use of art as a catalyst for neighborhood change.

18. Anti-Flag emerges as a national voice and signs with a national label.

If you're looking for a political punk to fill out your festival, this Pittsburgh band is probably at the top of the list. Anti-Flag started as an underground local band in 1993 and has risen to become one of the mainstage bands at the Warped Tour. It's now a member of the RCA roster with "For Blood and Empire."

19. Pittsburgh Filmmakers flexes its muscles as a programmer and rescues the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

Filmmakers teaches young artists, exhibits the work of emerging or established ones, and screens movies at its three theaters, in addition to running an annual festival. When it appeared PCA might buckle under its $1 million-plus debt two years ago, Filmmakers executive director Charlie Humphrey (a Top 50 fixture) orchestrated a merger that gave it renewed life.

20. The development of PICT and Quantum theaters leads the growth of professional theater and creates a viable professional acting pool.

The big professional companies are Pittsburgh CLO, Public and City theaters. But much of the highest quality local work belongs to two companies which grew with the decade, Quantum Theatre (founded in 1990) and Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (1997, and the larger at $1 million per year). Hiring mainly locally, like City, they have made it more viable for actors to stay in Pittsburgh, encouraging the growth of smaller pro theaters as well.

21. The Carnegie Museum of Art acquires the Teenie Harris and Duane Michals photo archives.

The museum moved toward making photography a more significant component of its collection by acquiring archival materials of Charles "Teenie" Harris, the late Pittsburgh Courier photojournalist who recorded the city's black community from the 1930s to the '70s. Duane Michals, noted New York-based fine art photographer and McKeesport native, has given and/or promised his archives and artwork collection to the museum.

22. Use of recorded music for live performances.

When the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre board decided to eliminate the orchestra last summer, it caused a furor that reached across the country. That overshadowed the company's growth under artistic director Terrence Orr, who commissioned 10 new ballets (a home run in any league), raised the technical level of the dancers and refurbished PBT's "Nutcracker" and its roster of classics. Some good news: Live music will be back for two of the new season's performances.

23. The Clarks emerge as "the Steelers" of the local pop scene.

With the little help from local radio, The Clarks have become the biggest-drawing band in town, routinely selling out (or nearly selling out) two-night stands at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre in the summer and a four-night club run in the winter. The national scene has been a tougher nut to crack, but The Clarks did get their shot on "Letterman" in 2004.

24. Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Dinosaur Hall nears completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation.

The museum is poised to complete the $36 million "Dinosaurs in Their World" project, a nearly three-year undertaking that will triple the exhibition space for the museum's world-class dinosaur artifacts. The new hall is expected to open in the last quarter of 2007, the 100th anniversary of the museum's expansion.

25. City Theatre expands its South Side campus from three buildings to six, doubles its budget and becomes a player on the national new play scene.

In 2001, artistic director Tracy Brigden (No. 13 last year) took over a healthy company with a strong board and strengthened its commitment to developing new plays from the national pool, supported by dedicated funds and highlighted by an annual marathon-of-new-works weekend, "Momentum." Aggressive fund raising has doubled City's budget over the decade, the mainstage has been refurbished and programming in its Hamburg Studio has increased. And the quality of production remains high, blending the best local actors with imports.

26. Foundation support becomes more and more important as other sources of arts funding dry up.

In 1996, Congress chopped NEA funding by 40 percent, blowing a massive hole in arts budgets. Pittsburgh was lucky: Ranking fourth nationwide in charitable assets per capita and ninth in total foundation assets, its groups were in a good position to survive. Foundations granted $46.7 million to local arts organizations in 2003 -- 18 percent of their total giving -- according to a recent study by Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania. (Note: The Top 50 has always struggled with ranking dollars and cents, the life blood of an arts organization. So here it is, solidly in the middle, although the debate among arts and entertainment staff members continues.)

27. The development of the arts community in the Penn Avenue corridor, from the Brillobox to the Glass Center.

Penn Avenue Downtown has seen a small artistic renaissance of late. Head east past the Strip, and the energy picks up again, with cutting-edge art and music happening at the Brillobox, Garfield Artworks, Modern Formations, the Quiet Storm and the Pittsburgh Glass Center. It's become an indie alternative to the South Side and the Strip.

28. Pittsburgh Opera enters a bold new era with Mark Weinstein assuming control and Christopher Hahn and John Mauceri running the artistic and musical sides.

