Strip District

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pittsburgh's Strip District is a one-half square mile area of land northeast of the central business district bordered to the north by the Allegheny River and to the south by portions of the Hill District.

The Strip District runs between 11th and 33rd Streets and includes three main thoroughfares - Smallman St., Penn Ave., and Liberty Ave. - as well as various side streets. In the early 19th century, the Strip District was home to many mills and factories as its location along the Allegheny River made for easy transportation of goods and shipping of raw materials. Early tenants of the Strip District included US Steel, Westinghouse, The Pittsburgh Reduction Company (ALCOA), and later The H.J. Heinz Company, famous ketchup and condiment manufacturer.

The shipping infrastructure built around the manufacturing companies naturally lead to an increase in other types of merchants setting up shop in The Strip. By the early 20th century The Strip District became a vibrant network of wholesalers - mostly fresh produce, meat, and poultry dealers. Soon auction houses rose around the wholesale warehouses and many restaurants and grocery stores were built to feed hungry shift workers at any hour of the day. By the 1920's The Strip District was the economic center of Pittsburgh.

In the mid-to-late 20th century fewer of The Strip's products were being shipped by rail and boat, causing many produce sellers and wholesalers to leave the area for other space with easier access to highways or where there was more land available for expansion. Today in the Strip District there are still several wholesalers and produce dealers, but some estimates say more than 80% of the produce industry left the area - as have the manufacturing plants and mills. Today many of the abandoned warehouses have been renovated into small specialty shops, restaurants, night clubs, and bars.

The area has developed into a cultural district with many art studios, antique dealers, and other such businesses setting up shop where trains once delivered produce by the ton. The Strip District comes alive primarily on weekends during the summer months when street vendors are selling their wares, the open-air farmer's markets are in full swing, and party-goers sit outside and enjoy a drink.

The area has seen interest by residential developers recently, as old factory and warehouse buildings are being transformed into apartments and lofts. Examples include the Armstrong Cork Factory, Brake House Lofts and now the Otto Milk Building. A mixed-use tower is planned for the Ayoob fruit warehouse site.

[edit] Surrounding and adjacent Pittsburgh neighborhoods

Bedford Dwellings, Central Business District (Downtown), Crawford-Roberts, Lower Lawrenceville, North Shore (via 16th Street Bridge), Polish Hill, Troy Hill (via 16th Street Bridge)

[edit] Reference

Toker, Franklin [1986] (1994). Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.

Pittsburgh Metro Shopping Malls and Centers
Pittsburgh Central: Downtown Retail \| Station Square \| Southside Works \| Northshore \| Mt. Washington \| University District \| Strip District \| Shadyside
Pittsburgh's North Hills: Pittsburgh Mills \| Ross Park Mall \| Northway Mall \| Grove City Outlets \| North Hills Village \| Waterworks Mall \| Clearview Mall \| Cranberry Mall
Pittsburgh's West Hills & Airport: AirMall \| The Mall at Robinson \| Robinson Town Centre \| Beaver Valley Mall \| The Pointe at North Fayette \| Collier Crossing
Pittsburgh's South Hills: South Hills Village \| Century III Mall \| The Galleria \| The Waterfront \| SouthPointe Center \| Victory Center
Pittsburgh's East Hills: Monroeville Mall \| Westmoreland Mall \| Greengate Centre \| Edgewood Towne Center \| Miracle Mile