Friendship (Pittsburgh, Liberty, Ellsworth: apartments, homes, neighborhoods)

[Caladium]

Hopes mentioned Friendship in the thread about "hip" neighborhoods, and now I'm curious to know more abut this part of town. How did it get it's unusual name? Was it a Quaker neighborhood, and are there remnants of that still around? Or is it just a really friendly place? Why is it hip, and what are the downsides? In other words, how did it get to be a place that's nicely situated, hip, and yet also affordable? Anyone have photos?

[CSD610]

You may find information you want by doing a search on google.

[Caladium]

True, but then that would eliminate the pleasure I get from conversing with my friends here on the Pittsburgh Forum. Plus it's amazing how often I ask a question here and the answer leads to all sorts of interesting side comments, photos, thought provoking anecdotes and bits of info I wouldn't find simply by googling.

[LIRefugee]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Hopes mentioned Friendship in the thread about "hip" neighborhoods, and now I'm curious to know more abut this part of town. How did it get it's unusual name? Was it a Quaker neighborhood, and are there remnants of that still around? Or is it just a really friendly place? Why is it hip, and what are the downsides? In other words, how did it get to be a place that's nicely situated, hip, and yet also affordable? Anyone have photos?

My understanding (and I have no specific source for this), is that the Friendship neighborhood arose because the people living there wanted to be thought of an area distinct from East Liberty or Bloomfield, possibly because of East Liberty's deterioration in the 60s. Before that, it wasn't thought of as a separate neighborhood at all, instead as a part of East Liberty, Bloomfield, or maybe even Shadyside depending on where someone did their shopping. The neighborhood was named after the street, I believe, and where the street came from, I have no idea.

[Moby Hick]

Friendship is magic.

[doo dah]

When I lived on S. Graham St in the mid-1970s, "Friendship" as a neighborhood didn't exist. it was "Shadyside". Oh, the cachet!

Wikipedia has the following: "Friendship takes its name from Friendship Avenue, an east-west thoroughfare that runs from Bloomfield to East Liberty. Some residents claim that Friendship Avenue is named after an alleged friendship between Joseph Conrad Winebiddle and William Penn. But this is a myth: the men were not contemporaries, and William Penn never visited Western Pennsylvania. Friendship Avenue in fact takes its name from a local farm that stood at the corner of Friendship and Roup and was named "Friendship" by its owner, one of Penn's descendants, who like Penn was a member of the religious Society of Friends."
(Friendship (Pittsburgh) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

But I haven't found a map that shows the farm, so I don't know when it existed.

[szug-bot]

some residences along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues are beautiful. the place is congested with cars, though. i hate that. it ruins those streets for me.

[friendsheep]

Friendship is a great neighborhood in a prime location. There are a few apartment buildings, but the majority of the area is comprised of single family victorian homes and victorians coverted into apartments (some done much better than others).

Depending on what side of the neighborhood you're on, you have a 5-15 minute walk to Bloomfield, Shadyside (Walnut, Ellsworth, and S. Highland / Eastside), East Liberty, and the Penn Ave business districts. The funny thing is a lot of people have no idea where or what Friendship is until you say it's by Shadyside. The street I live on is actually part of the 15232 Shadyside zip code.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by doo dah

When I lived on S. Graham St in the mid-1970s, "Friendship" as a neighborhood didn't exist. it was "Shadyside". Oh, the cachet!

Wikipedia has the following: "Friendship takes its name from Friendship Avenue, an east-west thoroughfare that runs from Bloomfield to East Liberty. Some residents claim that Friendship Avenue is named after an alleged friendship between Joseph Conrad Winebiddle and William Penn. But this is a myth: the men were not contemporaries, and William Penn never visited Western Pennsylvania. Friendship Avenue in fact takes its name from a local farm that stood at the corner of Friendship and Roup and was named "Friendship" by its owner, one of Penn's descendants, who like Penn was a member of the religious Society of Friends."
(Friendship (Pittsburgh) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

But I haven't found a map that shows the farm, so I don't know when it existed.

My mother grew up on South Graham. She moved from there in 1960. She says she grew up in Friendship.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

My mother grew up on South Graham. She moved from there in 1960. She says she grew up in Friendship.

was she raised in a single family home? would you ask her about playing in the street?

that always fascinates me that city kids once played in their front street. i dont know if any still do - i mean play, like kickball, wiffle ball, football, etc., and not just hang out. where i grew up, we did, and the next gen did, but no more - the kids around my parents' home play in their yards. i just hate so many cars.....id be interested in hearing if your mom can remember and remark on that.