PITTSBURGH -- Thursday was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, as Pittsburgh paid tribute to "Mister Rogers," the city's favorite neighbor.
The world's first public sculpture of the late Fred Rogers was unveiled at North Shore Riverfront Park, near the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, across from Heinz Field.
"It's like a dream," said Rogers' widow, Joanne. "It's been a good, long while in the making, so it's terribly exciting."
Video - 
Watch Ari Hait's Report From The North ShoreWatched by children for years on the "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" television show, Fred Rogers passed away in 2003 from stomach cancer, shortly after having retired. His old program
still airs in reruns on PBS.
The 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture, called "Tribute to Children," has been under construction for more than a year and sits on the North Shore overlooking the city.
It's on the old Manchester Bridge Pier, which has been redesigned and now includes a scenic outlook on Pittsburgh's three rivers.
A replica of the "Neighborhood of Make Believe" from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" sits on the platform surrounding the statue. When visitors first walk into the exhibit and look down, they'll see the same flooring as was used in the "Neighborhood of Make Believe."
One of the speakers at Thursday's sculpture dedication was David Newell, who played "Mr. McFeely" on the PBS series.
"To see this statue and to see everything that he lived for sort of symbolic in the statue -- the city, the rivers, because he swam. It's been a wonderful day. And it's hard to keep a dry eye today," Newell said to Channel 4 Action News' Ari Hait.
The statue will be lit at night. However, those lights won't be turned on until Nov. 20, as part of
the city's annual "Light Up Night" festivities.
For this weekend only, the old set and the original pieces that were used on the "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" show
will be open to the public at the WQED television studios on Fifth Avenue in Oakland.
Mr. McFeely will greet visitors after they take the tour of various pieces, including King Friday's castle, “X” the Owl and Henrietta Pussycat’s tree, Lady Elaine Fairchilde’s Museum Go-Round, Cornflake S. Pecially’s “Rockit” Factory, Grandpere’s Eiffel Tower and a replica of Daniel Striped Tiger’s Clock.
Previous Stories:
Copyright 2009 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
