Uptown - talk to me (Pittsburgh, Duquesne: houses, employment, neighborhoods)

[timmytheturtle]

I can't say I know a lot about uptown, just been through on a bus for the most part. But with Duquesne there, oakland and the southside adjacent to it, and it being home of the Pens, I don't understand why it's not more developed.

Does anyone have any theories on this? What's the general history of uptown? Will the new arena help? Would you live there? Am I missing something (this happens often)?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

[nuwaver88]

I think that the new arena will help the Fifth Avenue corridor since Consol Energy Center's southern face sits directly on Fifth into the street grid. Mellon Arena sits in the middle of a sea of parking. Forbes Avenue adjacent to Duquesne has improved greatly in the last decade. Further up towards Oakland both Fifth and Forbes leave a lot to be desired. The new arena will probably have around 250 dates filled a year. I expect entrepreneurs to tap into this since it will be so easy to have a beer across the the street during the National Anthem and still not miss any action since you merely have to walk across the street. I am forty-five years old and I never remember Uptown happening. Maybe old timers do. I have heard that the Lower Hill where Mellon Arena now stands was a vibrant area where Wylie Avenue was. Part of the plan is to bring back this vibrancy when Mellon Arena is razed and the area is redeveloped. Many on this board feel that Uptown is poised to boom because of location location location. That would be a thruway to Oakland and Downtown, just across the river from happening South Side, Duquesne, a new arena, and other factors.

[BrianTH]

Uptown used to be an upscale residential district, with a few businesses mixed in too. It got hit by all the standard post-WWII forces: suburbanization, highway building that chopped through neighborhoods, removal of streetcars, white flight, and a general downward spiral. To be fair it is also challenging topographically: it is rising from Downtown to Oakland, and has the dropoff to the river on one side and the Hill on the other--in short there is a reason its other name is the Bluff. All this squeezes together right before opening up again at Oakland, and that narrow area is now filled with highways.

I am in the camp who thinks it is destined to recover eventually. I would agree the new arena is a huge step in that direction, and I am looking for something like what happened around the Verizon Center in DC. Oakland is also looking to push into Uptown from the other direction. Eventually high quality rapid transit in that corridor--at least Rapid Bus, and ideally a Spine Line--could help unlock its full potential for the entire length.

Right now, though, depending on where you are talking about you would still need a bit of an urban pioneer mindset to want to live there. Which is strange for an area located directly between the second and third most important employment centers in a major state, but there you go.

[Mr. Humble]

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time Uptown Fifth. There was a poolroom there called the All-Star that had all the colorful characters. Hill District refugees that had relocated to the near South Hills, Brookline mostly. There was a deli a few doors down from it called Bubbles that had the best hot beef sandwiches that all these years later I've never tasted the likes of. Uptown was a hip, edgy place where you could buy your clothes out of the trunk of a car. I would say that what's held down redevelopment is a combination of its proximity to the Hill, and the citizen groups that demand too much quid pro quo. When the Lower Hill was torn down in the late '50's all those people got was top dollar (maybe 10 grand) for their row house, and a one way ticket across the Liberty Bridge.

[Impala26]

It really is a dismaying state of affairs given its prime location between the two centers. Perhaps "urban renewal" played a part in this. Not in such a direct way like the Hill, but in more indirect, isolating ways. Like BrianTH said, a good portion of the neighborhood is virtually walled off by the topography of the bluff and subsequently the Boulevard of the Allies and Parkway East. To the west, the Crosstown Expressway serves as a sort of "barrier" to Downtown, much as it does for the Hill and Strip District. Then there's the large area cleared to make room for the Arena and parking to the north. Again the topography comes into play for the east part of Uptown where it meets Oakland, as it's fairly narrow along the side of the Hill and the Birmingham Bridge construction wiped out much of the urban fabric linking Uptown and Oakland.

All in all I think Uptown has suffered from geographic isolation that has caused it to stagnate. Its prime location suggests that it will experience development. However, much like the Hill, I think it will take outside development and new residents for the area to truly become a prime area. The biggest issue I think is that many locals form unflinching conceptions of an area permanently, even if over time they start to change for the better. I actually think it would be easier to encourage new outside development and new residents than trying to convince people already in the region to invest in areas closer to the city.

[BrianTH]

One thing Uptown has going for it is that it is highly visible, with all the buses and such going between Oakland and Downtown. So if it does take off, people will know.

I suspect the Downtown population miniboom could be a bit of a model for future Uptown residential development. The new residents Downtown are a mix of students and young professional-types often new to the area, but also some local empty-nesters (often from the suburbs) looking for a convenient lifestyle.

[PreservationPioneer]

I'm glad people are talking about the Uptown/ Bluff neighborhood. I think it's one of the most interesting areas in Pittsburgh. Some of the Victorian row houses are just fabulous and crying out for renovation. Plus there is a possibility for commercial/ boutique development in store fronts. Obviously, there are a lot of vacant lots in the neighborhood from where buildings were torn down in the past, and these would be prime locations for modern infill. Also, the Fifth Avenue School is an interesting building and deserves some kind of re-use!

[fleetiebelle]

Also, the Fifth Avenue School is an interesting building and deserves some kind of re-use!

I've been taking the bus often this winter, and every time we drive past this building I think, "dang, someone really needs to do something with that." It's such a striking building.

[szug-bot]

im in good company - i always thought uptown was a disaster, but always asked "why? and how?"

its location is, well, PERFECT for a vibrant city neighborhood. also, if you are driving across the Birmingham Bridge, take a look up and imagine living in a house up there. the view must be incredible.
the untapped potential is mind-boggling.

brian cited reasons as to its decline. but why it hasnt had a spurt of renewal is beyond me. pittsburgh isnt exactly a high-growth area (thank goodness) and maybe that why it hasnt seen the kind of investment from individuals that Lawrenceville has.

ive always wanted to do something with a property up there. i think that area could use and would support the operation of a incline, as well.

[Drover]

I've always thought Uptown had some pretty good bones, it has interesting topography, and it's obviously ideally located with easy access to Oakland, downtown, and the south side. I don't think isolation is that big of an issue even with the crosstown expressway as long as there's two main arteries running through it connecting it to the city's two main employment centers -- I mean, you can walk right into the Triangle area from Uptown with little impediment. Besides which Pittsburgh is basically a whole patchwork of isolated areas that are often only connected to each other by a couple of arteries. So to me it seems the major factor holding back Uptown is just good ol' fashioned inertia.

I'm guessing a lot of Duquesne's off-campus students live in either Oakland or the south side. Does anyone know if any more than a handful take up in Uptown?