Missed Connections with Pittsburgh's City Steps (mis.steps)

Follow the latest Lovelorn Poets project! Called Mis.Steps, this multi-year endeavor will attempt to visit all of the 739+ city stairs listed in Bob Regan’s book, “Pittsburgh Steps”. With each visit I’ll be taking Polaroid photos, writing a creative non-fiction “missed connection” that is inspired by my time walking and sitting on the stairway, and publishing the images and stories on Instagram. I’ll also be publishing a risograph printed ‘zine twice a year. All issues can be purchased on the Mis.Steps official website!

All photos and stories are also archived on Flickr under a public domain license, 100% free of any copyright restriction. Feel free to use, share, re-mix and appropriate as you wish.

mis.steps

I'm hosting a city steps walking history tour at T

I'm hosting a city steps walking history tour at Threadbare Cider on Saturday, May 6 at 10:30am! We'll hike from Spring Garden to Spring Hill-City View and travel some of the most impressive and majestic flights in the city. Tickets are available on the Threadbare website. I’m looking forward to seeing you and putting some spring into our steps (which makes it easier to enjoy a pizza and glass of cider when the walk is done) 😂 Thank you for your interest and support, it’s greatly appreciated.🙏😊❤️ FYI - Dogs are allowed!

The walking route for Saturday’s city steps tour

The walking route for Saturday’s city steps tour at Threadbare is looking great! The green hasn’t arrived yet so it’s ideal for spotting old foundations and seeing far over the hillsides. Fingers crossed that April 1 doesn’t fool us with rain or snow! Tickets are available on the Threadbare website. The guided tour starts at 10:30 am. I’m looking forward to seeing you and putting some spring into our steps. 😂I don’t know about you, but I need it for sure! Thank you for your interest and support, it’s greatly appreciated.🙏😊❤️

City steps walking tour season is about to start s

City steps walking tour season is about to start so that must mean spring is right around the corner! (hopefully, fingers crossed). Get tickets now for a two hour walking and history tour through the Northside neighborhoods of Troy Hill and Spring Garden on Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 pm at Threadbare Cider. Tickets are $18 and include a glass of cider after our excursion. Visit https://threadbarecider.com/events/ to purchase. Can't make the April date? No problem. Tours are scheduled almost every month through summer/fall. No foolin', I promise. ;-) Hope to see you soon!

February is the longest shortest month and it’s

February is the longest shortest month and it’s always emotional kryptonite for me. But today was a lovely day and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk and talk (and laugh, so much laughter!) with old friends @beancandan and @nilshanczar and GOOD DOGS (Cosmo and Ripple, former residents of @harpsaveslives). I think I might be ready to come out of hibernation and start photographing the city steps again. 😊❤️🙏 I hope all of you are getting by as best you can. See you soon!

Hello Friends! Apologies for the long stretch of r

Hello Friends! Apologies for the long stretch of radio silence. Writing this new book about Pittsburgh city steps is HARD WORK and very time consuming!! 🙂 Fortunately, I'm in the final stretch and hope to resume regularly scheduled programming within the next few weeks. While writing about the history of the stairs is fascinating work and I'm having a blast creating all the new walking tours (seriously, you're gonna loves these walks) I'm looking forward to getting back outside and visiting the city steps. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that I'll be in Cleveland on Saturday for the moCA art book and zine fair. If you have friends or family in the area or just want to take a mini-road trip, come by PIVOT on W. 25th Street between 11am-5pm. I'll have lots of zines, cards, and more for sale. Thank you so much for your support and patience. I hope you're having a happy and healthy start to 2023 - let's make it a great one!
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #Cleveland #moCa #zines #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

