Neighborhood of the week: Bluff (Uptown) (Pittsburgh, Carnegie: real estate, apartments, renting)

[eschaton]

I have made the executive decision to call neighborhoods what the city officially terms them, rather than what they are colloquially called. Nowhere is this more jarring than in the case of Uptown, which the city officially calls "Bluff." Although as far as I know, the names actually originally referred to two different areas which were both found in close proximity within the current neighborhood. A third name, Soho, used to be used to describe the area of Uptown and West Oakland now around the Birmingham Bridge. The northern side of Fifth Avenue is technically in Crawford-Roberts (and West Oakland for a few blocks) but is generally considered part of Uptown as well.

The neighborhood is relatively easily split into two or three parts. The westernmost portions, from Downtown to Marion Street, are dominated by institutional uses, with essentially everything save the Fifth Avenue corridor part of either Duquense Universty's campus or part of UMPC Mercy. West of Marion the neighborhood becomes much more of a patchwork, with a mixture of vacant lots, industrial buildings, and a few hundred surviving 19th century rowhouses. Overall it's actually fairly reminiscent of the more desolate portions of the Strip, with the noted exception of having an order of magnitude more surviving residential structures - many of which are now vacant and endangered with demolition. Even though the semi-residential portion of Uptown is small, there is a bit of a racial divide even here, with the blocks west of Jumonville having a mostly white population, while those east have a mostly black population.

Uptown's actual residential population has become very small. In 2010, for example, Uptown on paper had 6,600 residents - significantly higher than the 3,220 the neighborhood had back in 1990. However, 92.8% of the neighborhood's population was housed in "group quarters" - meaning mostly in this case either in Duquense dorms or in the Allegheny County Jail. When you discount this group, only around 475 people lived in households in the neighborhood. This number has almost certainly risen due to Fifth Avenue Lofts, and now Flats on Fifth, but the neighborhood has quite a long way to go to even catch up with the Strip District in terms of residential density.

Uptown is one of many neighborhoods in the city which has long been hyped for potential which it has yet to live up to. The location of Uptown, nestled between Oakland and Downtown, should be the best in the city. And although the neighborhood has lost much to the wrecking ball, many historic structures - both commercial storefronts and historic rowhomes - remain intact and ready to be restored. And as was noted above, there have been two market rate apartment projects now - one a rehab, and the other new construction. But the neighborhood still lags for many reasons.

One of the primary reasons is often put at the feet of Sal Williams, who has systematically bought out over 150 parcels in the neighborhood. In many cases he has demolished structures on these lots and set them up as parking lots to be use by downtown commuters and Pens fans on game days. Over the last ten years there has been fierce community opposition to his historic practices (which have been seen as land banking) and he has begun to sell off to developers. Still, any time one property owner ends up owning a significant fraction of the neighborhood (in the case of the Williams family, around a quarter of developable land, IIRC), it causes the local market to be distorted.

The secondary reason is Uptown is still perceived as in some ways an extension of the Hill District, and being unsafe. Except for a single intersection that drug deals were common on (Fifth and Vine, IIRC) Uptown has not been incredibly dangerous for decades. But it has been known for petty crime and a relatively large homeless population. Several social services type housing projects, including two recent ones by Action Housing, have gone into the neighborhood as a result.

Still, Uptown is undoubtedly slowly beginning to change. It helps that new development is surrounding it in all directions. Downtown is thriving. The Civic Arena site will be redeveloped. The Lower Hill - particularly around Dinwiddie - is being systematically filled in. And West Oakland is getting new projects, hopefully eventually including the full Oakland Portal Project being built. The question now isn't really if Uptown will turn around - it's will it turn around in time for enough of the historic structures to be saved.

[RonSantoRules]

I looked at renting at the Fifth Avenue School Lofts when I moved to PGH three years ago, but decided against based on its location in Uptown. The area left something to be desired and just felt rundown and tired, but you could tell the potential, given the proximity to Duquesne, Consol, etc. And, of course, now Walnut Capital is building the Flats on Fifth a stone's throw away from the lofts, so the turnaround continues.

