Renaissance Hotel Pittsburgh

'Tattoo Witness' chronicles 25 years of body-ink renaissance

Whether it is a mark of personal expression, youth or an honest mistake drunk, tattoos are here to stay. In fact, today, tattoos are so popular in this country it is estimated that over 25 percent of people under 30 have one or more somewhere on their bodies.

The tattoos have made their mark on the race for 5000 years. When the photographer Mark Perrott first steps into the living room of Nick Bubash Island Avenue Tattoo in 1979, he was so taken by the culture surrounding the art of tattooing, he immediately began to document it.

Now that 25-year Odyssey has resulted in "Witness Tattoo", an exhibition of 25 larger-than-life portraits spanning as many years, from 1979 to 2004, exhibited at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

Back in 1979, most Perrott spent every weekend doing black and white portraits of customers who were shopping in Bubash McKees Rocks. "I really thought they were transformed in some way spiritual," said Perrott. "It was very powerful. I noticed that when it happened, it was with people who had an incredible sense of what they wanted to make every moment of every day for us all."

A few years later, he took his camera on a tour of Rust Belt tattoo parlors in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. "I was looking for people like Nick who ran the tiny tattoo parlors, a sort of one-man bands," he said.

These visits have led to this, then just running tattoo conventions - held tribal gatherings and celebrations weekend, a public part of this Bubash designates as the "renaissance of tattooing."

"I attended the young Dave Yurkew Philadelphia Convention in 1981," Perrott said, "and continued with visits to conventions at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and Orlando, Florida.

"It is these conventions that I began to notice the emergence of stars tattoo, people who have received recognition and status of the tribe for a variety of reasons," he said. "They are not necessarily the reasons I did all of the senses, but nevertheless they have become known as master. There was a lot of them from the beginning, grew.

Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel Reclaims Origins: Marriott Property ...

Robert Fulton called the building when it opened, the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel was designed by Grosvenor Atterbury architect as a hotel, but was used as an office building, a nightclub and even a veterans' hospital during the World War II. At the turn of this century, Sage Hospitality has decided to renovate the structure and reopen as a hotel. Marriott then purchased the building and decided to launch its rebirth in conjunction with the opening of PNC Park baseball stadium, just across the Allegheny River.

Renovations included restoration of Alabama marble, Vermont, and Italian on the inside of the building. Nearly 300 kilos of coal dust were extracted from the rotunda above the lobby. Mosaic tiles on the ceiling was cleaned and new parts were made to replace those that had fallen over the years. As for the floor of the hall, most of it had to be replaced because he had spent almost entirely in places over the years.

Guests arriving by car may have had a hard time finding the Renaissance. It is nestled between a couple of theaters, and it is easy to miss.Professional drivers and doormen dressed answer provide parking. Once inside, the staff behind the counter waiting for the registration of black granite. Before heading toward the elevators, a quick glance around will be paused by the sight of a grand staircase, comfortable seating and a cozy lounge.

The Renaissance 300 rooms are flooded with light from huge windows. Many of these windows offer views of the Allegheny River and PNC Park beyond. King-size beds, a business office, LCD TVs, and iPod-friendly stereo systems are standard.

After settling, visitors can descend to street level and walk on the Roberto Clemente Bridge to take in a baseball game in Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The walk across the bridge is nice and huge potted flowers line of pots on both sides of the span. When the game is over, forget the traffic. The hotel is just steps back on deck.

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