Revisiting Basin Street, Troy Hill, Pittsburgh, took place on August 24, 2022, and was published on September 27, 2022.
The Basin Street city steps in Troy Hill hold an important lesson: You can never be sure what the future holds, and because of this, it’s never too late to create your best life. If you’re skeptical, let me tell you a little about its history. In 1862, three years after the first modern oil well was drilled in Titusville, PA, the short-lived “oil rush” came to this hilltop. The maps from this time show an oil refinery adjacent to this area, on the land now known as Cowley-Goettmann Park. A carefully drawn rectangle marked a “basin,” and one lone street (most likely a footpath or wooden stairs) provided access from Spring Garden Avenue. Like all speculative ventures, some people became rich, and others lost everything. By 1872, the refinery was gone, and the word “reservoir” replaced “basin” in the rectangle, but the street name remained the same. Soon after, four other streets were built, and the little yellow and pink rectangles (indicating wood or brick) with their owners’ names arrived. The stairs of Basin Street formally appeared on the map in 1903, but some form likely came before.
In the 120 years since, this westernmost section of Troy Hill has seen many lifetimes’ worth of success and failure, and through it all, Basin Street has stood witness. A few years ago, a small group of dedicated residents began stewarding the stairs and its now empty hillside. Today, this winding flight travels through a landscape that’s one part art installation, one part archaeological dig. The foundations of those original homes are creatively displayed alongside current efforts to reduce erosion and landslides. Although a time traveler from the past might still recognize the street, the view would be unfamiliar, if only because the air is now so clear.
I try to avoid picking my favorite stairs because I believe every place is fascinating in its own way but right now, I have a little extra pride for Basin. You’ve come a long way, baby! I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for you.
Field Notes: Visiting Spring Garden and Troy Hill in the early days of this Mis.Steps project was so fortuitous! That is how I started doing the city steps walking tours at Threadbare (thanks to the Pittsburgh Magazine article that came out at the end of 2017). Those monthly walking tours have given me the chance to see the gradual transformation of these places, and it’s all so good!
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs, and railings, as well as trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
