BONNIE BAXTER | PHOTO COURTESY BONNIE BAXTER AND DOORS OPEN PITTSBURGH

Bonnie Baxter, founder of Doors Open Pittsburgh, has taken Pittsburghers to thousands of out-of-the-way places. But there’s one place that’s been elusive: the roof of the U.S. Steel Tower. The view of the city and the technology behind the building’s construction are too interesting not to share.

“I want to be able to tell the story,” she says.

Baxter enjoys learning about history but frequently finds herself bored by dry presentations. While living in the Midwest, she went to an event called Open House Chicago that offered behind-the-scenes looks at various buildings. When she moved back to Pittsburgh in 2015, Baxter wanted to do something similar here. Going behind closed doors, she says, gets people interested not only in architecture and history but also the community and city around them.

“When you bring people into a building in that format and you give them that kind of access and make it fun and innovative, people walk away having learned something,” Baxter says. “They don’t even realize they’re nerding out.”

An early tour through the First Presbyterian Church on Downtown’s Sixth Avenue made a lasting impression on Baxter’s philosophy for Doors Open Pittsburgh: With architecture, she says, you don’t see it coming until you’re inside it. Capturing that sense of discovery is an important part of Doors Open Pittsburgh’s mission.

THE FRICK BUILDING ON GRANT STREET HAS BEEN A PART OF DOORS OPEN’S SIGNATURE DOWNTOWN EVENT, WHICH GIVES ACCESS TO DOZENS OF ICONIC PITTSBURGH BUILDINGS. | PHOTO COURTESY DOORS OPEN PITTSBURGH

After nearly a decade, Baxter plans to step down from the organization on June 30 to pursue other interests. She describes her time there as “lightning in a bottle” that can’t be replicated, but she also wants to explore her next big creative endeavor — whatever it may be. Baxter wants Doors Open Pittsburgh to be seen as more than her personal passion project and hopes it continues to spur Pittsburghers’ curiosity about their city for years to come.

Baxter comes from a corporate background with more than 25 years in advertising and 20 in real estate investment, so initially Doors Open Pittsburgh was more of a hobby — a chance to dip her toe into event planning while settling into Pittsburgh. She would reach out to locations during business trips to the city; at first, the organization’s headquarters was her dining room table.

But its rapid growth made it blossom from a side project to full-time occupation, even as the pandemic hit. After the unfortunate timing of launching bus tours in early 2020, the organization shifted to virtual tours, and, eventually, boat tours and immersive insider experiences, like visiting the Pittsburgh Bomb Squad or going inside Dollar Bank’s vault. They also added walking tours across 30-plus neighborhoods.

DOORS OPEN PITTSBURGH OFFERS BOAT TOURS AS ONE WAY TO GIVE PEOPLE A NEW VIEW OF THE CITY. | PHOTO COURTESY DOORS OPEN PITTSBURGH

This summer will bring its ninth signature Downtown event, which gives access to dozens of iconic Pittsburgh buildings; past events have included Heinz Hall and PPG Place. A ticket allows you to explore the buildings in whatever order you choose. It will be Baxter’s last event with Doors Open Pittsburgh.

A series of boat tours are also planned for June through October as the organization searches for someone to fill Baxter’s shoes and lead more Pittsburghers behind once-closed doors.