51st Street

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See also 50th Street, which was named 51st Street for less than a month in 1868.
51st Street
Neighborhoods Central Lawrenceville, Upper Lawrenceville
Origin of name Sequential numbering up the Allegheny River
Cochran Street (until ca. 1870)

This street appears as Cochran Street at the northeastern edge of Lawrenceville in the 1852 map of R. E. McGowin and the 1862 map of S. N. and F. W. Beers.[1][2]

In 1868, Pittsburgh's modern sequence of numbered streets was created by renaming all the streets perpendicular to the Allegheny River. Cochran Street was not included in this renaming, which ended at Jackson Street, modern 50th Street.[3][4][5]

It was probably called 51st Street by 1871, when a city ordinance opened 53rd Street (actually modern 52nd Street).[6]

The street is drawn, but not labeled, in the 1872 Hopkins atlas. The mapmaker may have considered it part of Stanton Avenue.[7]

The name 51st Street was certainly established by 1876, when it appeared in both the Hopkins atlas[8] and the street guide of George H. Thurston and J. F. Diffenbacher's city directory.[9]

References

  1. 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. S. N. & F. W. Beers. Map of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Smith, Gallup & Hewitt, Philadelphia, 1862. LCCN 2012592151; 1862 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source]beers
  3. "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
  4. "An ordinance supplementary to an ordinance changing the names of streets." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1868. Passed Sept. 28, 1868. Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Oct. 1, 1868, p. 7 (Newspapers.com 86349783), and Oct. 2, p. 7 (Newspapers.com 86349850). [view source]ordinance-1868-name-changes-supplement
  5. Sarah H. Killikelly. The History of Pittsburgh: Its rise and progress. 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
  6. "An ordinance authorizing the opening of 53d street, from Butler street to the Allegheny River." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1871. Passed Feb. 27, 1871. In The Municipal Record: Containing the proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh: 1871, Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, Pittsburgh, 1871 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1868_20200904_2014). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Mar. 4, 1871, p. 1 (Newspapers.com 85590545), Mar. 6, [p. 4] (Newspapers.com 85590595), and Mar. 7, [p. 4] (Newspapers.com 85590628). [view source]ordinance-1871-53rd
  7. Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, pp. 13, 61. 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
  8. Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 72. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1876. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1876-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; included in the 1872 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source]hopkins-1876
  9. 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. 7. Google Books 8dkCAAAAYAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 31735038288480. [view source]thurston-diffenbacher-1876