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19-628: The Mexican War Streets , originally known as the "Buena Vista Tract," is a historic district that is located in the Central Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , in the United States. The district is densely filled with restored row houses , community gardens , and tree-lined streets and alleyways. The area dates to around the time of the Mexican–American War and a number of streets are named after battles and generals of

38-644: A wedge of land between the railroad tracks at the northern edge of Manchester and a steep hill at the southern edges of Brightwood and Perry Hilltop . Put differently, the neighborhood is bounded by California and Allegheny Avenues on the West; by Pennsylvania Avenue on the South; by Brighton Road on the East; and by Island Avenue on the North. A former rail yard, now home to a United States Postal Service sorting facility, occupies most of

57-760: The 1970 census." The neighborhood was developed almost exclusively between 1870 and 1900. During this period, industries including tanneries, slaughterhouses, and the local rail yard were flourishing in Allegheny City , and the men working in these industries needed housing for themselves and their families. To meet this need, several businessmen - often the owners of the businesses whose workers needed housing - bought land in California-Kirkbride and built rowhouses on it. The neighborhood thus consists almost entirely of rowhouses that were initially built for industrial workers and their families. A significant portion of

76-526: The Council reported that official city maps would "probably not" reflect the name change and that the city planning department is "always very reluctant" to alter established names. The same document refers to the name change as a "branding initiative" which is part of a "new brand and marketing strategy". California-Kirkbride (Pittsburgh) California-Kirkbride is a neighborhood on Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 's North Side . The neighborhood consists of

95-626: The development were made by Alexander Hays . A number of the streets are named after battles and generals of the Mexican–American War , including Buena Vista Street (named for the Battle of Buena Vista ), Monterey Street (for the Battle of Monterrey ), Palo Alto Street (for the Battle of Palo Alto ), Resaca Place (for the Battle of Resaca de la Palma ), Sherman Avenue (for Thomas W. Sherman ), and Taylor Avenue (for Zachary Taylor ). Fremont Street (currently Brighton Place) had been named in recognition of John C. Frémont . The 27-acre (11 ha) district

114-529: The district from simple brick boxes intended to house the workers of a particular local industry, to an ornate polychromed speculative development with modern conveniences designed to appeal to the independent urban wage earner." The neighborhood began to depopulate after the Great Depression . The neighborhood's demographics also shifted after 1960: the African-American population increased from 3% of

133-676: The district's expansion. The general boundaries of the Mexican War Streets Historic District are Brighton Road to Federal Street (on the east and west) and North Avenue to Jefferson Street (on the south and north). As part of the designation, all exterior alterations to buildings within the Historic District that are visible from a public street or way must be reviewed and approved by the City of Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission. Central Northside (Pittsburgh) In

152-494: The late 19th century, Allegheny, Pennsylvania (later annexed by Pittsburgh) became known for its stately homes, occupied by some of the area's wealthy families. One such area became known as the Mexican War Streets . The Mexican War Streets were laid out in 1847, during the Mexican–American War , by William Robinson Jr. , ex-mayor of the city of Allegheny. Robinson, who contrary to some tellings did not actually serve in

171-408: The neighborhood in 1960 to roughly 33% in 1970, and then to 80% in 2000. Since 1970, a significant portion of the neighborhood's building stock has been owned by absentee landlords who often rent to subsidized tenants through Section 8 and similar programs. Critics of these landlords allege that they listed the neighborhood as a historic district as a ruse to obtain federal funding to buy and rent

190-553: The neighborhood's rowhouses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as the Old Allegheny Rows Historic District . As the petition nominating the district for National Register status explained, these rowhouses, while intended for industrial workers of modest means, were designed to be beautiful and to offer the workers some amenities: "The various styles and designs of row houses in

209-599: The north, Fineview to the northeast, East Allegheny to the southeast, Allegheny Center to the south, Allegheny West to the southwest, Manchester to the west and California-Kirkbride to the northwest. On 10 September 2012, the Central Northside Neighborhood Council (CNNC) voted to change the neighborhood's name to Allegheny City Central. However, according to an FAQ published by the CNNC in August 2012,

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228-522: The properties, while at the same time neglecting upkeep and eventually demolishing some of these neglected structures. The landlords dispute these criticisms and claim that they are working actively to improve the neighborhood. Over time, some of the neighborhood's structures have been demolished, so that there are now (in 2011) significant gaps in the rows of houses, which are now vacant lots. Some current residents see these changes as improvements which will encourage new residents to maintain and preserve

247-399: The proposed Old Allegheny Rows Historic District represent the local evolution of row housing between 1870-1900. The growth of industry and manufacturing, advances and improvements in transportation, and a growing urban working class, increased the demand for housing in what had been a remote corner of the City of Allegheny. This era saw a change in the nature and appearance of city dwellings in

266-419: The railroad tracks that form a border between Manchester and California-Kirkbride . That profile states that: "Historically, this area had been part of Manchester but due to the barrier imposed by the railroad, it did not receive the industrial uses typical of Manchester except on its borders. However, it was affected by the racial shift in population which increased from about 3% Black in 1960 to about 35% in

285-514: The remaining structures. The California-Kirkbride neighborhood has 9 distinct flights of city steps - many of which are open and in a safe condition. In California-Kirkbride, the Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and provide an easy way to travel through the neighborhood. California-Kirkbride has four borders with the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Perry South from

304-542: The southern border, and Oliver High School, a high school in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system, is located just north of the neighborhood's northern border at Island Avenue. Most of the neighborhood is located on the flat river plain that comprises the majority of old Allegheny City . The neighborhood developed along with Manchester and, according to a 1974 profile by Pittsburgh's Department of Planning, would likely be considered part of Manchester but for

323-496: The war, subdivided his land and named the new streets after the war's battles and generals ( Buena Vista Street, Filson Way, Monterey Street, Palo Alto Street, Resaca Place, Sherman Avenue, Taylor Avenue). The Central Northside neighborhood has 4 distinct flights of city steps. In Central Northside, the Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and neighborhood schools. Central Northside has seven city neighborhood borders with Perry South to

342-483: The war. During the late nineteenth century, Allegheny, Pennsylvania (later annexed by Pittsburgh), became known for its stately homes that were occupied by some of the area's wealthy families. One such area became known as the Mexican War Streets. It was developed from land owned by William Robinson Jr. , an ex-mayor of the city of Allegheny, who subdivided the property into streets and lots in 1847. Surveys for

361-557: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 with 119 buildings deemed to contribute to the historic character of the district. In 2008, the district's listing was increased to include an additional 288 contributing buildings over a 25.7-acre (10.4 ha) area. It was expanded again in 2018, when the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas overturned the decision of the Pittsburgh City Council to deny

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