Trip #292 Chestnut Street, East Allegheny took place on May 11, 2019, and was published on May 29, 2019.
When we’re young, we rarely think about being old. It seems so far away and barely comprehensible. But as the years add up, aging creeps into our body and mind, affecting our decisions, our actions, our dreams. We might try to stay healthy, active, and intellectually curious, but decay occurs. I think about the aging process as I stand at the bottom of Chestnut Street’s beautiful old stairs. Built in 1944, this flight recently acquired a vibrant mosaic mural by Spring Hill artist Linda Wallen, but cosmetic enhancements weren’t enough to stop disintegrating concrete and structural dysfunction. These days, you can look at the colorfully represented birds, flowers and cityscapes, but you can’t walk the stairs, and with the amount of damage they’ve sustained, it makes me wonder what will become of them.
Field Notes: This flight is pretty destroyed – looks like some community members tried to keep it usable but there’s just too much decay. The mosaic mural at the bottom is quite lovely though!
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!!
