Saline Street Parklet, Neighborhood Park, Greenfield: 775 Saline Street
Schenley Park looms high above the area known as Four Mile Run (often called “The Run” by locals). In addition to the park, the neighborhood also lies below a segment of I-376 and the latest version of the Greenfield Bridge. While the highway dates to the early 1950s, residents of The Run have lived “under a bridge,” so to speak, since 1891. For those who think today’s bridges are in bad shape (they are, no doubt about it), do a quick internet search for the 1921 Greenfield Bridge collapse. YIKES!
The Run, like lots of Pittsburgh, is very different from how it was 100 years ago. Today, Saline Street is a dead end, but back before the highway, the road continued to Monitor Street in Squirrel Hill. As times changed and people left the area, the buildings that once lined this section of the street were removed. Pittsburgh Water and Sewer established a station here, and the rest of the area became passive green space. Several trees were planted about 15 years ago, and they’re now large enough to accommodate bird feeders that a neighbor likely maintains. The ambient sound of flowing traffic is ever-present, and the remains of old Belgian block pavers are nearby, offering a mix of old and new that is quintessentially Pittsburgh.
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