A triangle has three sides and three angles. This

A triangle has three sides and three angles. This story is about the triangle of land between Dinwiddie, Bentley, and Fifth in the Hill District neighborhood of Crawford Roberts. Today, this large section of hillside has very few streets and even fewer houses, but a century ago, it was densely packed with residential and commercial properties, and the hilltop was occupied by Booth & Flinn's Brickyard.
*
Within this triangle are two stone slab city steps connecting Colwell Street to Diaz Way and Lombard Street. These flights are visually striking in their construction and are still in fantastic condition. Beyond the rusted railings, the only signs of wear and tear are the grooves worn into the stone from one hundred and twenty-five years of pedestrian travel. First appearing on the 1903 city map, these stairs overlooked the Prohibition-era bootlegging operation of businessman and mobster Joe Tito, the owner of Latrobe Brewing Company. Tito's garage, located at 1818 Colwell, became Latrobe's first Pittsburgh beer distributorship and was the first known place where Rolling Rock beer was sold beginning in 1935. Tito's house, a grand Victorian that preservation advocates succeeded in securing historic designation for last year amidst a fair amount of controversy, is located around the corner on Fifth Avenue.
*
Despite the area's fascinating history, it's woefully neglected. The stairs, streets, and hillsides have a disproportionate amount of illegal dumping, litter, junked cars, and people wandering on the furthest reaches of the margins. Despite its preserved status, Tito's house is covered in graffiti and vines. The garage has an unchained, open door. From whatever angle you look at it, authentic concern, care, and compassion appear to be in short supply and far removed.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #ColwellStreet #CrawfordRoberts #HillDistrict #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

As some of you may know, I have a Twitter account

As some of you may know, I have a Twitter account and despite the blue bird's nuttiness, I enjoy the platform because stumbling upon interesting discussions is effortless. By sheer algorithmic randomness, I recently came across a conversation involving a group of Pittsburgh baseball historians lamenting the lack of photos of Central Amusement Park, a 1920s ballfield in the Middle Hill. Central was the first professional baseball field owned, designed, and built by African-Americans. Before the Crawfords and Grays, two legendary Negro League teams, there were the Pittsburgh Keystones, and Central was built for them.
*
The park was commissioned in 1920 by Keystones' owner Alexander M. Williams and designed by Louis Arnett Stuart Bellinger. Bellinger, one of only 60 African-American architects at the time, would later design what is now known as the New Granada Theatre on Centre Avenue in the Hill District. While the Keystones didn't last long, the site remained active through 1925, when it was demolished. Surprisingly, given the city's population density, the lot remained empty and is still empty today.
*
I don't know much about baseball, but I know a bit about city steps, so when I saw the 1923 map included in the Twitter thread, the first thing I noticed were perfectly drawn lines on Chauncey Street. The 1920s were busy years in Pittsburgh; paving roads, building stairs, and installing sewers, and many of DPW's photographs from that era are publicly available. I inserted myself into the conversation. "Have you searched the City Photographer Collection for infrastructure projects bordering the ballfield?" I let my question fly and waited.
*
The historians immediately jumped into the archives and, in a collection documenting sewer installations, found a crisp photo of Chauncey Street from September 18, 1922, with the Central Park grandstand looming high above. A round of clapping and cheers of delight ensued. Not exactly a home run, but a solid base hit.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #ChaunceyStreet #MiddleHill #HillDistrict #HistoricBallparks #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Drumroll, please! I want to announce that Matt Jac

Drumroll, please! I want to announce that Matt Jacob, Charles Succop, and I have signed a contract with the University of Pittsburgh Press for a new Pittsburgh city steps book.
*
Over the next year, we'll research, map, photograph, and write about dozens of neighborhood city steps walks, recently uncovered historical documentation about the stairs in the late 1800s through the 1950s, and insights into how this unique form of infrastructure is built and maintained.
*
If you're wondering what Bob Regan, author of the original and legendary "Steps of Pittsburgh" book, thinks about our plan, he had this to say, "That's great! You kids go out there and do it." 🙂 So with that, we have our work set out for us and are looking forward to creating a book that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.
*
As always, your support and enthusiasm are appreciated (especially since we have lots of walking and climbing to do these next few months!). Stay tuned for more details.
*
Group photos by Kelly Klabnik. Polaroid by Laura Zurowski. Location: Middle Street city steps, East Allegheny, North Side.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Interested in having an established and mapped ped

