'Antiques Roadshow' gets a history lesson during its stop here
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Peter Schemonsky, right, jewelry appraiser for "Antiques Roadshow," talks with Ronald A. Baraff, director of Museum Collections and Archives for the Steel Industry Heritage Corp., before filming a segment for the show at the Carrie Furnace complex in Rankin. -
"Antiques Roadshow" host, Mark L. Walberg, right, talks with Jim Kapusta, a volunteer tour guide for the Steel Industry Heritage Corp., before for filming a segment for the show at the Carrie Blast Furnace complex in Rankin. -
Production crews work on the set of "Antiques Roadshow" at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
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Has PBS's "Antiques Roadshow" ever filmed a segment inside an antique?
At more than 100 years old, the Carrie Furnace complex in Rankin certainly qualifies. Producers, cameramen and the show's host, Mark L. Walberg, carefully tread the dusty, rusting walkways last Thursday.
They were on hand to shoot one of three location segments that will run during Season 16 of the venerable "what's-it-worth?" television series. San Francisco-based expert Peter Shemonsky brought three borrowed pieces of intricate iron or steel jewelry and was filmed discussing the history of the craft with Mr. Walberg.
Other segments were planned for The Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Museum of Art, yet the big show is today, when 6,000 fans descend upon the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, bearing their personal treasures.
PG VIDEO: ANTIQUE ROADSHOWThe Convention Center was a flurry of work Friday as a crew of 55 "Roadshow" roadies, 15 local hires, 100 local volunteers and the production staff pieced together the wide, circular blue-and-white set.
Between 500-800 fans will be admitted at a time, making the large set appear much cozier.
"This is the coolest place we've been this summer," Mr. Wahlberg said of the Carrie Furnace Thursday, looking skyward to the criss-cross of beams and wires overhead. "It's overwhelming; I cannot imagine what this place was like when it was up and running."
In its heyday, about 4,000 workers manned the Carrie Furnace complex as it provided more than 2 million tons of iron a year to the Homestead Works across the river.
When the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area organization heard "Roadshow" chose Pittsburgh as one of its six summer tour cities, it pitched a visit to the historic site.
Pittsburgh is the last stop after "Roadshow" visits to Eugene, Ore.; El Paso, Texas; Minneapolis, Minn.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Atlanta. WGBH-Boston, which produces the show, received almost 22,000 applications for tickets here. There is no walk-up admission, and the window for appraisal requests closed in April.
The three shows that will originate from here won't necessarily air at the end of the season. The lineup will be available at www.pbs.org/wbgh/roadshow next month.
"In some cities, we might get 50-plus requests [to shoot location segments], it's always 'Come shoot here, come shoot here,' " said Marsha Bemko, executive producer.
"We can only do three and we have to make some hard choices."
First Published August 13, 2011 12:00 am
