Secret Pittsburgh

Have you wanted to see the city of Pittsburgh from a fresh new perspective? To stand high above the three rivers and look out over the many different neighborhoods of the City of Bridges? Then there is no greater place to visit than the South Side Slopes, where visitors can experience Pittsburgh in a new light while walking the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association’s (SSSNA) Church Route. On this route designed with visitors in mind you will be walking up and down the same stairways that were used by steel and glass mill workers and that make the South Side Slopes such a unique and beautiful neighborhood.[3]

When first arriving in the South Side, whether that be by car or bus, you are most likely to start your walk on East Carson Street. From there you should make your way to South 15th Street and walk about the road away from the river and towards the Slopes. As you walk towards the Slopes you will no doubt be struck by the sheer size of the hill side that will begin to dwarf the buildings around you. This is where the people who worked the steel and glass mills of the South Side would trek to and from on their commutes to and from work. While walking up and down these 820 stairs, it is important to keep in mind the fact that they were built for the steel workers and glass workers that spent long, grueling hours toiling away in hot and dangerous factories in order to provide for their families.

Soon you will reach the base of the Slopes and be greeted by a large steel staircase that takes you over the railway that cuts between the Slopes and the Flats. It is here that you will finally be crossing over into the residential area where this footbridge and the coming stairs are an integral part of life in the Slopes. At one point in time the infrastructure that connected the two halves of the South Side started to deteriorate, but this footbridge is evidence of the neighborhood’s efforts to improve and maintain the stairways that are integral to the Slopes. It was thanks to the SSSNA and the residents of the slopes themselves that the city of Pittsburgh completed this footbridge to reallow pedestrian passage between the Slopes and Flats. As you climb this rusted tower, take a minute to turn around and look over the commercial area that is the Flats and take in the hustle and bustle of this living neighborhood before its residents vanish from the heights you are about to reach.

Once at the top of the stairs you will continue up South 15th Street until you will reach and take a right down Pius Street. On your right you will see Saint Michael’s Church which started in 1848 in a single house, and which now holds Cholera Day in August in honor of the 1853 cholera outbreak which every member of the church survived.[1] This is just one of many churches that you will find in this neighborhood, each with its own history and stories. Once at the corner of Pius and Brosville you will be greeted with one of the best views of downtown Pittsburgh if you look down Brosville Street. Take the stairway heading up the hillside that is marked with the Church Route sign across the street from Saint Michael’s.

While walking up these stairs take notice of the house that connects with the stairway. This is a prime example of how interconnected these stairways are with the residents of the Slopes. The stairs are integral to moving about the neighborhood. Without them residents would need to wind their way around the many streets of the Slopes, making the commute to work and to home that much more laborious for those that currently rely on the stairs. After you reach the top of these stairs, if look up and to your left you will be able to see the first peak at Saint Paul of the Cross, the second church of note on this route.

Look to your right and you’ll see the next set of stairs across Hackstown Street, and once you make it to the top of those stairs you will walk up St. Thomas Street and take a right onto Monastery Avenue. At the top of Monastery Avenue, you will see Saint Paul of the Cross. Built in 1859, this monastery is home of the Passionists of Italy, also known as the barefoot missionaries. Take a moment to look at the façade of the church and take note of the fine sculptures that line the face of this historic building. If you look towards the top of the church, you will see a sculpture of Saint Paul, and directly below him you will see the interior rose window which was designed after a similar window in Reims, Germany.[2] Walking past Saint Paul, you will start heading down hill as you continue down Monastery Avenue. Take a left onto St. Paul Street you will loop around Winters Park and take a left onto Yard Way.

Now is the point where you will finally be going downhill. Look out over the hill and you will see the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland, then descend the stairway and enjoy the well deserved break after climbing to the top of the Slopes. Once you reach the bottom on Pius Street cross the road and head left until you see a sign for the 18th Street Stairs. Follow down these stairs and you will be back in the lively streets of the Flats. These stairs are different in a rather obvious way. LED light posts illuminate the stairway in the night. It is thanks to a grant from the Duquesne Light Company that they were able not only to install these lights, but also to repair and clean the steps themselves.[1]

As you have most likely noticed at this point from either reading this guide or from walking the steps, it takes an incredible amount of funding and effort to maintain and even repair the stairways that make up the Slopes. Much of the cost of labor are handled by the SSSNA. In 2014 for example Allegheny County provided the association with $100,000 to access and make repairs to the steps. Without this influx of funds every now and again the neighborhood would not be able to maintain the steps, and in the future the SSSNA hopes to use the 18th Street stairway as a model for what to do in the future.[2] Now that you are back in the South Side Flats, feel free to find your way home, or to find a place to eat in one of the many establishments in the area. Whether you sit down at on of the many restaurants in the South Side or decide to turn in for the night, the sights on the Slopes will stay with you for a long while.

 

 

Works Cited:

[1] “Church Route.” South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, https://www.southsideslopes.org/steptrek/church-route/.

[2] Jones, Diana Nelson. “South Side Neighborhood Group Gets Funds to Address Crumbling Slopes Steps.” Gazette, 26 June 2014, https://www.post-gazette.com/local/2014/06/25/Neighborhood-group-gets-funds-to-address-crumbling-Slopes-steps/stories/201406240175#ixzz35gFZXDpG.

[3] Wang, Victor. “South Side Slopes Trail Signs Boosts Appeal of Church Route.” Gazette, 25 June 2016, https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2016/06/27/South-Side-Slopes-trail-signs-boosts-appeal-of-church-route/stories/201606240214.