Pittsburgh Walk of Fame nominations open for Strip District installment

Over 250 different legends with Southwestern Pennsylvania roots have been nominated to receive a bronze star in the future Pittsburgh Walk of Fame.

“It’s been amazing and heartwarming to see the number of people that have been nominated and the variety of their talents and skills and areas of expertise,” said Nancy Polinsky Johnson, the project’s founder and executive director of the nonprofit behind the project.

The Hollywood-style installation will feature a narrative plaque embedded in the sidewalk in front of The Terminal in the Strip District, which runs along Smallman Street, for each honoree selected.

Nominations opened on Jan. 1 and will close at the end of the month online at pittsburghwalkoffame.org.

Johnson is a longtime WQED on-air host and the former publisher of Shady Ave magazine, which was acquired by Trib Total Media in 2022. She was inspired to launch the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame after visiting similar installations across the country.

Johnson said people have nominated musicians, sports athletes, business leaders, philanthropists, industrialists, authors, playwrights, journalists, TV personalities, politicians, comedians, filmmakers, music producers, dancers, inventors, composers, human rights activists, scientists and medical pioneers so far.

Though over 250 different people have been nominated, she said she’s received over 650 applications overall.

“There’s a lot of repeat nominations,” Johnson said. “Almost everyone and their brother is nominating Fred Rogers.”

Some applications don’t meet the criteria, as the people haven’t had a national impact, according to Johnson. To be selected for a star, the person must have been born in or spent their formative or creative years in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and their contributions must have had an impact on U.S. culture as a whole. They can be living or dead.

“Pittsburghers love their local legends, their local heroes,” she said.

Johnson wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of the response, but she knew people would be enthusiastic.

“I know Pittsburghers, and I’m one of them,” she said. “I love all of our geniuses and creatives who have put their mark on America, and I know how proud I am to shout it from the rooftop to people who come to visit me.”

The large response so far has affirmed her belief that Pittsburgh needs and deserves a walk of fame, Johnson said.

Next steps

After the nomination period closes at the end of January, a selection committee made up of leaders from the 10-county area will go through the applications.

The selection committee will be formed by February, Johnson said, including leaders from colleges/universities, cultural institutions, news outlets, historical societies, chambers of commerce, community development organizations and tourism bureaus.

“People that we think have their finger on the pulse of the area,” she said.

A variety of honorees will be selected from the 10 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland.

Afterward, the selections will go through a third process by the nonprofit’s board to ensure the honorees represent the diversity of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Johnson said.

The first class of honorees, which is set to include 10 local legends, will be announced this spring and inducted this fall when the walk formally opens at The Terminal.

The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame will then expand annually, with plans to incorporate technology to make it an interactive experience through a customized app.

For the next three years, 10 people will be added per year, and, after that, honorees will slow down to about three per year, Johnson said. There will be no cap on the number of honorees.

In addition to the selection process, the walk of fame nonprofit will need to fundraise moving forward to implement the installation. Johnson said people can make contributions on the website.

“Our next big hurdle is raising the money to make this happen,” she said.