Iron City circa 1950?

Iron City circa 1950?, originally uploaded by HokieBurgh.

Here's a shot of a terrific old Iron City billboard from who knows when (the picture was not dated). Let's just go with 1950, that's a nice and even year. And yes, the next time you think of slurping on a Miller Lite, you should realize you are disgracing your heritage, and order an 'IRN instead.

ForbesAve53

ForbesAve53, originally uploaded by HokieBurgh.

Here's a view down Forbes Avenue from 1953. The businesses occupying the store fronts along this corridor might have changed, but the way the street beautifully frames the Cathedral of Learning is timeless.

29thandPenn53

29thandPenn53, originally uploaded by HokieBurgh.

29th and Penn Avenue in the Strip District circa 1953.  This spot is a block from my current office. The building next to the car in the foreground is currently a bar called "Arts Tavern", and the appliance shop across the street is now a beautiful, empty lot. There are a couple trendy companies in old buildings in the area that have been re-done, but for the most part it looks the same to this day.

City Refuse Truck 1953

CityRefuseTruck53, originally uploaded by HokieBurgh.

Smacked up old truck....who knows what the story is behind how this came to happen.

Hazel St - Lot between #1228-1234 (1954)

Hazel St - Lot between #1228-1234, originally uploaded by HokieBurgh.

Here's a picture from the Hill District looking into town. Notice the Clark building off to the left, and the current Citizen's Bank building off to the right. It was a mere three years old at the time of this picture!

What is Old Pittsburgh?

My name is Stephen and I am obsessive when it comes to my hometown (and current town) of Pittsburgh, Pa.  My youth was spent @ Three Rivers, and the 4 years I spent away at college were spent being obnoxious about where I came from.  I also happen to be a bit of a dweeb, currently employed by a Pittsburgh based startup and an ardent consumer of everything web related.  

For a long while I've wanted to find an outlet that would merge my two passions, and recently found one.  My father worked for 25 years for Allegheny County, and is a bit of an amateur historian....especially when it comes to the heritage of the Pittsburgh metro area.  He spent his youth in the steel mills, attended game 7 of the 1979 World Series, and worked most of his professional life for the county that Pittsburgh anchors.  

At one point in the late 90s/early 2000s he witnessed box of old city law photographs about to be dumped into the trash.  Being Mr. Nostalgia, he rescued said photographs and brought them home for storage.  Fast forward to September of this year, I move into a new apartment and desire to adorn my walls with pictures of Pittsburgh's past.  I ask the old man if he has any idea where I can access some old photographs.  He lead me downstairs and showed me the box of old cityscapes.....it was instant love: shady dudes standing on street corners, beat up cars, dingy factories, precisely what I was looking for.  

After framing a couple of the photos and hanging them on my wall, I realized that the collection was greater than just me, a truely historic collection that needed to be shared.  I decided to start a blog to highlight these gems, and other looks into Pittsburgh's past.....hence Old Pittsburgh.  

Enjoy, and feel free to send along any tasty morsels from da Burgh's past that you may have. 

Cheers, 

Steve