MARKET SQUARE is considered the historic heart of Downtown, but for years buses have clogged its arteries. Not any more. Since Thursday, 22 bus routes that used to come down Forbes Avenue and into the square have been moved to nearby streets allowing for a more people-friendly environment. City officials and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership requested the move, which is anticipated in all three plans being considered for the renovation of the square. Although some bus riders will be inconvenienced, it is a change for the better for most Pittsburghers.

OTHER HISTORIC spots in the region could use some attention, and the Young Preservationists Association has come up with its sixth annual Top 10 wish list of places that present the best preservation opportunities. As Post-Gazette writer Diana Nelson Jones reported Friday, the No. 1 pick of the group in the nine counties of southwestern Pennsylvania was the Blairsville Armory in Indiana County, a 1909 building on the National Register of Historic Places. In Allegheny County, four sites made the list: Wilkinsburg's Main Street (No. 3), McKees Rocks' Main Street (No. 7), the Dormont Pool (No. 9) and the Garden Theater, North Side (No. 10). Let's hope they can all age gracefully.

THE KISKI SCHOOL in Saltsburg was founded in 1888 and is one of the oldest all-boys college prep boarding schools in the United States. A good part of that history was dominated by one man, Jack Pidgeon, headmaster for 45 years, starting in 1957. From a humble background himself, Mr. Pidgeon by dint of character and intelligence became a prince of education and a revered figure to legions of boys. Mr. Pidgeon, 83, husband of former Pennsylvania auditor general and treasurer Barbara Hafer, died Monday of complications of Parkinson's disease. The school community is not alone in mourning its most influential leader. Rest in peace, Jack Pidgeon.