Trip #540 Nina Way to Loyal Way, Beltzhoover, Pittsburgh took place on December 11, 2020, and was published on January 22, 2021.
Sometimes, as I walk around Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, thoughts and questions about baseball history pop into my head. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised; after all, baseball has always been a quintessentially American sport, accessible to anyone with a radio and appealing to a broad cross-section of people, transcending age, job, place of origin, or address. In the post-WWII era, nearly 700,000 people lived in Pittsburgh, with 8,000 in Beltzhoover. It was a time of significant advancement, but it was also a time of flagrant discrimination and limited opportunities for those who weren’t in the ruling class. Then, in 1947, just as ground was breaking for Loyal Way’s now-forgotten city steps, Jackie Robinson was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers and played in the World Series. His success in breaking through baseball’s legendary segregation was greeted with excitement and fear, joy and unbridled anger. As I wander past the empty lots in the near silence of today’s Beltzhoover, I wonder how many of Pittsburgh’s residents listened to that World Series and what they imagined the future would bring.
Field Notes: This is a block-long flight of stairs that is part sidewalk, part raised. However, the area around it is very empty now. Tree branches have fallen over the stairs and there are vines everywhere. But Loyal Way is an old brick street so that was nice to discover.
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
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.
