Manchester (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Manchester is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
's North Side. It has a ZIP code
of 15233, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 (Northshore/Downtown Neighborhoods). The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire houses 37 Engine and their foam unit in Manchester. The neighborhood includes the Manchester Historic District, which protects, to some degree, 609 buildings over a 51.6 acres (20.9 ha) area. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
and Delaware Indians until the late eighteenth century, when all Indian lands in Pennsylvania were ceded to the State. In 1787, the land was surveyed and laid out as a section of the Reserve Tract, which was conferred as partial compensation to Pennsylvania's Revolutionary War
veterans. Development in Manchester was encouraged by its division into large parcels of land, which were sold in conjunction with smaller town lots located in the city of Allegheny
. Situated on one of Pittsburgh's few riverside plains, the level nature of the land allowed the community to be laid out in a standard grid pattern in 1832. Manchester became a borough in 1843, and in 1867 it merged with the city of Allegheny. In 1908, Allegheny was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh. Manchester was largely built up between 1860 and 1900, and attracted residents from Pittsburgh and Allegheny who desired to escape the density of the city. The installation of a streetcar network in the late nineteenth century linked Manchester to both cities, and stimulated its development as a suburban neighborhood. The community grew into a middle-class suburb, populated largely by local businessmen and their families.
The name Manchester originates from the English immigrants who first settled in the area and named the community after its industrial English counterpart. Manchester was an important industrial center for the city of Allegheny. The neighborhood was originally supported by industrial and wharf activity situated on the shore of the Ohio River, and factories loosely woven into the community. The Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works was a notable Manchester industry which produced the first Allegheny-built locomotive
. Manchester's historical boundaries extended beyond Chateau Street to the shores of the Ohio River
, with a neighborhoodcommercial district along Beaver Avenue. However, the western section of Manchester was severed in the 1950s when the elevated Route 65 Expressway was constructed. The expressway bisected the original neighborhood and created a separate commercial district called Chateau. Thus, today's Manchester is a remnant of a neighborhood that was once closely linked to the commercial and industrial sections closer to the river.
Manchester, along with other city neighborhoods, began a slow decline after 1915, when residents began to move to outlying suburbs to escape the encroaching and unpleasant effects of heavy industry. During the ensuing years, many of the finest houses in Manchester deteriorated and were demolished, and the neighborhood as a whole was neglected. In the 1970s, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
(PHLF), the Manchester Citizens Corporation, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and private developers formed a partnership that was successful in renovating many Manchester houses.
Manchester remains primarily a Victorian neighborhood. The term "Victorian," however, does not refer to a specific architectural style, but instead to the era of Queen Victoria's reign from 1837–1901. During that time, many different architectural styles were popular. "Victorian" styles prevalent in Manchester are the Italianate (ca. 1860–1885) and its contemporary, the French Second Empire (ca. 1855–1885); Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne (ca. 1880–1900), which were superseded by the Classical and Colonial Revivals at the turn of the century. Examples of all these styles can be found in Manchester.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's North Side. It has a ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 15233, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 (Northshore/Downtown Neighborhoods). The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire houses 37 Engine and their foam unit in Manchester. The neighborhood includes the Manchester Historic District, which protects, to some degree, 609 buildings over a 51.6 acres (20.9 ha) area. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975.
History
Manchester was part of the preserve of the ShawneeShawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Delaware Indians until the late eighteenth century, when all Indian lands in Pennsylvania were ceded to the State. In 1787, the land was surveyed and laid out as a section of the Reserve Tract, which was conferred as partial compensation to Pennsylvania's Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
veterans. Development in Manchester was encouraged by its division into large parcels of land, which were sold in conjunction with smaller town lots located in the city of Allegheny
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
. Situated on one of Pittsburgh's few riverside plains, the level nature of the land allowed the community to be laid out in a standard grid pattern in 1832. Manchester became a borough in 1843, and in 1867 it merged with the city of Allegheny. In 1908, Allegheny was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh. Manchester was largely built up between 1860 and 1900, and attracted residents from Pittsburgh and Allegheny who desired to escape the density of the city. The installation of a streetcar network in the late nineteenth century linked Manchester to both cities, and stimulated its development as a suburban neighborhood. The community grew into a middle-class suburb, populated largely by local businessmen and their families.
The name Manchester originates from the English immigrants who first settled in the area and named the community after its industrial English counterpart. Manchester was an important industrial center for the city of Allegheny. The neighborhood was originally supported by industrial and wharf activity situated on the shore of the Ohio River, and factories loosely woven into the community. The Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works was a notable Manchester industry which produced the first Allegheny-built locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
. Manchester's historical boundaries extended beyond Chateau Street to the shores of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, with a neighborhoodcommercial district along Beaver Avenue. However, the western section of Manchester was severed in the 1950s when the elevated Route 65 Expressway was constructed. The expressway bisected the original neighborhood and created a separate commercial district called Chateau. Thus, today's Manchester is a remnant of a neighborhood that was once closely linked to the commercial and industrial sections closer to the river.
Manchester, along with other city neighborhoods, began a slow decline after 1915, when residents began to move to outlying suburbs to escape the encroaching and unpleasant effects of heavy industry. During the ensuing years, many of the finest houses in Manchester deteriorated and were demolished, and the neighborhood as a whole was neglected. In the 1970s, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
(PHLF), the Manchester Citizens Corporation, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and private developers formed a partnership that was successful in renovating many Manchester houses.
Manchester remains primarily a Victorian neighborhood. The term "Victorian," however, does not refer to a specific architectural style, but instead to the era of Queen Victoria's reign from 1837–1901. During that time, many different architectural styles were popular. "Victorian" styles prevalent in Manchester are the Italianate (ca. 1860–1885) and its contemporary, the French Second Empire (ca. 1855–1885); Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne (ca. 1880–1900), which were superseded by the Classical and Colonial Revivals at the turn of the century. Examples of all these styles can be found in Manchester.
Surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods
- Allegheny WestAllegheny West (Pittsburgh)Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
- California-KirkbrideCalifornia-Kirkbride (Pittsburgh)California-Kirkbride is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side.The neighborhood consists of a wedge of land between the railroad tracks at the northern edge of Manchester and a steep hill at the southern edges of Brightwood and Perry Hilltop...
- Central Northside
- ChateauChateau (Pittsburgh)Chateau is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's north city area. It has a zip code of 15233, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 . It is on the banks of the Ohio River and is separated from the neighborhood of Manchester by PA Route 65.As...
- Marshall-ShadelandMarshall-ShadelandMarshall-Shadeland is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has a zip codes of both 15212 and 15214, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 1 ....