Interested in having an established and mapped pedestrian network that incorporates city steps to connect neighborhoods, green spaces, and other amenities? The Garden Club of Allegheny County is holding a free Pittsburgh City Steps talk and workshop on Sat.11/5 from 9am-3pm at the Frick Environmental Center. The GCAC has been very interested in using its funds to help improve the steps! I'm going to be there to show my support and get involved. What about you? Many hands make light work and many voices ensure inclusive solutions! Visit the EventBrite bitly link to see the schedule and register. http://bitly.ws/vpZX
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Since it was formally established in 1985, Beechwo

Since it was formally established in 1985, Beechwood's Seldom Seen Greenway has lived up to its name. In fact, based on the reclamation work undertaken by Allegheny Cleanways and dozens of volunteers in the last two years, it appears the only people who frequented this quiet hillside with any regularity were illegal dumpers. While a large portion of this greenspace is sandwiched between Banksville Road and Saw Mill Run Boulevard, a smaller portion is south of Crane Avenue and adjacent to the Beechview spray park and Vannucci Field. While the Seldom Seen trail here is only a quarter of a mile, it has a 50-foot elevation change, and a new flight of city steps constructed by Landforce makes a considerable difference in accessibility.
*
If you're looking for a walk that combines nature with quiet residential streets, consider parking at Vannucci Field, walking the Seldom Seen trail to Crane Avenue, and then taking a left to go up, up, up the 20% grade of Dagmar Avenue. Dagmar is one of Pittsburgh's steeper streets, and while walking up is a workout, it is considerably less nerve-wracking than being in a vehicle! Once you reach the summit, turn left onto Andick Way and follow its various city steps and paths downhill for several blocks until you reach Orangewood Avenue. The park, field, and greenway will be to your left.
*
In looking at the old maps of this area, the Theodore Lau family owned this land dating back to 1890, before Beechview was even part of Pittsburgh. Several structures existed on their expansive property, and today's nature trail appears to follow the original access road. Theodore Lau, who passed away in 2017 at the ripe old age of 100, lived here and likely walked the path to Andick Way to attend the Beechwood Public School (which featured a public playground next door!) Would young Theo have also enjoyed a spray park and baseball field in the 1920s? I like to think he would have.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #SeldomSeenGreenway #Beechview #SouthHills #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Friends! If you have some time this Sunday, betwee

Friends! If you have some time this Sunday, between 12 noon and 5 pm, please come by the Pittsburgh Zine Fair! I will have Mis.Steps zines, cards, and posters for sale and would love to chat about all things Pittsburgh. There will also be 70 other vendors with comics, zines, prints, chapbooks, and all kinds of interesting stuff. :-) The location of this year's fair is The Kingsley Association, 6435 Frankstown Avenue in Larimer/East Liberty. Hope to see you there!

The Basin Street city steps in Troy Hill hold an i

The Basin Street city steps in Troy Hill hold an important lesson: You can never be sure what the future holds, and because of this, it's never too late to create your best life. If you're skeptical, let me tell you a little about its history. In 1862, three years after the first modern oil well was drilled in Titusville, PA, the short-lived "oil rush" came to this hilltop. The maps from this time show an oil refinery adjacent to this area, on the land now known as Cowley-Goettmann Park. A carefully drawn rectangle marked a "basin," and one lone street (most likely a footpath or wooden stairs) provided access from Spring Garden Avenue. Like all speculative ventures, some people became rich, and others lost everything. By 1872, the refinery and basin were gone, but the street name remained. Soon after, four other streets were built, and the little yellow and pink rectangles (indicating wood or brick construction) with their owners' names arrived. The stairs of Basin Street formally appeared on the map in 1903, but some form likely came before.
*
In the 120 years since, this westernmost section of Troy Hill has seen many lifetimes' worth of success and failure, and through it all, Basin Street has stood witness. A few years ago, a small group of dedicated residents began stewarding the stairs and its now empty hillside. Today, this winding flight travels through a landscape that's one part art installation, one part archaeological dig. The foundations of those original homes are creatively displayed alongside current efforts to reduce erosion and landslides. Although a time traveler from the past might still recognize the street, the view would be unfamiliar, if only because the air is now so clear.
*
I try to avoid picking my favorite stairs because I believe every place is fascinating in its own way but right now, I have a little extra pride for Basin. You've come a long way, baby! I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds for you.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #BasinStreet #TroyHill #NorthSide #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

