Braddock Rising (Pittsburgh, West Mifflin, Carnegie: 2013, houses, college)

[jaminhealth]

Braddock Rising - Pittsburgh Magazine - April 2013 - Pittsburgh, PA

Anyone have memories of Braddock living. I had an aunt who had a lovely house at 624 Corey Ave back when Edger Thompson was still going strong and a Braddock was a thriving little town. I've lost total track of that part of my life but just went searching yesterday and found a new 2 family dwelling on my aunt's property and Braddock a village and MAYBE trying to come alive.

Braddock was a metro city compared to Trafford. I lived in Trafford and loved to visit Braddock and my aunt and all the great stores to shop.

http://braddockthroughtime.wikispace...0%27s+Braddock

I left PA over 50 yrs ago and so so so much has changed. Industries gone.

[villageidiot1]

I don't have memories of Braddock but my wife does. She spent three summers during college working as a laborer at the Edgar Thomson Works. She still has her hardhat.

[slamont61]

Spent three summers working for the Union Railroad where much of the time was spent in and around ET. Saw Braddock first hand and can't imagine how bad losing the Mill would have affected the town and the people in it.


Good to see it's on the rebound.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Spent three summers working for the Union Railroad where much of the time was spent in and around ET. Saw Braddock first hand and can't imagine how bad losing the Mill would have affected the town and the people in it.


Good to see it's on the rebound.

The mill is still in operation. Braddock fell off because after WW2, the folks who worked in the mill no longer had to live in Braddock. With the increased pay that the unions got for them, they bought cars, and moved to new suburban developments in places like West Mifflin. The people left behind tended to be the poorest, along with people who were too old to want to be uprooted. Additionally, the rise of suburban shopping centers killed the retail strip on Braddock Ave. Few new people moved in to take the place of the folks moving out. As a result, empty houses soon proliferated. Many were rented to poor people, but others became derelict, adding to the perception of a place in decline. The derelict houses soon became empty lots, and Braddock was in free fall. This scenario played out in many mill towns, but Braddock was probably the most extreme example, as it was the oldest, and in many ways, the least desirable of the steel towns outside of the city proper.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Admittedly I have only been to Braddock a few times, but I am always amazed at how close it really is to Regent Square -- at least, close considering how different it is on so many levels.

For what it's worth, there is some really interesting stuff going on at the public library (formerly the first Carnegie library, but no longer part of the Carnegie library system if I understand correctly); they offer various art classes and other community events that are organized by some pretty great people.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

The mill is still in operation. Braddock fell off because after WW2, the folks who worked in the mill no longer had to live in Braddock. With the increased pay that the unions got for them, they bought cars, and moved to new suburban developments in places like West Mifflin. The people left behind tended to be the poorest, along with people who were too old to want to be uprooted. Additionally, the rise of suburban shopping centers killed the retail strip on Braddock Ave. Few new people moved in to take the place of the folks moving out. As a result, empty houses soon proliferated. Many were rented to poor people, but others became derelict, adding to the perception of a place in decline. The derelict houses soon became empty lots, and Braddock was in free fall. This scenario played out in many mill towns, but Braddock was probably the most extreme example, as it was the oldest, and in many ways, the least desirable of the steel towns outside of the city proper.

The only part of this I would disagree with is saying that Braddock is the oldest steel town. Homestead and Carnegie basically of the same era (built out to a great deal by 1880).

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The only part of this I would disagree with is saying that Braddock is the oldest steel town. Homestead and Carnegie basically of the same era (built out to a great deal by 1880).

Edgar Thompson opened in 1872. Homestead went up in 1881. There was nothing in Homestead in 1880, while Braddock was already built up. The bulk of Braddock was on on the flood plain, along the river, as ET sits at the eastern end. The railroad slices through the residential district as well. Braddock, even at it's peak, was a very gritty place. The layout in Homestead is much better. The mill stretched along the river, with the rail lines separating the mill area from the residential area. Most of the residential area was on the hill, which is much less rugged than the hills behind Braddock. This resulted in most of the houses in Homestead being away from the threat of flooding, which was so common early on. The bottom line is, that in my opinion, Homestead was a much more pleasant, and attractive area than Braddock. As a result, the working class was much slower to bail out of Homestead after WW2, which is why, despite it's many problems, it doesn't have the "Detroit look", that Braddock does.

ET was the first suburban steel mill. Before ET, most of the iron works were along the Allegheny, running from Downtown, to Lawrenceville.

[RogersParkTransplant]

The Braddock/Homestead comparison is really interesting. To be honest I thought the main reason Homestead is doing better is that it's a straight shot across the bridge from Squirrel Hill etc, but I hadn't thought about the flooding.

[jaminhealth]

I didn't realize the mill was still in operation. I only have fond memories of my childhood and Braddock but lost total contact with it as I've been in CA for over 50 yrs.

It's true, can't go back. Hope it does come back to some life.

[TechCom]

Gallifrey rises!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ox0ScGxC94