Did You Know?
The bronze sculpture is 10 feet, 10 inches in height and weighs more than 7,000 pounds.
Fred Rogers was six feet tall and maintained a weight of 143 pounds throughout his life. The number 143 was significant to him in this way:
1 letter - I
4 letters- love
3 letters - you
Tribute To Children was created inside an abandoned pier and many of the original bricks were sandblasted and remain a part of the site.
Tribute To Children is located near the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers come together to form the Ohio River.
Fred Rogers loved the water and swam nearly every day of his adult life.
Tribute to Children is located across the street from Heinz Field.
The statue was put in place just before midnight the night before the unveiling on November 5, 2009 and quickly covered until the following morning's official unveiling.
The bronze sculpture of Fred Rogers represents the final work of Famed Sculptor Robert Berks.
Mr. Berks allowed Mrs. Joanne Rogers to adjust a tooth on the statue so it would look more like her husband.
The statue took more than two years to construct.
The site won many awards. Architect Louis Astorino received an Award of Excellence in Design and Innovation from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for his work on Tribute to Children.
Tribute to Children has an unobstructed and beautuful view of downtown Pittsburgh.
Tribute to Children is open year-round.
Although open to the public, no public funds are used to maintain the area. Maintenance of the site is overseen and coordinated by the Pittsburgh Sports & Exhibition Authority and Colcom Foundation. All expenses of maintenance are covered by Colcom Foundation
Tribute to Children has become a popular location for wedding and family pictures.