Trip #238 Ellers Street to Allequippa Street, West Oakland, Pittsburgh took place on January 6, 2019, and was published on January 21, 2019.
The sound of one person slowly clapping punctuates the air as I walk down these aging stairs, and my eyes are drawn to a section of the sidewalk that has managed to keep its old stone pavers. The grey blocks look rugged and sturdy, and quite pretty alongside the Oak Hill townhouses. The development, featuring fairly recent construction, looks strangely out of place when compared to the other sidewalks, other houses, other landscaping. Once you’re on “the inside” it all looks the same and blends together in a somewhat monotonous way, but it’s at the perimeter, the place where old meets new that the effect is most jarring. The small red brick houses that defined much of this old neighborhood look depressed and frightened next to the bold colors and bright trim of the new arrivals. You wouldn’t know what had been here if you didn’t look beyond the edge, and even that wouldn’t give you the whole story.
Field Notes: This show a little slice of the original neighborhood that was not demolished to make way for the Oak Hill development. It’s a strange mixture of new construction townhouses and old red brick houses.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
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. If the location has an abundance of illegal dumping and trash, also contact Allegheny Cleanways, letting them know the location and the nature of the garbage. Thank you!!
