South 29th Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
South 29th Street
Neighborhoods South Side Flats, South Side Slopes
Origin of name Sequential numbering up the Monongahela River
Union Street (1865 – ca. 1880)
29th Street (1871–1881)
Origin of name Sequential numbering up the Monongahela River

South 29th Street today exists in two segments: a street joining Carson Street and Sarah Street in the South Side Flats, and a street joining Harcum Way and Mary Street in the South Side Slopes. When this area was being laid out in the 1860s and 1870s, there seems to have been some confusion about which street should get the number 29.

The first use of the ordinal 29th was the 1871 plan of Ormsby Borough,[1] which followed the numbering sequence established in the boroughs of Birmingham and East Birmingham in 1869.[2][3] This plan gave the name 29th Street to a small alley, north of Carson Street, opposite today's South 29th Street.[1] This quickly became known as Water Works Alley[4] (later Water Works Way) and was vacated in 1950.[5]

The 1872 Hopkins atlas shows a 29th Street farther south, joining Mary Street and Josephine Street, near the segment of South 29th Street that exists today in the Slopes.[4]

By 1881, the ordinal 29th had been given to a street that formed a triangle with Carson Street and South 30th Street;[6][7] part of this street exists today as South 29th Street in the Flats. This street had been laid out as Union Street in 1865.[8][9][1]

The "South" prefix was added by a Pittsburgh city ordinance in 1881;[6] see South First Street for more details.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ormsby Borough." Laid out Mar. 1871; recorded Apr. 13, 1872, Plan Book 4, pp. 204–205. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778970. [view source]ormsby-borough-plan
  2. "Birmingham Council." Daily Post (Pittsburgh), Mar. 3, 1869, [p. 1]. Newspapers.com 86522458. [view source]birmingham-council
  3. "An ordinance for changing the name of certain streets of the Borough of East Birmingham." East Birmingham borough ordinance, 1869. Approved Mar. 13, 1869. In Ordinance book of the Borough of East Birmingham, 1849–1872 (https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_dedbfd48-bbfb-4051-9e7a-4069e8b8fee3/). [view source]ordinance-1869-east-birmingham
  4. 4.0 4.1 Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 114. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1872-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1872 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source]hopkins-1872
  5. "An ordinance vacating Water Works way from Carson street East to the northerly terminus." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1950, no. 261. Passed May 22, 1950; approved June 1, 1950. Ordinance Book 56, p. 580. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the year 1950, appendix, p. 186, City Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1950). [view source]ordinance-1950-261
  6. 6.0 6.1 "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1881, no. 33. Passed Feb. 28, 1881; approved Mar. 4, 1881. Ordinance Book 5, p. 212. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the year 1880, pp. 213–234 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880). [view source]ordinance-1881-33
  7. Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, plate 25. 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
  8. "Plan of lots laid out by William G. Brown, William Graham, James McKee, William McKee, Daniel McKee, Ernst Rorhkaste [sic] and Frederick Rorhkaste [sic] in Lower St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Penn." Recorded Apr. 25, 1865, Plan Book 3, p. 65. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778505. [view source]brown-graham-mckee-rohrkaste-plan
  9. "First addition to Thomas McClurg's plan of lots in Lower St. Clair Township, Allegheny County Pa." Laid out Nov. 1867; recorded Jan. 10, 1868, Plan Book 3, p. 209. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778647. [view source]mcclurg-first-addition-plan