What are you doing Saturday morning at 10am? Come

What are you doing Saturday morning at 10am? Come on out for a vigorously entertaining urban hike through Spring Hill and Troy Hill at Threadbare Cider. The 90 minute walk includes lots of history, fun facts about the neighborhood AND a free glass of cider when we're done. Dogs allowed! Get your tickets on the Threadbare website threadbarecider.com/events/ and I'll see you this weekend! :-)

Asking Google what a word means sometimes yields p

Asking Google what a word means sometimes yields prophetic answers. In the case of Junilla Street, one possible definition is "a beautiful thing, a gift from God." I first visited this flight in October of 2017, and it was in a crumbling state of decay. But in 2019, the city rebuilt the flight, and it's now very wide with a low threshold for easier traveling, new railings, and improved lighting. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and not everyone sees the new Junilla positively. City steps facilitate movement and offer outdoor public space, and those attributes are not always desired. This flight and others in the Middle Hill are often "bombed" with bags of smelly garbage intentionally scattered throughout the flight's midsection. The action sends a clear message: do not walk through or congregate on these stairs. Vigilantism such as this is not limited to the Hill District or even Pittsburgh. All cities with public stairs experience it to some degree. I struggle with reporting this to 311; it's a hazard and attracting vermin. But I can also understand why it will likely come back. Gifts may be well-intentioned but not always welcomed.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #JunillaStreet #MiddleHill #HillDistrict #EastEnd #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #PittsburghHistory #PiecesOfPittsburgh #SourcesOfStrength #HopeWriterLife #MissedConnections #urbex #missteps #polaroid #ExpiredFilm #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

In Pittsburgh, the public stairways were the first

In Pittsburgh, the public stairways were the first transportation system for the masses that was completely free of charge. Horse-drawn and electrified trolleys and trains may have filled the streets, but they came with a cost many immigrants and working-class families could not afford. So, the large number of city steps in neighborhoods like the South Side Slopes is not surprising. One hundred years ago, this hillside area had three times as many people living within its boundaries, many of them the skilled and unskilled laborers who made Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh. Their jobs were physically demanding and dangerous (even after unionization) in ways that our 2022 first-world bodies and minds may never fully understand. However, it is possible to travel the paths of those who came before and be inspired by their resiliency. On Saturday, October 1, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association will hold its 22nd annual Step Trek. For a small, pay-what-you-can donation, you can join exercise and orienteering enthusiasts, history buffs, and walkers from near and far to climb the stairs and streets of this historically significant neighborhood. Your participation links the past with the present and creates enthusiasm for the future. Get your tickets now, and I hope to see you there!
*
www.southsideslopes.org
*
#MayTheLaborsOfOurAncestorsNeverBeForgotten #StepTrek2022 #MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #SouthSideSlopes #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #PittsburghHistory #PiecesOfPittsburgh #SourcesOfStrength #HopeWriterLife #MissedConnections #urbex #missteps #polaroid #ExpiredFilm #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

The world is changing, and we are invited to becom

The world is changing, and we are invited to become part of the change. We can start by changing the way we look at change. We can commit to paying attention to what is happening around us and discerning the real from the unreal. We can acknowledge that what is directly under our noses is often the most difficult to see and then swap the rose-colored glasses for the prescription variety. Something new, unprecedented, and different is happening, and we can be a part of it. We can make it happen.
*
In early 2019 a landslide along List Street completely cut off access to six homes. While the city constructed new retaining walls and rebuilt the road, a set of wooded steps were built from Buente Street to List Street. The street reopened in 2020, and it's uncertain how much use the stairs still get, but they do provide a lush and lovely view of the hillside landscape.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #ListStreet #BuenteStreet #SpringHillCityView #NorthSide #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #PittsburghHistory #PiecesOfPittsburgh #SourcesOfStrength #HopeWriterLife #MissedConnections #urbex #missteps #polaroid #ExpiredFilm #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Just behind Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Library are the

