West End (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
West End Village is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
's west city area. It has a zip code of 15220, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 (West Neighborhoods).
The neighborhood lies in a small valley south of the Ohio River
and less than a mile from downtown Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1837 as Temperanceville, and was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh in 1872. Today it features a business district that has attracted renewed interest as a design district, featuring businesses like the James Gallery, Ceramiche Tiles, Caldwell's, Jacob Evans Kitchen and Bath, and Artifacts, among many others. To support these businesses, the Urban Redevelopment Authority
added the West End Village as a Mainstreet Pittsburgh district in 2009. The West End Bridge crosses the Ohio River and connects the neighborhood to the North Side of the city. Carson St. connects it to Station Square and the South Side to the east, and the borough of McKees Rocks to the west.
, Elliott
, Windgap
, Esplen
, Ridgemont
, Westwood
, Oakwood
, East Carnegie, Chartiers City, Fairywood
and Crafton Heights
. The West End of Pittsburgh is mostly residential, with some industry and a relative paucity of commercial districts in comparison to the rest of the city. The West End has few notable tourist attractions other than the West End Overlook (actually located in Elliott), a small hilltop park in the neighborhood of Elliott that offers a view of the Golden Triangle (Downtown) from downriver (Ohio River
).
The term "West End" is often mistakenly used to refer to the area southwest of the Ohio River. Upon annexation, the City of Pittsburgh renamed the Borough of Temperanceville as West End; Temperanceville was its own entity on the valley floor through which Saw Mill Run flows toward the Ohio River, between the Coal Hill end of Mt. Washington upriver, and River Hill downriver (site of the Elliott bluff lookout, a.k.a. the West End Overlook (c.1961)/West End-Elliott Overlook (c.2004) the top of which is in a neighborhood corner of the (annexed) community of Elliott.
The Pittsburgh southwest commuities are essentially well-located residential areas, supported by local businesses, and with ready access to the rest of the City and surrounding areas and highway systems. But, over the past 30+ years and continuing, the West End (Temperanceville) has suffered much demolition of its indigenous residential architecture, and removal of most of its tenant units from the rental market, displacing a once substantial low-middle-fixed income multicultural population, in favor of many unsuccessful attempts to attract business.
The West End, despite its demolitions and depopulation, and especially its sibling, still-affordable 100+ year old residential Elliott, are ideal family residential locations with respect to the City and the surrounding areas.
Despite demolitions and failure to reuse so many indigenous dwellings, and recent demolition of half a block on South Main St., the West End has three designated historic landmark buildings (among many others not designated) the German (now Jerusalem Baptist) Church on Steuben St. at Sanctus St., the 1899 Carnegie Branch Library on Neptune St. (spoken for by Andrew Carnegie himself, 2nd in the Pittsburgh Carnegie system, home of the first Library Story Hour anywhere, and the most recently recognized the Old Stone Tavern on Greentree Rd. at Woodville Ave. --which may turn out to pre-date the Fort Pitt Blockhouse as the oldest building west of the Alleghenies.
In Elliott, the bluff/"overlook", once one of the most-visited sites in Allegheny County has been less so since 2004 when a $2.5+ million improvement eliminated historically-available vehicle access to the bluff-top, thereby impacting all-weather all-season visiting, and altering the once truly unique ambiance that came with the city-view, recognized world-wide, of the 3 rivers (Allegheny-Monogahela-Ohio.) Still, it is something to experience, especially at night when the concrete-ization of the near northside is not so blatant. Elliott and Crafton Heights also share the still open presence of the Obey House (1823) once a true Road House on the Steubenville Pike (the land route West from Pittsburgh.)
railway overpass (formerly Pennsylvania Railroad
) runs straight through the circle, and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad ran across Steuben Street, across a trestle and alongside the West End Bypass.
A complete reconfiguration of the West End Circle started in October 2007, including new bridges and new improved connectors. A new underpass was dug under the Norfolk Southern Railroad for straight access to the West End Bridge northbound and West End Bypass southbound. The West End segment of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad has been discontinued as the track on Steuben Street was removed. The project was completed in October 2010.
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 west city area. It has a zip code of 15220, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 (West Neighborhoods).
The neighborhood lies in a small valley south 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...
and less than a mile from downtown Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1837 as Temperanceville, and was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh in 1872. Today it features a business district that has attracted renewed interest as a design district, featuring businesses like the James Gallery, Ceramiche Tiles, Caldwell's, Jacob Evans Kitchen and Bath, and Artifacts, among many others. To support these businesses, the Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is the City of Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City’s tax base and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods...
added the West End Village as a Mainstreet Pittsburgh district in 2009. The West End Bridge crosses the Ohio River and connects the neighborhood to the North Side of the city. Carson St. connects it to Station Square and the South Side to the east, and the borough of McKees Rocks to the west.
Region
The term "West End" is also used to refer to the surrounding region, which includes the West End Valley in addition to western neighborhoods SheradenSheraden (Pittsburgh)
Sheraden is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. Nearby neighbourhoods include Windgap, Chartiers City, Crafton Heights, Esplen, and Elliott....
, Elliott
Elliott (Pittsburgh)
Elliott is a small, hilly neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's West End Region. Elliott is represented on the Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 , and uses the zip code 15220.-History:...
, Windgap
Windgap (Pittsburgh)
Windgap is a neighborhood in the west area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a zip code of 15204, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 ....
