Lookout Street Parklet, Troy Hill: Croft & Lookout Streets
I look around, and it’s hard to reconcile the present view with what the map from 1923 indicates: Croft Street meandering down the hill toward East Ohio (now Route 28), and the Belgian block stairs on Lookout Street providing a grand entrance to the Colonial Trust Co. bank and later to the No. 4 streetcar loop.
I brush the past aside and try to focus my attention on a deer resting near a rain barrel and compost bin at the entrance to the community garden. Even at the end of summer, with all the plants leggy and brown, it’s still quietly magical. Across the street is the playground, with swings, a hopscotch outline, bright blue and purple slides, climbing structures, and an official city sign memorializing a North Side state representative who has long since passed on. The “lookout” from the hilltop directs attention across the Allegheny River and presents a panorama of rugged hillsides and arched bridges. Despite having to peek through the greenery, it’s still an incredible view. And thanks to the chain link perimeter fence, I don’t have to “look out” to avoid tumbling down the steep hillside into oncoming traffic.
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