PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

1. With more than 500,000 artworks and objects, The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore is the global keeper of this Pittsburgh native’s legacy.

2. The museum debuted on May 13, 1994, with a fireworks display over the Allegheny River and a 24-hour grand opening.

3. Just two years later, a combination of heavy snow, warming temperatures and rain swelled the three rivers, flooding the basement of The Warhol. No art or archival materials were damaged because they were stored on upper levels.

4. A reproduction of Warhol’s famous red velvet couch in the museum lobby is a favorite photo spot for visitors. The original was found abandoned on a New York City curb in 1964 and became a fixture in Warhol’s Silver Factory.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

5. On March 18, 2005, the Seventh Street Bridge was renamed The Andy Warhol Bridge to mark the museum’s 10-year anniversary. It is the only bridge in the United States named after an artist. (In fact, this was the idea of former Pittsburgh Magazine editor Mike May.)

6. On Sept. 25, 2009, The Warhol hosted first lady Michelle Obama and other spouses of G-20 leaders for a tour and silk-screening demonstration.

7. In August 2013, the museum collaborated with EarthCam Inc. to start a 24/7 live feed of Andy’s final resting place at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Bethel Park. It continues today.

8. Among the many celebrities who have visited The Warhol: Big Bird, who stopped by in 2019.

9. When Andy Warhol’s “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” sold for a record $195 million at auction in 2022, he became the most expensive American artist ever — so much so that his namesake museum can’t afford to buy his famous works.

10. Also in 2022, The Warhol launched the Pop District, a $60 million initiative to create a six-block arts and cultural center on the North Shore.

11. Warhol’s 610 Time Capsules have inspired the Gen-Z Time Capsule Project, a collection of photos, videos and objects that best represent those born between 1997 and 2012.

12. Over 12 million people have visited the museum’s touring exhibitions worldwide.

13. In 2023, The Warhol welcomed 180,023 visitors.

14. Warhol’s stuffed Great Dane “Cecil” is on display in the Archives area on the third floor.

15. And about those Silver Clouds: It takes 3 minutes to inflate a metallic balloon pillow with a proprietary mixture of air and helium (enough to have them rise above the ground but not stick to the ceiling). All 25 balloons in the fifth-floor exhibit are changed out every Friday.