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Allegheny Center (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Allegheny Center is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh's North Side. Its zip code is 15212, and it has representation on Pittsburgh City Council
by both council members for District 6 (Downtown, North Shore) and District 1 (Northside).
established a 3000-acre tract of land north of where the Allegheny River
merged with the Ohio River
. John Redick created an initial town plan for Allegheny City
- which featured 36 city blocks surrounded by a common grazing area - the following year. That initial 36-block area is today's Allegheny Center. It is still surrounded on three sides by the former grazing area, now a public park called Allegheny Commons. On either side of this park are the neighborhoods of Allegheny West
and East Allegheny
.
Because Allegheny City
was intended by the Pennsylvania Legislature to serve as the county seat of Allegheny County, the central blocks of Redick's 36-block plan were designed for public uses, including a market house and a post office. The main thoroughfare was East Ohio Street, which stretched from Allegheny West through Allegheny Center and then to Allegheny East and beyond.
From the 19th century to 1907, Allegheny Center was thus the hub of downtown Allegheny City
. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
(consisting of the old Allegheny Post Office
and Buhl Planetarium joined by a 2006 addition) is located within it, as is the old Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny
(now the New Hazlett Theater). Allegheny Center is also home to the National Aviary
, situated within West Park
.
After 1907 (when Pittsburgh annexed Allegheny City
), this area continued to be a hub for those residents of what was now Pittsburgh's North Side. But the area deteriorated as: 1) Allegheny's wealthiest residents, who had founded Allegheny Country Club in 1895, moved the club to Sewickley
in 1902 and began moving their residences along with it; 2) the Great Depression
caused an economic slowdown; and 3) rationing during World War II
prevented much investment in the buildings. As one example of the trend, the landmark Boggs & Buhl department store, which had done a thriving business among Allegheny City's wealthy residents, steadily lost money after 1931 and was closed in 1958.
In the 1950s, community leaders discussed how to revitalize the historic hub of Allegheny City
and established a modern plan for Allegheny Center. Designed by architects Detter & Ritchey, it involved a $65 million project by Alcoa
Properties, Inc. The construction project razed about 518 buildings (including the Boggs & Buhl department store) - many of them taken by eminent domain
- to make way for 2 professional buildings, 4 apartment complexes totaling 840 units, 50 townhouses, a shopping mall, and a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) public square. The public square was the object of an international design competition sponsored by the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority
. The entire Allegheny Redevelopment Area encompasses approximately 79 acres (319,701.9 m²) on the North Side, about a half-mile from downtown Pittsburgh.
The project converted what had been an open, walkable business district into an enclosed mall that had few pedestrian entrances and sat above an underground parking garage. The central portion of East Ohio Street was closed, and drivers were forced to take a new ring road around the mall and the other blocks of Redick's initial plan to proceed east or west.
The mall had some initial success, but it did not revive the business fortunes of Allegheny City, which continued to decline after Interstate 279
allowed area residents to drive to the northern suburbs to shop.
The mall's stores began closing in the 1990s, and the mall gradually became a successful office complex.
At present (2011), the 36-block area initially planned by John Redick consists of the Allegheny Center Mall - now an office complex - and several public structures including the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
. While there are several businesses that serve the office workers in the former mall, most business activity exists in the adjacent neighborhoods of Allegheny West
and East Allegheny
. A former business district along North Avenue in Central Northside, which deteriorated along with Allegheny Center, may also be reviving.
Pittsburgh City Council
The Pittsburgh City Council is the legislative body of the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts....
by both council members for District 6 (Downtown, North Shore) and District 1 (Northside).
History
In 1783, the Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
established a 3000-acre tract of land north of where the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
merged with the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. John Redick created an initial town plan for Allegheny City
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
- which featured 36 city blocks surrounded by a common grazing area - the following year. That initial 36-block area is today's Allegheny Center. It is still surrounded on three sides by the former grazing area, now a public park called Allegheny Commons. On either side of this park are the neighborhoods of Allegheny West
Allegheny West (Pittsburgh)
Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
and East Allegheny
East Allegheny (Pittsburgh)
East Allegheny, also known as Deutschtown, is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh's North Side. It has a ZIP Code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 1...
.
Because Allegheny City
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
was intended by the Pennsylvania Legislature to serve as the county seat of Allegheny County, the central blocks of Redick's 36-block plan were designed for public uses, including a market house and a post office. The main thoroughfare was East Ohio Street, which stretched from Allegheny West through Allegheny Center and then to Allegheny East and beyond.
