Trip #348 Breesport Street to Ft Pitt School, Garfield, took place on September 21, 2019, and was published on October 9, 2019.
To a lot of people, Breesport Road is one of those “nothing” places; just a dead-end tucked up high in the Garfield hills, its glory days long past. It would be easy to assume that the stairway followed the path of many of the homes that once lined this street into decay, demolition, and reclamation. And that is how it all appeared as I approached the furthermost end of the road. But I hate giving up on a flight of stairs, so I slowly looked around and then, there they were – camouflaged in plain sight. Breesport Street and its stairs might be forgotten, but they’re not gone. They’re just hanging on to the hillside with all of the other bits of “nothing.”
Field Notes: I showed up here thinking the stairs were totally gone but SURPRISE! The bottom part is still viewable and navigable but the top part is gone – knocked down and/or consumed by the hillside. So happy to find this one 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!!