Those who joked that the Opera needed three people to replace Tito Capobianco missed the point that the organization could no longer be run in the old impresario manner. Weinstein, from New York City Opera, wanted the company to be a part of the greater operatic community in terms of production style and singer quality, and he got that with Hahn's expertise. Mauceri brought a big-name cachet.

29. The Three Rivers Arts Festival becomes noted for its music acts.

During the late '90s, the Arts Festival's idea of a major headliner was Livingston Taylor or Dar Williams. In the past five years, with Gary Hinston booking the lineup, the festival has become more of a draw for music fans with the likes of Wilco, Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, the Drive-By Truckers and such entries this year as the English Beat, Rosanne Cash and Tom Verlaine.

30. Pittsburgh Public Theater supports the production of new works and world premieres.

Eddie Gilbert supervised the Public's move into its new O'Reilly Theater in 1999 and opened with a world premiere, August Wilson's "King Hedley II." Ted Pappas took over in 2000 and has nurtured more significant premieres ("The Bird Sanctuary," "Paper Doll," "By Jeeves") and started a new play reading series. He's shown a taste for the difficult ("Yellowman") and a populist bent ("The Chief"), and he's continued to lavish an opulent eye on such classics as Shakespeare and Gilbert & Sullivan.

31. Dissolution of the Y Music Society after 75 years of big-name and debut recitals in Pittsburgh.

The Y series introduced Pittsburgh to significant international musicians such as Vladimir Horowitz, Efrem Zimbalist, Nathan Milstein, Artur Rubinstein, Andres Segovia and Isaac Stern. But it fell into financial hardships. The Pittsburgh Symphony swooped in to help in 2000 but could not sustain it.

32. Imports such as the International Festival of Firsts become a staple of Trust programming.

In theater alone, the Trust has sponsored two visits by Shakespeare's Globe with "original practices" versions of "Twelfth Night" (2003) and "Measure for Measure" (2005), bracketing the 2004 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, curated by CMU's Elizabeth Bradley, who chose eight companies to invade Pittsburgh for three mind-bending weeks.

33. WQED-TV shuts down WQEX but begins positioning itself as a national player (again).

Under WQED president George Miles, WQEX became a home-shopping channel and WQED retrenched, at first focusing on local programs (like "On Q"). In addition to regaining its financial footing, WQED branched out again with hugely popular national pledge shows ("Doo Wop 50"), national Rick Sebak productions and then the ambitious PBS presentation "The War That Made America."

34. The Sprout Fund supports projects by small arts groups.

The Sprout Fund gives a helping hand to grassroots projects in Pittsburgh through its Seed Award and Public Art programs. Since its inception in 2001, it has helped to support such diverse groups as Attack Theatre and BridgeSpotters and collaborated with artists to develop public works.

35. The Mattress Factory expands and attracts important installations by James Turrell and others.

The Mattress Factory museum expands and celebrates its 25th anniversary with an exhibition by James Turrell, the internationally acclaimed artist who had been one of the earliest to exhibit and to have a permanent installation in the fledgling museum. Renovations to nearby structures allow for comfortable housing for office and education staff, and the vacated quarters in the main building now hold a smart cafe and gift shop.

36. Attack Theatre and Squonk Opera export art created here to national and international audiences.

Attack Theatre founders and performers Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope have been cultural forces among the Top 50, around town and around the world. They're here now for the Arts Festival but head to Indonesia and Germany this summer. Squonk Opera (No. 25 last year), a performance troupe founded in 1992, has taken its show from local junkyards to Broadway to theaters worldwide.

37. Unable to generate enough traffic, two more jazz venues shut their doors in the past year, and another one was forced to send out a distress call.

James Street Legends and the New Crawford Grill on the Square abruptly closed their doors, and Dowe's on Ninth was forced to have a desperation fund-raiser to move ahead.

38. Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are front and center.

The Wright renaissance includes the restoration of Fallingwater and the publication of "Fallingwater Rising," along with the creation of his design for a Point View Residence apartment at the Home & Garden Show.

39. Joe Grushecky's Bruce Springsteen connection brings the Boss to Heinz Hall for a flood relief concert.

The friendship took hold around 1994, when Springsteen produced Grushecky's "American Babylon." Since then, they've shared a number of stages and writing credits, including on the Grammy-winning "Code of Silence." In December 2004, they teamed for a memorable night of music at Heinz Hall that raised more than $250,000 for local Hurricane Ivan victims.

