The Mystery of the Toynbee tiles

Toynbee tiles are famous across the globe, and located here in Pittsburgh are some of the oldest tiles. Wondering downtown you can find tiles at the crosswalks of Smithfield St near Forbes Ave, at a Forbes Ave crosswalk near Ross St, and Oliver Ave near Smithfield St.

There has been much mystery on what the tiles represent, who placed them there, and how. Rumor is that there was a lead on the way the tiles where installed written on the long gone tile outside the Hilton hotel. UPDATE: The one located at Oliver and Smithfield has been paved over.

This year the Sundance documentary Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles directed by Jon Foy traces the tiles to find their origin. Below is the trailer of the film.