Trip #644 Ray Avenue, Brookline, Pittsburgh took place on September 26, 2021, and was published on October 6, 2021.
The Ray Avenue city steps in Brookline is the longest flight in the city. With 378 individual steps, it was built in 1954 and helped move people throughout the residential neighborhood bordered by West Liberty and Pioneer Avenues. Today, we tend to look back at that era and recoil at the discrimination and sexism, the disparities, close-mindedness, and rigid social structure. But some good things did appear in post-wartime Pittsburgh. The city’s population had exploded to the 700,000 mark. Social Security had been expanded, and McCarthyism ended. The Civil Rights Act and a national highway system were right around the corner. This environment was responsible for hundreds of our magnificent, well-designed neighborhood stairways, built so well that many continue to carry us today. But that was not to be the fate for Ray Avenue. Today, only the mid-section is safely traversable. The top and bottom sections are overgrown, broken apart, and closed down. And yes, it’s a little heartbreaking to see how this mighty behemoth has fallen.
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Evan Dando said it well; it’s a shame about Ray.
Field Notes: The Ray Avenue city steps are the longest in the city of Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, only the middle section is free and clear and open. Both the top and bottom segments have closed signs on them and have sections where the concrete has fallen away (leaving gaps). However, even visiting the middle section is worth it for the unique construction details.
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.