From the 19th century to 1907, Allegheny Center was thus the hub of downtown Allegheny City
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside.- History :...
(consisting of the old Allegheny Post Office
Allegheny Post Office
Allegheny Post Office, also known as Old North Post Office, The Landmarks Museum, is a building built in 1897 in the Allegheny City area that is now within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Buhl Planetarium joined by a 2006 addition) is located within it, as is the old Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny
Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny
The Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny is situated in the Allegheny Center neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donated to the public by entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie and built in 1889, it was the second Carnegie library in the United States...
(now the New Hazlett Theater). Allegheny Center is also home to the National Aviary
National Aviary
The National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is America's only independent indoor nonprofit aviary. It is also America's largest aviary, and the only accorded honorary "National" status by the United States Congress.-Location and features:...
, situated within West Park
West Park, Pittsburgh
Allegheny Commons is a municipal park located in Pittsburgh's North Side. The park surrounds the neighborhood of Allegheny Center. Dating to 1867, it is the oldest park in the city of Pittsburgh.Note, however, that it did not become part of Pittsburgh until the annexation of Allegheny,...
.
After 1907 (when Pittsburgh annexed Allegheny City
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
), this area continued to be a hub for those residents of what was now Pittsburgh's North Side. But the area deteriorated as: 1) Allegheny's wealthiest residents, who had founded Allegheny Country Club in 1895, moved the club to Sewickley
Sewickley
Sewickley can refer to a location in the United States:*Sewickley, Pennsylvania, a borough**Sewickley Academy, a private secondary school**Sewickley Bridge, a bridge over the Ohio River*Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania*Sewickley Hills, Pennsylvania...
in 1902 and began moving their residences along with it; 2) the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused an economic slowdown; and 3) rationing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prevented much investment in the buildings. As one example of the trend, the landmark Boggs & Buhl department store, which had done a thriving business among Allegheny City's wealthy residents, steadily lost money after 1931 and was closed in 1958.
In the 1950s, community leaders discussed how to revitalize the historic hub of Allegheny City
Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Allegheny City was a Pennsylvania municipality located on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh. It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907...
and established a modern plan for Allegheny Center. Designed by architects Detter & Ritchey, it involved a $65 million project by Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
Properties, Inc. The construction project razed about 518 buildings (including the Boggs & Buhl department store) - many of them taken by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
- to make way for 2 professional buildings, 4 apartment complexes totaling 840 units, 50 townhouses, a shopping mall, and a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) public square. The public square was the object of an international design competition sponsored by the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is the City of Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City’s tax base and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods...
. The entire Allegheny Redevelopment Area encompasses approximately 79 acres (319,701.9 m²) on the North Side, about a half-mile from downtown Pittsburgh.
The project converted what had been an open, walkable business district into an enclosed mall that had few pedestrian entrances and sat above an underground parking garage. The central portion of East Ohio Street was closed, and drivers were forced to take a new ring road around the mall and the other blocks of Redick's initial plan to proceed east or west.
The mall had some initial success, but it did not revive the business fortunes of Allegheny City, which continued to decline after Interstate 279
Interstate 279
Interstate 279 is a north–south Interstate Highway spur that lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its southern end is at Interstate 376 at the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, and the north end is in Franklin Park at Interstate 79...
allowed area residents to drive to the northern suburbs to shop.
The mall's stores began closing in the 1990s, and the mall gradually became a successful office complex.
At present (2011), the 36-block area initially planned by John Redick consists of the Allegheny Center Mall - now an office complex - and several public structures including the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside.- History :...
. While there are several businesses that serve the office workers in the former mall, most business activity exists in the adjacent neighborhoods of Allegheny West
Allegheny West (Pittsburgh)
Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
and East Allegheny
East Allegheny (Pittsburgh)
East Allegheny, also known as Deutschtown, is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh's North Side. It has a ZIP Code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 1...
. A former business district along North Avenue in Central Northside, which deteriorated along with Allegheny Center, may also be reviving.
Surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods
- Allegheny WestAllegheny West (Pittsburgh)Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
- Central Northside
- East AlleghenyEast Allegheny (Pittsburgh)East Allegheny, also known as Deutschtown, is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh's North Side. It has a ZIP Code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 1...
- North ShoreNorth Shore (Pittsburgh)The North Shore is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has a zip code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 1 and 6...