Trip #29 Brereton Street to Herron Avenue, Polish Hill, Pittsburgh took place on September 4, 2017, and was published on September 8, 2017.
Concrete, red brick, railroad ties, grass. Patchwork. Blooming hydrangeas surrounded by weeds, decorative stone borders in disarray. In the not so distant past, this empty corner lot might have been a garden, a shared community space. I imagine neighbors getting together on a summer evening. Weeding, trimming branches, planting. Sharing gossip, commiserating or rejoicing over yesterday’s baseball game, knocking back a beer at Gooski’s when darkness sets in. But not this summer.
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The hydrangeas and beebalm and black-eyed susans are still here; they are still blooming. They are waiting for someone to come back. How long will it be?
Field Notes: I remember volunteering with the Polish Hill Civic Association to clear this empty lot and plant a community garden five years ago. Many of the flowers are still blooming but everything is overgrown – looks like this was a neighborhood project that couldn’t be maintained over time.
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!!
