Spring Garden: the neighborhood photo tour (Pittsburgh, Washington: fit in, houses, neighborhoods)

[Evergrey]

I took these photos three years ago... so forgive me if the images appear dated...

Spring Garden is a rather obscure small neighborhood in the eastern section of Pittsburgh's North Side. It occupies an extremely narrow valley in between Spring Hill and Troy Hill. Despite being densely packed with old working class housing, the neighborhood has a strangely rural feel to it. Like the rest of the eastern North Side, Spring Garden was settled in the mid/late 1800s by German immigrants (as evidenced by its street names). It was home to tanneries and rendering plants. In recent decades, Spring Garden has fallen on hard times. It is one of the poorest "white" neighborhoods in the city, and exhibits high amounts of decay and abandonment.





Spring Garden occupies that slender twisty valley in the center of the image... between Troy Hill to the right and Spring Hill to the left






lots of insulbrick and other bizarre sidings








weird house


















Troy Hill high above










this fuchsia and grey house displays its support for the Steelers


Spring Garden's houses come in all sorts of outlandish colours


uhhh...






staircase leading to Spring Hill... staircases are everywhere in this neighborhood
















one of the coolest city views in Pittsburgh


































there's some newer (as in 1980s, I think) housing scattered about... in the background is the restored Brewer's Row








Mt. Washington in the distance




built into the hillside
























































one of the few remaining businesses in Spring Garden

[Copanut]

I know that area very well, it's just not that appealing. When people talk about the influx to the city by young people, don't think they are flocking to Spring Garden. No doubt when Pgh was an industrial hub, it was a good place to live.

[PreservationPioneer]

It's my favorite neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It's one of the oldest (pre 1872) and most neglected. This was the photo tour and neighborhood that made me want to start documenting the endangered old buildings in Pgh.

[escilade18]

I can honestly see this neighborhood turn around some day. The ones that I think have slim chances would be East Hills and Lincoln-Lemington. This neighborhood is still largely in tact, has beautiful views of the city and is close enough to downtown that there is little to no commute. I would even consider living there

[I_Like_Spam]

The housing stock up in Spring Garden is strictly bottom of the barrel.

During its heyday, who would want to live among meat packing plants with the smell and the sounds of that industry?

However, it does have a decent location, easy access to the North Hills and town, and its a bit spread out for those seeking a bit of privacy. I can definitely see living up in the upper Spring Garden Valley after I leave Lawrenceville.

[gg]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The housing stock up in Spring Garden is strictly bottom of the barrel.

Yeah, it is not the best. Perry Hilltop is much nicer. Not a fan of Spring Garden much.

[ferraris]

It's such a small neighborhood, that if/when revitalization happens, it will happen very quickly. All it would take is literally just one or two trendy bars or coffee shops to open, creating a good market for landlords to attract tenants. It's pretty easy to see how this could eventually fit into the belt of trendy neighborhoods from the East End as it bleeds into the Strip and across the 16th street bridge.

[Copanut]

With all due respect, those houses look like crap, I know, I grew up in one just like it.

You can't polish a turd. Pardon my French.

[BrianTH]

What's that silver domey thing in some of the Downtown pictures?

(I kid.)


Edit: Oh, and some of those places look pretty cool. It would be a process, but with some infill of new units and TLC of the better existing places, and given the prime location, I could see that becoming a desirable neighborhood.

[eschaton]

I disagree all of those houses look like crap. Some of them (the most neglected for the most part sadly) are some of the best examples of unaltered, victorian-era frame houses in the city. It makes me wonder what Bloomfield would have looked like if it wasn't killed by the aluminum siding monster.