Trip #510 Vinecliffe Street, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh took place on October 15, 2020, and was published on November 4, 2020.
Once upon a time, in the not so distant past (2007 Google Street View, to be more exact), Vinecliffe Street had houses. Close to a dozen dotted the hillside following a road that had seen better days. Like many streets, these homes sported everything from new siding and fancy windows to vibrantly painted porches with dangling wind chimes to doors boarded closed and marked with graffiti. Today, nothing from that Street View remains except an intact but crumbling city stairway. Since 1952, those steps have stayed the same while everything around them has changed. With each passing decade ’62, ’72, ’82, ’92, ’02, ’12…and soon to be ’22, our connection to the city steps, the Mount Washington neighborhood, the city of Pittsburgh, and this country have changed. Change is ever-present, but anything rooted like concrete and strong as steel won’t crumble easily. (Part 1 of 2)
Field Notes: Well, this flight has two sections and both are in completely demolished areas of what on maps appears as Vinecliffe Street. Google Street View shows what Vinecliffe once looked like – a mix of inhabited and empty houses on an extremely rough and crumbling street. Everything is gone now and with the summer knotweed growth, certain sections are tricky to get through.
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.
