Fort Pitt Boulevard
Fort Pitt Boulevard is a road in Pittsburgh on the southern area of Downtown, connecting Fort Pitt Bridge and Interstate 376. Fort Pitt poses a particular challenge to both mapmaker and navigator—along its entire half-mile length, up to six separate roadways making up the Boulevard, the Penn-Lincoln Parkway, and ramps between the latter and various Downtown streets are woven together in a space less than 300 feet wide.
Historic image showing 1640 Smithfield Street at Fort Pitt Boulevard. | |
| Length | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) |
|---|---|
| Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| West end | I-376 / US 22 / US 30 / Commonwealth Place in Downtown |
| Major junctions | Stanwix Street in Downtown |
| East end | I-376 / US 22 / US 30 / Grant Street in Downtown |
Prior to 1940, the road was known as Water Street. In 1806, it was the home of industrialist James O'Hara;[1] from 1840 to 1935 it was the site of Monongahela House, a hotel which played host to visitors such as Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain.[2] Of all the businesses that were established along the road prior to the name change, the only ones still in business are Heyl & Patterson Inc., W.W. Patterson Manufacturing and Graybar Electric Company.
References edit
- ^ "Pittsburgh in 1806" by Lois Mulkearn. Originally published in the Spring 1948 issue of Pitt: A Quarterly of Fact and Thought at the University of Pittsburgh. at http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/beck/
- ^ Photograph at http://pgdigs.tumblr.com/post/29546894350/circa-1900-the-monongahela-house-was-in-its-day
External links edit
Various maps and photographs, and a short history of the road, can be seen at Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.