Vintage Bear Pits--Riverview Park, Pittsburg Penn.

This building originally housed live bears. The bears were kept in the lower level and the visitors entered the upper level onto a walkway around the inside of the building where they could view the bears below.

After the bears were removed a complete floor was installed in the upper level and the building was used as a picnic shelter. After the Whissahickon Nature Center was destroyed by fire the Bear Pit became the new nature center. It is now used as a public works storage facility.