Evans Way
| Evans Way | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | Central Business District |
| Origin of name | Oliver Evans |
| Fate | Vacated in 1950 |
| Evans Alley (until 1914) | |
| Origin of name | Oliver Evans |
Evans Alley ran from the Allegheny River to Liberty Avenue, between Hay Street (later Fourth Street and then Fancourt Street) to the west and Pitt Street (later Fifth Street, today Stanwix Street) to the east. It was part of George Woods' original plan of Pittsburgh of 1784, though that plan did not give it a name.[1] It is also unlabeled in the 1787 plan of lots by John Hills, though one copy of this map has "Evans Alley" as a later handwritten annotation.[2] In William Darby's map of 1815 it is labeled "Cecils Alley," but this is an error, for Cecil Alley (today's Cecil Place) should be on the other side of Pitt Street, which Darby leaves unlabeled.[3][4] The first map to label it Evans Alley was the map of Jean Barbeau and Lewis Keyon in 1830.[5] The first city directory to include Evans Alley in its street listing was George H. Thurston's first edition in 1856.[6] It became Evans Way in 1914 when every alley in Pittsburgh was renamed "Way."[7]
It was named for Oliver Evans, who built a steam-powered flour mill in 1809 at the northwest corner of Redoubt Alley and Water Street (today Fort Pitt Boulevard) on the shore of the Monongahela River. Operated by his son George, the mill processed about 60,000 bushels of grain each year.[8][4]
Evans Way was vacated in 1950 as part of the construction of Gateway Center.[8][9]
See also
- Emerson Street, part of which was once named Evans Avenue
References
- ↑ George Woods. A Draught of the Town Plat of Pittsburgh, Surveyed for John Penn, Jr., and John Penn, by George Woods, May 31st 1784. 1784. Reproduced as "Original plan of Pittsburgh" in plate 19 of Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872 (Historic Pittsburgh 1872p019). [view source] woods-plat
- ↑ John Hills. Plan of the Lots Laid Out at Pittsburg and the Coal Hill. Philadelphia, 1787. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0464; LCCN 74692580. Reproduced in John W. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A history of city planning in the United States, p. 205, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1965 (LCCN 63023414); in Stefan Lorant, Pittsburgh: The story of an American city, 5th (Millennium) ed., p. 53, Esselmont Books, Pittsburgh, 1999, ISBN 0-967-41030-4 (LCCN 99-066641); and in Emily M. Weaver, The Fort Pitt Block House, p. 40, History Press, Charleston, S. C., 2013, ISBN 978-1-60949-933-4. [view source] hills
- ↑ Wm. Darby. Plan of Pittsburg and Adjacent Country. R. Patterson and W. Darby, Philadelphia, 1815. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0197, DARMAP0198. Reproduced in John W. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A history of city planning in the United States, p. 207, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1965 (LCCN 63023414); and in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 24. Also reproduced as "Plan von Pittsburg und Umgebungen" in Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Heinrich Luden, ed.), Reise Sr. Hoheit des Herzogs Bernhard zu Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach durch Nord-Amerika in den Jahren 1825 und 1826, vol. II, following p. 200, Wilhelm Hoffmann, Weimar, 1828 (Internet Archive reisesrhoheitdes00bern, reisesrhoheitdes00inbern). [view source] darby
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 James M. Riddle. The Pittsburgh Directory for 1815: Containing the names, professions and residence of the heads of families and persons in business, in the borough of Pittsburgh, with an appendix containing a variety of useful information. James M. Riddle, Pittsburgh, 1815. Internet Archive pittsburghdirect00ridd. Republished by the Colonial Trust Co., Pittsburgh, 1905 (Google Books 9ihRAAAAYAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 00ach3238m); and by Duquesne Smelting Corporation, Pittsburgh, 1940 (Internet Archive pittsburghdirect00repu). [view source] riddle
- ↑ Jean Barbeau and Lewis Keyon. Map of Pittsburgh and Its Environs. N. B. Molineux, Pittsburgh, 1830. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0576; https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/36c3ab00-57aa-0136-8f4f-08990f217bc9. [view source] barbeau
- ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory for 1856–'57, of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, Birmingham, East Birmingham, South & West Pittsburgh, Temperanceville, Manchester, Duquesne and Lawrenceville Boroughs, East Liberty, and Parts of Pitt and Collins Townships. George H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1856. Google Books HwYuAAAAYAAJ; HathiTrust 011562263; Historic Pittsburgh 31735038289074. [view source] thurston-1856
- ↑ "An ordinance changing the name 'Alley' on every thoroughfare in the City of Pittsburgh, to 'Way.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1914, no. 402. Passed Nov. 10, 1914; approved Nov. 16, 1914. Ordinance Book 26, p. 360. Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Nov. 23, 1914, p. 11 (Newspapers.com 86505785), and Nov. 24, p. 12 (Newspapers.com 86505809). [view source] ordinance-1914-402
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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
- ↑ "An ordinance vacating Evans Way between Duquesne Way and Liberty Avenue." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1950, no. 349. Passed July 21, 1950; approved July 24, 1950. Ordinance Book 56, p. 644. Reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 27, 1950, p. 17 (Newspapers.com 89437351). [view source] ordinance-1950-349
