UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Squirrel Hill Historical Society

Anyone interested in learning more about Squirrel Hill history is invited to attend the programs of the Squirrel Hill Historical Society, held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. The SHHS has returned to live programs at the Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave. The programs are also on Zoom. Go to www.squirrelhillhistory.org to request a link to the Zoom program and for updates and announcements of upcoming lectures and events. Please consider joining the SHHS. Membership is only $15 per year ($25 for families). There is no charge for attending the meetings.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

Good Questions About Pittsburgh

KATIE BLACKLEY, a digital editor/producer for 90.5 WESA and host of the station’s Good Question! series and podcast, will share inquiries from curious listeners, with a focus on things related to the East End.

TUESDAY,

May 9

An Overview of Doors Open Pittsburgh

BONNIE BAXTER is executive director of DOORS

OPEN Pittsburgh, which provides historical tours inside Pittsburgh’s iconic buildings. She will discuss Pittsburgh’s unique architecture and history, including that of some buildings in the East End.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4 , 1:00–3:00 PM SPECIAL PROGRAM—A History of the Stained Glass Windows at Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS)

BARBARA OLEINICK, a member of CBS and maven on the history and themes in the main sanctuary’s stained-glass windows, will share her wealth of knowledge in this field trip to Beth Shalom on Beacon St. at Shady Ave.

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

A History of the Bridges Over Fern Hollow

SHHS Board Member TODD WILSON is an engineer who has been photographing and writing about bridges his whole life. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a double major in Civil Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy and is a trustee of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.

TUESDAY, JULY 11

A History of the Steps of Pittsburgh

LAURA ZUROWSKI, a Pittsburgh-based writer/ photographer, will discuss her forthcoming book on Pittsburgh’s steps. It builds upon the content of Bob Regan’s 2004 book, Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the City’s Public Stairways of employment, so Squirrel Hill never developed the densely packed and often substandard housing found in industrial areas. When electric trolleys came to Squirrel Hill in 1893, not only did they climb the slopes, they traveled across bridges that soared over the deep valleys and rough terrain. A little-known part of Squirrel Hill’s development is how much the hill has been “manicured.” Steep slopes have been shaved down, ravines filled in, and streams culverted. The landscape looks natural, but much of Squirrel Hill has been groomed and its contours smoothed out.

The trolleys sparked the growth of Squirrel Hill’s business district. Forbes and Murray became a crossroads, taking people back and forth from Downtown, south to Homestead, east to Wilkinsburg and Braddock, and north to East Liberty. When the hill became accessible for residential development, the brand-new houses attracted wealthy owners of factories and businesses that catered to the workers in other parts of the city.

Automobiles joined trolleys in the early 1900s, quickening the pace of urban development in Squirrel Hill. Trolley right-of-ways gave way to paved roads that brought increasing numbers of residents to the neighborhood, making the business district thrive. A business district can’t exist without a population to support it. Many of the newcomers were Jewish, giving the business district its distinctly Jewish flavor. Through the years, the character of the business district has become more eclectic, with stores and restaurants of many nationalities now offering a global assortment of goods and services. In a little over a century, Squirrel Hill transformed from a sparsely inhabited rural area into a destination of its own.

Driving around Squirrel Hill is a great way to experience all of its history. You can access an expanded version of the PHLF driving tour on the Squirrel Hill Historical Society website, squirrelhillhistory.org. I teamed with SHHS member Lauren Winkler, a Geographic Information Systems Specialist extraordinaire, to morph the original tour into an online, interactive “Driving Tour of Squirrel Hill” that features a map of the route, descriptions of more than fifty places of interest to see, and suggestions for getting out of the car and walking to other nearby things to see. The route is designed to touch on all areas of Squirrel Hill, from its lowest to its highest points and from its beginnings to its future. The tour can be found by clicking on the “Driving Tour of Squirrel Hill” link in the main menu of the SHHS website.

You might have noticed in reading this article that I didn’t go into detail about the route and the sights to see. That’s for you to discover when you check out the driving tour for yourself. The route is around fourteen miles long. It can be dizzying as it maneuvers around Squirrel Hill’s curvy roads and altitude changes from riverbank to Beacon Heights, but it’s well worth driving to experience the whole of Squirrel Hill.