Regent Square (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Regent Square is a distinct neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. According to the Regent Square Civic Association, it is "a neighborhood that includes portions of the municipalities of Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg", though traditionalists associate the neighborhood exclusively with the portion within the City of Pittsburgh's limits. Most of the neighborhood is included in zip codes 15218 and 15221; the part of the neighborhood within the City of Pittsburgh is represented on the City Council by the council seat for District 5 (Southeast Neighborhoods). Despite its division among four municipal governments and three school districts, Regent Square has a strong cultural identity bolstered by an active community association. Geography also helps to give Regent Square a distinct identity: the neighborhood is a roughly rectangular plateau bounded on three sides by the steep valleys of Fern Hollow Creek to the west and Nine Mile Run to the south and east.
The tree-lined neighborhood is situated along both sides of Braddock Avenue between the Parkway East (I-376
) and Forbes Avenue. The area of the present neighborhood was owned by a series of local landowners, including Col. Dunning McNair in the late 18th and Judge William Wilkins
in the late 19th century. The name Regent Square was apparently bestowed by William E. Harmon of Harmon Realty, who in 1919 acquired most of the present neighborhood, then known as the Devon Plan. First calling it Regent Place, he later changed the name to Regent Square. By the mid-20th century, Regent Square was a quietly prosperous garden suburb characterized by middle and upper-middle income residents, a significant number of whom were managerial or professional employees of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The neighborhood at that time had a distinctly Irish
ethnic character, still evident in the names of several businesses along Braddock Avenue.
At the turn of the 21st century Regent Square, like much of Pittsburgh's East End, had come to be characterized by a large proportion of upper-middle class professionals associated with the city's medical and educational institutions. These residents share the neighborhood with a significant number of students and younger singles attracted to its proximity to Carnegie Mellon University
and the University of Pittsburgh
, the 550 acres (2.2 km²) Frick Park
, and readily available mass transit to downtown Pittsburgh.
Regent Square's grid street plan and Victorian
and 'Tween-Wars architecture, with houses built close to each other and porches close to the tree-lined sidewalks, tend to promote a sense of community rare in less densely-built modern suburban neighborhoods. As a result, both residents and visitors often remark on the sense of living in a village, a sense which is accentuated by the geographical isolation of the neighborhood, cut off as it is from surrounding districts by Frick Park
to the west and north and the valley of Nine Mile Run to the south.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. According to the Regent Square Civic Association, it is "a neighborhood that includes portions of the municipalities of Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg", though traditionalists associate the neighborhood exclusively with the portion within the City of Pittsburgh's limits. Most of the neighborhood is included in zip codes 15218 and 15221; the part of the neighborhood within the City of Pittsburgh is represented on the City Council by the council seat for District 5 (Southeast Neighborhoods). Despite its division among four municipal governments and three school districts, Regent Square has a strong cultural identity bolstered by an active community association. Geography also helps to give Regent Square a distinct identity: the neighborhood is a roughly rectangular plateau bounded on three sides by the steep valleys of Fern Hollow Creek to the west and Nine Mile Run to the south and east.
The tree-lined neighborhood is situated along both sides of Braddock Avenue between the Parkway East (I-376
Interstate 376
Interstate 376 is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located entirely within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville, after having crossed the Turnpike...
) and Forbes Avenue. The area of the present neighborhood was owned by a series of local landowners, including Col. Dunning McNair in the late 18th and Judge William Wilkins
William Wilkins (U.S. politician)
William Wilkins was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his career, he served in both houses of the Pennsylvania State Legislature, and in all three branches of the United States federal government, including service as a United States federal judge, as...
in the late 19th century. The name Regent Square was apparently bestowed by William E. Harmon of Harmon Realty, who in 1919 acquired most of the present neighborhood, then known as the Devon Plan. First calling it Regent Place, he later changed the name to Regent Square. By the mid-20th century, Regent Square was a quietly prosperous garden suburb characterized by middle and upper-middle income residents, a significant number of whom were managerial or professional employees of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The neighborhood at that time had a distinctly Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ethnic character, still evident in the names of several businesses along Braddock Avenue.
At the turn of the 21st century Regent Square, like much of Pittsburgh's East End, had come to be characterized by a large proportion of upper-middle class professionals associated with the city's medical and educational institutions. These residents share the neighborhood with a significant number of students and younger singles attracted to its proximity to Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, the 550 acres (2.2 km²) Frick Park
Frick Park
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, covering .The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion . He also arranged for a $2 million trust fund for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on...
, and readily available mass transit to downtown Pittsburgh.
Regent Square's grid street plan and Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and 'Tween-Wars architecture, with houses built close to each other and porches close to the tree-lined sidewalks, tend to promote a sense of community rare in less densely-built modern suburban neighborhoods. As a result, both residents and visitors often remark on the sense of living in a village, a sense which is accentuated by the geographical isolation of the neighborhood, cut off as it is from surrounding districts by Frick Park
Frick Park
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, covering .The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion . He also arranged for a $2 million trust fund for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on...
to the west and north and the valley of Nine Mile Run to the south.
Community Organizations
Although a small neighborhood, Regent Square is home to a number of active community centers and organizations:- Wilkins School Community Center
- Nine Mile Run Watershed Association
- Pittsburgh FilmmakersPittsburgh FilmmakersPittsburgh Filmmakers is one of the oldest and largest media arts centers in the United States.This non-profit institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began as a filmmaking-equipment access cooperative in 1971...
(Regent Square Theater) - Regent Square Civic Association
- Environmental Charter School at Frick Park