Trip #476 Endness Street, West End, Pittsburgh took place on August 2, 2020, and was published on August 14, 2020.
The novelist Thomas Wolfe said that America is not only the place where miracles happen but where they happen all the time. The “Miracle on Endness Street” occurred on a byway long removed from city maps. The people and their homes are gone, replaced by a smattering of commercial and industrial enterprises. The knotweed was 10 feet high and rising as I walked up Corinth Street, and was soon swallowed by an ocean of green. The stairs were somewhere, but I hadn’t the slightest idea where to start looking for them. Disappointed, I trudged back to my car and noticed a tall man getting out of a construction vehicle. He asked if I needed help, and when I mentioned I was looking for the stairs, he smiled. “Just scramble up over that pile of crushed stone, and you’ll see ’em!” Sure enough, a twined tree, an old tire swing, and a spot relatively free of knotweed awaited me. Was this crossing of paths a miracle? In terms of rediscovering Endness Street, I’d like to think so.
Field Notes: Talk about an adventure to find this one! It’s probably easy to see and get to in the winter, but with it being summer the knotweed is 10 feet high and climbing making it all but impossible. Thankfully, I man who lives near the Woodville Avenue portion, asked me if I needed help and pointed me in the right direction. It was worth it to find this scene!
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
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.
about Endless steps near Corinth, did you find the street sign “China St” in the middle of nowhere? it’s a new sign, placed there by PGH DPW
Hello! No, I did not see the street sign but the knotweed is very tall and thick right now. The gentleman from Rozzo Construction who helped me to find the stairs mentioned that the last house up on that street had been demolished several years ago. I’m looking forward to going back there in the early winter so I can see more of the area.