40. Renovations put Silver Eye Center for Photography in the national leagues.

New climate-control and security systems allow Silver Eye to upgrade the quality of its exhibitions. A recently completed facade renovation done in compliance with preservationist guidelines gives it a face as sophisticated as its interior. Membership has expanded nationally.

41. The Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre re-opens its doors as a haven for small arts groups.

With Whole Foods and Home Depot settled in and more businesses on the way, the timing was right for this East Liberty showplace in 2001. Stephanie Flom and her Community Theater Project Corp. spearheaded a $1 million renovation, and the theater reopened as a reasonable rental for groups such as Dance Alloy, Squonk Opera, Srishti Dances of India and primary tenant East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

42. Rusted Root becomes a national touring act.

Clearly, Rusted Root peaked commercially around 1994 with the release of "When I Woke" and the breakout single "Send Me on My Way." But the band (although somewhat depleted at the moment) continues to thrive in jam-band circles with regular college tours and, within the past 10 years, opening slots for Santana and the Allman Brothers.

43. Mark Southers launches Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, now housed in a Downtown parking garage, and creates Festival in Black and White.

A decade ago, Southers was a steelworker; now he's a playwright, director, producer and creator of a theater. Its signature events are August (as in Wilson) in February and the Festival in Black and White, which pairs black directors with white playwrights and vice versa. Amid the glittering palaces of the Cultural District, Pittsburgh Playwrights is a feisty, promising alternative, nurturing home-grown playwrights and building bridges across the racial divide.

44. Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble makes the radical step of forgoing the regular season for a summer festival season.

Founder David Stock's departure in 1999 put the group in a precarious position, exacerbated by the aborted hiring of a new conductor, a labor dispute and dwindling audiences at the JCC in Squirrel Hill. Facing extinction, PNME transplanted its season to summer and eventually ended up at the South Side's City Theatre, a move that invigorated the group artistically and doubled its audience.

45. Local radio reshuffles its personnel and formats as new choices hit the airwaves.

With the launch of new broadcasting platforms, 21st-century radio became known as "terrestrial radio." To face new competition (satellite and Internet radio, on-demand music on portable MP3 players), strategies for local commercial and public stations include HD radio, which enables a station to broadcast more than one channel simultaneously; podcasts; trimming commercial breaks; and, as always, revamping programming and personalities.

46. Lee Gutkind's Creative Nonfiction Foundation and its literary journal produce a literary festival at the University of Pittsburgh.

The festival brought to town John Edgar Wideman and other authors and publishers of national prominence for a three-day event in 2004. A writer and teacher of nonfiction at Pitt, Gutkind (No. 24 last year) continues to push for national recognition of the genre.

47. The early music scene experiences a growth spurt.

Call Pittsburgh out-of-date, and these groups take it as a compliment. In the past decade, Chatham Baroque has made a name for itself here and on tours, the Renaissance & Baroque Society has presented the world's top groups and Pitt's Bach & the Baroque has boosted the scene with performances at Heinz Chapel.

48. The Steeltown Entertainment Project springs up as a Hollywood-Pittsburgh connection.

Steeltown organized an entertainment summit that continues to bear fruit: a premiere of "Land of the Dead" which doubled as a salute to George Romero and brought such famous fans as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez to town; grants to lure a Los Angeles firm here for movies based on an R.L. Stine horror anthology; and plans for a screenwriting competition. Co-founder Carl Kurlander is king of the ex-patriates, whether introducing them to students or filming them singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" for his "Tale of Two Cities" movie.

49. Point Park University builds the Playhouse into one of Pittsburgh's most active performance centers.

Arriving in 1998 as head of Point Park's Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Ronald Allen-Lindblom cemented the commitment to the tradition-rich Playhouse, filling it with programming by three student companies (theater, dance, Playhouse Jr.) and the professional Playhouse REP.

50. Independent community radio station WYEP 91.3 FM opens a spiffy new studio on the South Side.

The WYEP Community Broadcast Center is a 12,000-square-foot studio and performance space using green design principles and funded by foundations and individual supporters. Working with other arts organizations -- notably the Three Rivers Arts Festival's performance series -- adult alternative WYEP continues to raise its profile.

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Correction/Clarification: (Published June 7, 2006) A bond issue has generated $15 million for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, whose $55 million capital campaign is ongoing. Those numbers were originally misstated in this portion of the Top 50 package as published in June 6, 2006 editions .