Father Pitt

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  • Liberty Hall, South Side

    Update: Thanks to Donna Gunton (see the comment below), we know that this was a Polish hall often used for political meetings and other social events. In 1921, when the hall was built, Poland had just been reestablished as an independent country for the first time since 1795, so the name “Liberty Hall” must have occurred naturally to Polish immigrants.

    The original article is preserved below so that you can see how far old Pa Pitt was wrong and how close he came to being right.


    Old Pa Pitt would be delighted if someone could tell him something of the history of this building. He knows that it was put up in 1921, because the date is proudly displayed at the top of the building. He suspects, from the look of the building and from some random chatter on the Internet, that it was an ethnic club, possibly Serbian—but that is speculation. Technically it is on the Slopes side of the railroad that separates the South Side Flats from the South Side Slopes, but this lower part of the Slopes seems to be socially more connected to the East European Flats than to the German streets above. About fifteen years ago, Liberty Hall was briefly a nightclub; it closed in less than a year, and neighbors rallied to prevent it from opening again. And that is all Father Pitt knows, so he would be happy to hear from someone better informed.

    2 responses
    October 28, 2021
  • The Four Evangelists on St. Paul’s

    In order: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, on the Fifth Avenue front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Oakland.

    October 27, 2021
  • Boston Ivy in Fall Color

    A close relative of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) shares the Parthenocissus habit of erupting in bright colors in the fall. These vines were growing on the stone wall along the railroad at the back of the South Side.

    October 26, 2021
  • Church Converted to Alley Houses, South Side

    From the blocked-up Gothic windows and general shape, we can infer that this was a small church. But at some point not very recently it was converted to four tiny alley houses, made only slightly less tiny by the addition of what are probably kitchens on the back. (Update: For the history of the church, see “The Mystery of the Converted Church on the South Side.”)

    October 26, 2021
  • Virginia Creeper in Fall Color

    Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) in its autumnal red.

    October 25, 2021
  • Matched Pair of Victorian Commercial Buildings on Carson Street

    Both could use a little spiffing up, but they are fine examples of the Victorian commercial architecture for which Carson Street is famous.

    October 25, 2021
  • Under the Railroad Overpass, South Side

    Little mineral stalactites dangle from the railroad overpass over 21st Street, South Side.

    October 24, 2021
  • Lamppost, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial

    Details matter. The bronze lampposts in front of the building are exceptionally elegant, which adds to the effect even if you don’t notice the lampposts themselves.

    October 24, 2021
  • Porcelainberry

    It is an invasive species in our area, but it is not hard to see how it got here. These beautiful multicolored berries decorate the vines in the fall; they would tempt any gardener with a wall to cover. These wild vines were fruiting beside a gravel parking lot at the back of the South Side.

    October 23, 2021
  • War Memorial Park in Beechview

    The little triangular park at Broadway, Shiras Avenue, and Bensonia Avenue is cluttered with monuments. There’s one for the First World War, one for the Second, one for Vietnam and Korea, and one for wars since then and “going forward,” as the city’s Twitter account put it when it was announced. The eagle above sits on the World War II memorial, the largest of the lot.

    The latest memorial, for everything after Vietnam.

    The World War I memorial.

    The World War II memorial.

    October 22, 2021
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