Pittsburgh Stories_John Walter

John Walter

If you find yourself under the Bloomfield Bridge on Lorigan Street you’re liable to pass by John Walter’s metal shop, Iron Eden. It’s a vast eclectic assortment of various cuts of steel, metal ornaments, scraps of metal recovered from John’s many excursions to Triple A Scrap yard (John loves scraps), and all the necessary tools and accessories of his craft. On the rooftop of John’s shop is a terrace designed and arranged for a mid-summer night’s party, where there is a potpourri of colorful and artfully crafted metal chairs, tables, ornamental lamps and fixtures. It’s on Iron Eden’s rooftop where you’ll discover John is much more than a blacksmith; he is truly an artist.  

After graduating from Bethel Park High School, John received a full ride football scholarship to the Merchant Marine Academy in Kingspoint, New York. The life of the Merchant Marine requires long shifts at sea, however there are long stays on land. An entrepreneur at heart, John spent his off time returning to Pittsburgh to flip houses, where back in the early 70’s he could find a house on the Northside for a hundred dollars. To find materials John would follow demolition contractors around Pittsburgh and gather discarded materials to fix up his investments.  One day he found some ornate balcony railings from a torn down theatre in Coraopolis and turned those railing into beautiful window guards for one his houses. After few folks saw these guards and recognized John’s artistry he began receiving commissions. And thus began the genesis of Iron Eden. On first encounter, like many workingmen I encounter in Pittsburgh, John can appear rather gruff and intolerant of BS, however every time I visit John in Bloomfield he welcomes me with a beer.

Cheers,

Tom