Just behind Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Library are the Joncaire Street steps. This flight, originally constructed of wood in the early 1920s and re-built in concrete in 1949, connects the Belgian block streets of Panther Hollow to the highly traveled section of Oakland featuring the Carnegie Museums, Phipps Conservatory, Schenley Park, and dozens of places to eat, drink, socialize or relax. The first Polaroid is what I saw when I visited in July of 2017. It's only been five years, but a lot has happened since then!
*
The flight you see at Joncaire today is the first of the "stairs 3.0" model launched by the city in 2018. Unlike the wooden flights from the turn of the twentieth century (1.0) and the concrete stairs constructed to replace them post-WWII (2.0), the 3.0s are very different. Most notably, they're broader and deeper but with a shorter rise, making the climb a wee bit easier on our twenty-first-century bodies. The railings are constricted, creating extra safety precautions for smaller humans and furry friends. The lighting is better, and the hillside landscaping designed to cope with water runoff. Finally, and most interestingly, a runnel track is placed to the side for cyclists to get from the nearby Junction Hollow bike trail to all points throughout Oakland and Squirrel Hill. All things considered, it's a fantastic improvement, even if you still feel the burn walking up or down. Regardless of the year or how they are constructed, they are still stairs, after all. 😉
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #JoncaireStreet #FrickFineArt #PantherHollow #CentralOakland #EastEnd #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #PittsburghHistory #PiecesOfPittsburgh #SourcesOfStrength #HopeWriterLife #MissedConnections #urbex #missteps #polaroid #ExpiredFilm #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

Charles "Teenie" Harris photographed hundreds of c

Charles "Teenie" Harris photographed hundreds of celebrities and chronicled decades of Black life in Pittsburgh. His images capture a story in the making, and his artifacts are all that remain of the twinkling eyes, downward glances, radiant smiles, and expressions of loss. In Harris' photos, people have the starring roles, and the setting (a club, a street corner, a home) provides the supporting details. To the best of my knowledge, city steps never appear, although the Hill District has plenty of them. So last night, while thumbing through the 2002 CMOA photobook "One Shot Harris," I was surprised to see an image of Herron and Wylie Avenues. I was also surprised because, for this image, I knew exactly where Harris stood. City steps have been on this corner since the 1920s—and the railings make a memorable cameo in the shot. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get over there and try my best to straddle time: one foot in 2022 and the other on that day in 1944 when Harris stood by these stairs and looked out over the intersection with its cars and trolley tracks, shops, and litter and people going about their lives. In one shot, the built environment, including a set of railings that bridges our worlds, got the starring role.
*
#MisSteps2.0 #Pittsburgh #HerronAve #WylieAve #MiddleHill #HillDistrict #TeenieHarris #EastEnd #StepsOfPittsburgh #PublicStairways #HistoricPittsburgh #PittsburghHistory #PiecesOfPittsburgh #SourcesOfStrength #HopeWriterLife #MissedConnections #urbex #missteps #polaroid #ExpiredFilm #wabisabi #NothingLasts #NothingIsFinished #NothingIsPerfect #ThePerfectionOfImperfection

These stairs connect Yarrow Way to South Bouquet S

What are you doing Saturday morning at 10am? Come

What are you doing Saturday morning at 10am? Come on out for a vigorously entertaining urban hike through Spring Hill-City View at Threadbare Cider. The two hour walk includes lots of history, fun facts about the neighborhood AND a free glass of cider when we're done. Dogs allowed! Get your tickets on the Threadbare website threadbarecider.com/events/ and I'll see you soon!

Follow on Instagram

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

MENU