When the Society of Architectural Historians brings its 60th annual meeting to the Omni William Penn Hotel on April 11, Pittsburghers will have a chance to see and hear some of the latest research and discoveries in the field. For the 400 to 600 society members who will attend the five-day event, it's an opportunity to explore the host city and its countryside through a bountiful menu of bus and walking tours.

Since its founding in 1940, the group has grown from a small society of 25 to more than 4,000 members around the world. The conference has visited Pittsburgh twice before, in 1956 and 1985.

In 25 sessions, historians will present papers on architecture from ancient to modern times, on such wide-ranging subjects as urban development in the Roman Empire; 20th-century urban renewal in America; the homes of American writers; architecture and music; and Erector sets and dollhouses.

A session on "Pittsburgh's Diverse Expressions" will explore the history and planning of Pittsburgh's riverfronts; working-class housing reform around the turn of the 20th century; Pittsburgh's milltown churches and the immigrant experience; the Cathedral of Learning; and Henry Clay Frick and Edgar Kaufmann after they failed to transform Pittsburgh.

The conference begins with a Preservation Colloquium exploring Pittsburgh's "Fifth and Forbes Debate," which began in 1996 when Mayor Tom Murphy proposed the demolition of several Downtown blocks in and around Market Square to create a new retail and entertainment district. Panelists will explore the historical evolution of Market Square, the Murphy plan and competing preservation-based plans as well as current and proposed developments.

On April 12, British architectural historian Andrew Saint will present the plenary session talk on "An Englishman's Reflections on American Architecture" at Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland.

Tours will visit many Downtown buildings, as well as the Hill District, Schenley Farms, South Side, Allegheny West, Oakland, Woodland Road and Chatham Village developments and more.

Registration fees range from $235 to $450. For a meeting brochure visit www.sah.org.

'Gritty Brits' forum

Re-building post-industrial cities in innovative ways is the topic of a public forum to be held Saturday in conjunction with "Gritty Brits: New London Architecture," the current exhibit at Carnegie Museum of Art's Heinz Architectural Center.

Two of the "Gritty Brits" architects, Sean Griffiths of FAT (Fashion Architecture Taste) and Niall McLaughlin, will talk about their work and how it evolved. Also, four Pittsburgh cultural and civic leaders will share their thoughts on the exhibit's projects and talk about moving forward here with architecture that capitalizes on the city's context and character. They are "Gritty Brits" organizer Raymund Ryan, Carnegie Museum of Art curator of architecture; Hilary Robinson, dean of the College of Art, Carnegie Mellon University; Jane Werner, director of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh; and Patrick Ford, City of Pittsburgh director of community and economic development.

The audience is encouraged to join the discussion with panel members. The forum will be 3 to 5 p.m. in Carnegie Museum of Art Theater. A reception with cash bar follows, and the "Gritty Brits" exhibit will be open until 7:30 p.m. Price for the forum is included with museum admission.

The exhibit continues through June 3.