PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

I’m fortunate that I don’t fear heights. In fact, I’m hoping to snag a spot (by lottery) to hike Angels Landing on my trip to Zion National Park in Utah this September. It’s considered one of the scariest — and most dangerous — hikes in America.

So, I was thrilled to read Mark Houser’s “Rooftop Renaissance” story on page 58, in which he reveals that plans are being considered to turn the top of the U.S. Steel Building — Pittsburgh’s tallest building — into an observation deck and tourist attraction.

It’s been 23 years since the public had access near the top of the 64-story building. The Top of the Triangle restaurant, located on Floor 62, closed in 2001. (Its closing was announced months before the 9/11 attacks.)

Did you know that the 841-foot Steel Tower is actually taller than Mount Washington — and you have to look down from its apex to see Grandview Avenue? Its flat, acre-sized roof was used as a heliport until 1991.

Houser, who specializes in history and architecture, wrote that building owners in Pittsburgh and cities around the country are giving new attention to their rooftops as potential gathering spaces. Already you’ll find swimming pools, basketball courts, skating rinks, dog playgrounds and fire pits atop some of our Downtown buildings.

Tall buildings in other cities such as Toronto, New York City and Chicago have capitalized on these views by charging admission fees to the public for a chance to look down.

There are several reasons why high vantage points are appealing, according to Sally Augustin, an environmental psychologist, in a 2017 article in Psychology Today. Being on a top floor, with a view of the nearby world, “gives us prospect and refuge — that means we have a view out over a nearby area from a secure location,” she said. Think back to our cavemen ancestors. “When we had prospect and refuge, we could see hungry carnivores who might want to eat us approaching, and could act accordingly.”

Moreover, it’s a symbol of power. “Think about CEO offices on the top floor of buildings, for example.”

When I was in high school, I worked at SeaWorld of Florida as a park hostess. During my second summer there, I was assigned to the newish 400-foot Sky Tower. At the time, the slowly revolving, double-decker “capsule” gave visitors a 360-degree view of Downtown Orlando, the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral and everyone’s favorite sight — Space Mountain at Disney World. It was the only park attraction that charged an extra fee. I was amazed that visitors would wait in a 50-minute line in Florida’s sticky summer heat for a 6-minute ride.

Whatever the reason that attracts people to high vantage points, I’m happy that Pittsburghers are finally giving these spaces some new attention, particularly given the stunning panorama the city has to offer.

It is just another way we’re going to help revitalize Downtown.

Virginia Linn can be reached at vlinn@pittsburghmagazine.com.