[tyovan4]

eschaton - is this the same Sal Williams who is connected with the mafia? Do you happen to know?

Last member of numbers ring sentenced to 15 months in prison | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hill District native Williams convicted in numbers racket remembered as loving dad, grandfather | TribLIVE

Thanks!

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

eschaton - is this the same Sal Williams who is connected with the mafia? Do you happen to know?

Last member of numbers ring sentenced to 15 months in prison | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hill District native Williams convicted in numbers racket remembered as loving dad, grandfather | TribLIVE

Thanks!

The last paragraph of the Post-Gazette article makes it clear that Adolph Williams has a brother named Sal who was into real estate. Both Adolph and Sal (the Uptown property owner) were born in the same area of the city and ended up being "from" Carnegie. I think it's safe to say they're related, but I can't say for sure.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by eschaton

...The northern side of Fifth Avenue is technically in Crawford-Roberts (and West Oakland for a few blocks) but is generally considered part of Uptown as well.

I think "Crawford-Roberts" came about in the 1980s, being the name christened to the razing/rebuilding effort bounded by Crawford Street, Roberts Street, Centre Avenue and Bedford Avenue. That was the genesis of the Hill's renewal - those inexpensive (albeit low quality construction) townhomes and some single family homes in that area.

I believe it was the political name, or the developers' name for the investment/construction project. Apparently, it took hold and become something more. The area that comes up for a google search of "C-R" or from the google mapper reaches well beyond Roberts Street, after all.

It is interesting to see how the history of a name of a place! (if I am correct, that is.)

[sky329]

I am in this area a lot for work. The area is coming along as I have been here around 5 years so I have seen a gradual increase in desirability of the area. Flats on fifth simply looks amazing and the School lofts aren't bad either. There is still quite a bit of blight and grittiness in the residential section. In my opinion they should knock it all down and put shopping, gas stations, fast food(it is a food desert) and new townhouses. The area is just to run down... It needs new cement footings all around and just a general clean up. Another problem is that street that goes under the Birmingham bridge has a lot of homeless camps underneath there, and that's a problem in itself.

[szug-bot]

I have always liked the Roma Bottling Works development. The brick facade, clean but with its imperfect colors, is very warm, very appealing. No one can say there wasn't sensitivity to the surrounding neighborhood.

[airwave09]

Originally Posted by sky329

In my opinion they should knock it all down and put shopping, gas stations, fast food(it is a food desert) and new townhouses.

Good lord that is a terrible idea.

If you haven't noticed there have been some changes over the last couple of decades, fast food is now considered terribly unhealthy and urban development policies have matured and realized the error of demolishing entire neighborhoods for "modern redevelopment". (see right down the street at the civic arena parking lot for exhibit a)

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by airwave09

Good lord that is a terrible idea.

If you haven't noticed there have been some changes over the last couple of decades, fast food is now considered terribly unhealthy and urban development policies have matured and realized the error of demolishing entire neighborhoods for "modern redevelopment". (see right down the street at the civic arena parking lot for exhibit a)

Actually, that "modern redevelopment" was a huge success. The city got a fantastic structure that was the source of entertainment for generations. It was, I am told, the scene of many rock concerts in the 1970s. It saw two NFL Championships. It removed a dilapidated, run-down, dirty neighborhood where most were willing to be bought out.

But you can continue to dwell on false context as long as it makes you feel smart and righteous.

[sky329]

Originally Posted by airwave09

Good lord that is a terrible idea.

If you haven't noticed there have been some changes over the last couple of decades, fast food is now considered terribly unhealthy and urban development policies have matured and realized the error of demolishing entire neighborhoods for "modern redevelopment". (see right down the street at the civic arena parking lot for exhibit a)

I beg to differ... have u been to this area? Fast food doesn't only mean unhealthy options? Ever heard of Panera or chipotle much? There is nothing in the area and with all the new people in that area from the new building apartments, people are going to have to eat something and put gas in there car smh