Revisiting Junilla Street, Middle Hill, Pittsburgh, took place on August 14, 2022, and was published on September 14, 2022.
Asking Google what a word means sometimes yields prophetic answers. In the case of Junilla Street, one possible definition is “a beautiful thing, a gift from God.” I first visited this flight in October of 2017, and it was in a crumbling state of decay. But in 2019, the city rebuilt the flight, and it’s now very wide with a low threshold for easier traveling, new railings, and improved lighting. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and not everyone sees the new Junilla positively. City steps facilitate movement and offer outdoor public space, and those attributes are not always desired. This flight and others in the Middle Hill are often “bombed” with bags of smelly garbage intentionally scattered throughout the flight’s midsection. The action sends a clear message: do not walk through or congregate on these stairs. Vigilantism such as this is not limited to the Hill District or even Pittsburgh. All cities with public stairs experience it to some degree. I struggle with reporting this to 311; it’s a hazard and attracting vermin. But I can also understand why it will likely come back. Gifts may be well-intentioned but not always welcomed.
Field Notes: When this flight was rebuilt in 2019 I wondered if it was because some housing development was slated to happen nearby. So much of this area is empty lots now that it seemed strange to put in a fancy new flight. Needless to say, it’s now 2022 and nothing has appeared to change in this area of Middle Hill, except that some residents clearly don’t want people walking through. The Polaroid does a nice job of masking how gross the situation is but it all appears on the iPhone photo.
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.