, Esplen
Esplen (Pittsburgh)
Esplen is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's west city area. It has a zip code of 15204, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 ....
, Ridgemont
Ridgemont (Pittsburgh)
Ridgemont is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's southwest city area. It has zip codes of both 15220 and 15216, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 .-Surrounding communities:...
, Westwood
Westwood (Pittsburgh)
Westwood is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's West End Region. Annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in three pieces, the eastern third in 1872, then the remaining sectors progressing west in 1921 and 1927, Westwood is and has always been a quiet community inhabited by a large variety of...
, Oakwood
Oakwood (Pittsburgh)
Oakwood is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's southwest city area. It has a zip code of 15205, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 .-Demographics:...
, East Carnegie, Chartiers City, Fairywood
Fairywood (Pittsburgh)
Fairywood is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's west area. It has a zip code of 15205, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 . Fairywood is home to an abandoned city housing project named Broadhead Manor. It borders the city of Pittsburgh...
and Crafton Heights
Crafton Heights (Pittsburgh)
Crafton Heights is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its name is derived from the neighboring borough, Crafton Borough, and the majority of today's community was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh in 1921...
. The West End of Pittsburgh is mostly residential, with some industry and a relative paucity of commercial districts in comparison to the rest of the city. The West End has few notable tourist attractions other than the West End Overlook (actually located in Elliott), a small hilltop park in the neighborhood of Elliott that offers a view of the Golden Triangle (Downtown) from downriver (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...
).
The term "West End" is often mistakenly used to refer to the area southwest of the Ohio River. Upon annexation, the City of Pittsburgh renamed the Borough of Temperanceville as West End; Temperanceville was its own entity on the valley floor through which Saw Mill Run flows toward the Ohio River, between the Coal Hill end of Mt. Washington upriver, and River Hill downriver (site of the Elliott bluff lookout, a.k.a. the West End Overlook (c.1961)/West End-Elliott Overlook (c.2004) the top of which is in a neighborhood corner of the (annexed) community of Elliott.
The Pittsburgh southwest commuities are essentially well-located residential areas, supported by local businesses, and with ready access to the rest of the City and surrounding areas and highway systems. But, over the past 30+ years and continuing, the West End (Temperanceville) has suffered much demolition of its indigenous residential architecture, and removal of most of its tenant units from the rental market, displacing a once substantial low-middle-fixed income multicultural population, in favor of many unsuccessful attempts to attract business.
The West End, despite its demolitions and depopulation, and especially its sibling, still-affordable 100+ year old residential Elliott, are ideal family residential locations with respect to the City and the surrounding areas.
Despite demolitions and failure to reuse so many indigenous dwellings, and recent demolition of half a block on South Main St., the West End has three designated historic landmark buildings (among many others not designated) the German (now Jerusalem Baptist) Church on Steuben St. at Sanctus St., the 1899 Carnegie Branch Library on Neptune St. (spoken for by Andrew Carnegie himself, 2nd in the Pittsburgh Carnegie system, home of the first Library Story Hour anywhere, and the most recently recognized the Old Stone Tavern on Greentree Rd. at Woodville Ave. --which may turn out to pre-date the Fort Pitt Blockhouse as the oldest building west of the Alleghenies.
In Elliott, the bluff/"overlook", once one of the most-visited sites in Allegheny County has been less so since 2004 when a $2.5+ million improvement eliminated historically-available vehicle access to the bluff-top, thereby impacting all-weather all-season visiting, and altering the once truly unique ambiance that came with the city-view, recognized world-wide, of the 3 rivers (Allegheny-Monogahela-Ohio.) Still, it is something to experience, especially at night when the concrete-ization of the near northside is not so blatant. Elliott and Crafton Heights also share the still open presence of the Obey House (1823) once a true Road House on the Steubenville Pike (the land route West from Pittsburgh.)
West End Bypass / Banksville Circle
The West End Bypass is a 1.1 stretch of highway (designated as Saw Mill Run Blvd/U.S. 19, PA 51), running from the West End exit interchange on the Penn Lincoln Parkway (Exit 69C) to the West End Circle. When this bypass opened in 1951, its South Hills connector was the Banksville Circle, a predecessor thoroughfare to the Parkway and Fort Pitt Tunnels. This circle provided direct access to the West End via Woodville Avenue. It was removed by the late 1950s with the construction of the Penn Lincoln Parkway. However, the Woodville Avenue connector still exists, accessible via Parkway Exit 69C and Carnegie/Airport exit from the West End Bypass.West End Circle
The West End Circle is the circumference of traffic south of the West End Bridge, brought together by the West End Bypass (see above), South Main Street (PA Route 60--southern terminus), Steuben Street, and West Carson Street (PA 51/PA 837--northern terminus). The Norfolk SouthernNorfolk Southern Corp.
The Norfolk Southern Corporation is a publicly-traded stock corporation based in Norfolk, Virginia. It is the holding company for the Norfolk Southern Railway, a major Class I railroad system. The company was formed in 1982 to control the Norfolk and Western Railway as well as the Southern Railway...
railway overpass (formerly Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
) runs straight through the circle, and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad ran across Steuben Street, across a trestle and alongside the West End Bypass.
A complete reconfiguration of the West End Circle started in October 2007, including new bridges and new improved connectors. A new underpass was dug under the Norfolk Southern Railroad for straight access to the West End Bridge northbound and West End Bypass southbound. The West End segment of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad has been discontinued as the track on Steuben Street was removed. The project was completed in October 2010.