33rd Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
See also South 33rd Street, which was named 33rd Street until 1881.
33rd Street
Neighborhoods Lower Lawrenceville, Polish Hill, Strip District
Origin of name Sequential numbering up the Allegheny River
➤
Boundary Street (until 1868)
Portion North of Penn Avenue
Origin of name Eastern boundary of Pitt Township
➤
Ewalt Street (until 1868)
Portion South of Penn Avenue

North of Penn Avenue, 33rd Street was originally part of Boundary Street, so named because it was the eastern boundary of Pitt Township, separating it from Peebles Township and the Borough of Lawrenceville.[1][2][a] Today 33rd Street is the official boundary between the Strip District and Lawrenceville.[4]

Boundary Street had a bend at Penn Avenue and headed up Skunk Hollow; the street that continued straight was named Ewalt Street.[1][5][6][7]

In 1868, Pittsburgh's modern sequence of numbered streets was created by renaming all the streets perpendicular to the Allegheny River. The northernmost part of Boundary Street (and implicitly also Ewalt Street) became 33rd Street.[8][9][3]

The renaming ordinance read simply, "Boundary be called Thirty-third street."[8] This briefness led to some confusion. George H. Thurston, the publisher of the Pittsburgh city directory at the time, reasonably interpreted this to mean that the entirety of Boundary Street had been renamed; the list of streets in the 1869 edition of his directory includes "THIRTY-THIRD, (formerly Boundary,) from Water at 4 mile Run through Oakland to Duquesne Way, bt Thirty-second and Thirty-fourth."[10] However, it is clear from subsequent city ordinances that the intent was to rename only the northernmost segment. An ordinance passed less than a month later opened Boundary Street from the Monongahela River to Neville Street,[11] and another ordinance early the next year referred specifically to the junction of Boundary Street and 33rd Street.[12]

In 1872, Miner Street, from the Pennsylvania Railroad to Herron Avenue, was made part of 33rd Street.[13] This is the portion of modern Herron Avenue north of about Milwaukee Street.[14][15] Herron Avenue was rerouted to its modern course in 1902.[16]

See also

  • 43rd Street, which was also formerly called Ewalt Street

Notes

  1. ↑ Bruce S. Cridlebaugh says it was the boundary of Pittsburgh after the annexation of Bayardstown,[3] but that boundary was along Taylor, Penn, and Smith Streets—modern 30th Street, Penn Avenue, and 31st Street.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 R. E. McGowin. Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny and of the Boroughs of South-Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East-Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Duquesne & Manchester etc. Schuchman & Haunlein, Pittsburgh, 1852. https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32269/. [view source] mcgowin-1852
  2. ↑ Edward M. McKeever. "Earlier Lawrenceville." Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, vol. 5, no. 4, Oct. 1922, pp. 277–286. https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/1301. [view source] mckeever
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bruce S. Cridlebaugh. "Field notes: Changing Pittsburgh street names—from downtown to Lawrenceville." Pghbridges.com: Bridges & tunnels of Allegheny County & Pittsburgh, PA, Feb. 9, 2000. http://pghbridges.com/articles/fieldnote_pghstnames.htm. [view source] cridlebaugh
  4. ↑ Pittsburgh Neighborhoods. Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, GIS Division. https://gis.pittsburghpa.gov/pghneighborhoods/. Linked from https://pittsburghpa.gov/innovation-performance/interactive-maps. [view source] pgh-nbhds-map
  5. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, the Adjoining Boroughs and Villages, Also, Parts of the Adjacent Townships, for 1864–'65. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1864, p. 383. DonsList.net PGH_ALLEGH1864_CDM; Historic Pittsburgh 05z902933s. [view source] thurston-1864
  6. ↑ "Plan of the subdivision of part of the Springfield Farm situated in Pitt Township: Made for Mrs. E. F. Denny, Pittsburgh." Laid out July 24, 1866; recorded Apr. 27, 1868, Plan Book 3, pp. 226–227. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778668. [view source] e-f-denny-plan
  7. ↑ Map of Pittsburgh and Environs: Published for the monthly magazine entitled The Iron City, a compendium of facts concerning Pittsburgh and vicinity. 1867. In The Iron City: A compendium of facts concerning Pittsburgh and vicinity, for strangers and the public generally, George W. Pittock and Kinsey McFall, Pittsburgh, 1867, following p. 132 (Internet Archive ironcitycompendi01pitt). [view source] iron-city-map
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "An ordinance changing the names of streets." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1868. Passed Aug. 31, 1868. In The Municipal Record: Containing the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh: 1868, Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1868_20200904_2014). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Sept. 2, 1868, p. 5 (Newspapers.com 86347563), Sept. 3, p. 3 (Newspapers.com 86347623), and Sept. 4, p. 3 (Newspapers.com 86347714). [view source] ordinance-1868-name-changes
  9. ↑ Sarah H. Killikelly. The History of Pittsburgh: Its rise and progress, p. 534. B. C. & Gordon Montgomery Co., Pittsburgh, 1906. DonsList.net HistPgh1909M; Google Books kXmloex-vr8C, poRU0YjqrzsC; HathiTrust 100122020; Historic Pittsburgh 00adc8925m; Internet Archive historyofpittsbu00kill, historypittsbur00killgoog. [view source] killikelly
  10. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships; for 1869–70. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1869, p. 4. Historic Pittsburgh 31735038288522. [view source] thurston-1869
  11. ↑ "An ordinance for opening Boundary street, from the Monongahela river to Neville street." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1868. Enacted Sept. 28, 1868. In The Municipal Record: Containing the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh: 1868, Oct. 26, Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1868_20200904_2014). [view source] ordinance-1868-boundary
  12. ↑ "An ordinance for the construction of a board walk on Boundary street, from the junction of Thirty-third street to Laurel street, and along Laurel street to Elm street (late Bloomfield)." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1869. Enacted Jan. 22, 1868. In The Municipal Record: Containing the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh: 1869, p. 39, Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1868_20200904_2014). [view source] ordinance-1869-boundary
  13. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name of Miner street, from Penna. R. R. to Herron avenue." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1872, no. 13. Passed Apr. 22, 1872. Ordinance Book 3, p. 196. In The Municipal Record: Containing the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, together with the ordinances, &c.: With an index, vol. IV, p. 48, Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, Pittsburgh, 1872 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1872). [view source] ordinance-1872-13
  14. ↑ George H. Thurston and J. F. Diffenbacher. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny for 1876–7: Embracing a general directory of the residences of citizens, full classified business directory, register of public institutions, benevolent societies and city governments, directory of the streets, secret societies, schools and churches. Thurston & Diffenbacher, Pittsburgh, 1876, p. 11. Google Books 8dkCAAAAYAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 31735038288480. [view source] thurston-diffenbacher-1876
  15. ↑ Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, plates 7, 10. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1882. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1882-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1882 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1882
  16. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name of Thirty-third street, between Ruthven street and Herron avenue, to 'Herron avenue.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1902, no. 556. Passed Mar. 10, 1902; approved Mar. 11, 1902. Ordinance Book 14, p. 424. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh, for the year 1901–1902, appendix, p. 213, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1902 (Google Books vMJEAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust chi.096598960; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecordselect1901). [view source] ordinance-1902-556
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