Trip #84 57th Street, Stanton Heights, Pittsburgh took place on November 30, 2017, and was published on January 19, 2018.
An orphaned child has lost both parents to death. An orphaned house is without street access, locked into the hilly landscape with entrance and exit only through the public stairs. At one time, when cars were beyond the means of many and walking the primary mode of handling life’s daily needs, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal not to have a road nearby. But now, as I travel up and down these 345 stairs (with the uppermost part closed off), all but one of these orphan houses are completely abandoned and almost too inhospitable to approach. It’s a bit sad and confusing, especially when you consider the luxury apartment buildings being built in Lawrenceville, but today, cars are the norm and walking, especially up hundreds of stairs, less desirable. What does the future hold for the 57th Street orphans?
Field Notes: You cannot go all the way to top of 57th Street as the final portion is closed, but it’s worth checking out as it’s one of the few remaining locations for “orphan houses” (stair-bound, no street access). Most of the homes on the final section of the flight are completely abandoned except for 1 (which has a for sale sign… won’t mention how much they’re asking for it, but you can find it online). Bob Regan’s book, “Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the City’s Public Stairways” has a much better photo and description of this flight if you want to know more.
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!!
