Gold Route 2019

1. Pittsburgh StepTrek 2019 – Gold Route - If joining from the East Route, begin with #3. * Denotes history or significant site. You are in South Side Park. From StepTrek Marketplace and registration, walk to steps under the Mission St. Bridge.

2. * South Side Park - Efforts continue to reclaim a 64 acre park that extends from Josephine St. below to the heights of the Slopes. In this wooded hillside are streams, ball fields and pathways. Volunteers have removed invasive knotweed and vines that choke the park and built its trails. With funding from The Brashear Association, SSSNA partnered with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Landforce and the Student Conservation Association to create this neighborhood asset. Friends of South Side Park manage its ongoing work.

3. Mission St. Steps - Under the bridge, turn left and climb the 102 steps to Mission Street. At the top of the steps is S. 18th Street.

4. S. 18th St. - Cross S. 18th St. at light to Pius St. on the opposite side.

5. Pius St. - Continue along Pius. Just past 132 Pius St. are Yard Way Steps.

6. Yard Way Steps - Most of the steps on Yard Way date back to 1944 and number 314 in total. They are the longest set of stairs on this side of the slopes. The first 13 steps were rebuilt in time for the first StepTrek in April 2000. In addition to providing a fascinating tour of this hillside neighborhood, the StepTrek encourages the city to make repairs to existing stairways for public safety. The first cross street you come to is Gregory St. Climb an additional 187 steps past an unmarked street (Magdalena St.), past Roscoe St. to Baldauf St. Ascend 52 more steps to Huron St. and Winter’s Playground to your right.

7. * Winter’s Playground - The playground has a small basketball court and swings and slides for children. It is one of a number of small parklets on the Slopes that were placed within a 10 minute walk of any one home.

8. Yard Way Steps cont’d - Walk up an additional 63 steps to Shamokin St. Congrats! You’ve made it to Billy Buck Hill. Turn around and view uptown, Oakland and Greenfield across the river. The South Side Works, on the site of the former LTV site, sits to the bottom right. Continue along Yard Way to St. Paul St.

9. * Billy Buck Hill - Founded by Germans, the name Billy Buck comes from goats once kept in the yard of a local store. Bordered by cliffs and rugged terrain, the area is accessible by steps and a single street. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a milk truck once flipped over while making deliveries on its hilly streets. Another time, a horse and wagon, hauling waste from neighborhood outhouses, tumbled over the hillside. The ball field on the right is at the summit of this steep hillside.

10. St. Paul St. - Make right and keep to the sidewalk on the left side. The metal fencing to your right marks the grounds of St. Paul of the Cross Monastery and Retreat Center. At the bend on the left are steps down to S. 18th Street.

11. * St. Paul of the Cross Monastery - The Monastery was founded in 1853. The brick wall along St. Paul appears to be the original one that shielded the enclave from the outside world. The garden behind it features the Stations of the Cross and can be seen through the metal fencing. The orange brick building in the distance is the Retreat House, which is available for individual retreats by arrangement. The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) holds its meetings here.

12. S. Patrick St. Steps - Descend the 82 steps to S. 18th St.

13. S. 18th St. - Make right and continue up S. 18th St. to the Corner Café. New on this block is 350° Bakery at 2427 S. 18th St. The route follows S. 18th St. and bends to the left and continues past Monastery Ave. The St. Thomas St. Steps are opposite Quarry St. and just before 2604 S. 18th St.

14. St. Thomas St. Steps - Make right and ascend 44 steps, turn right at top. Follow the red railing and drop two steps. Make a left and climb sidewalk that leads to St. Thomas St.

15. St. Thomas St. - Continue up sidewalk and climb 18 steps past Angelo St., Sharon St. & East Warrington Ave. Descend 7 steps and cross St. Martin St. Keep to the right. Enjoy the view of the 10th Street Bridge, Mercy Hospital, Duquesne University, downtown, the Point and North Side. When ready, descend the 79 steps to Monastery St. Up the hill to the right is the chapel to St. Paul of the Cross Monastery. The architectural style is Romanesque. The interior rose window is a copy of one in Reims, Germany.

16. Monastery St. - Make a left and descend 39 steps to Brosville St.

17. * Brosville-Monastery Welcome Garden - Terraced into the hillside on the right is a quiet green space. The fabricated canvas of COR-TEN steel plate was created by SSSNA board member and architect Peter Kreuthmeier and installed against a curved retaining wall. The scrim replicates a section of a Slopes neighborhood from a lot and block map. An Elm Street project, it was dedicated in 2007 and is one of six gardens maintained by SSSNA members. Awards: Award for Architectural Excellence, Citation of Merit, AIA Penna., 2010; Jury Award, Society for Environmental Graphic Design, 2010; Award of Excellence in Architectural Detail, AIA, Pittsburgh Chapter, 2009; and Townie Award for Public Space Improvements, Penna. Downtown Center, 2009.

18. Brosville St. - Cross Brosville and keep to the right as you ascend the sidewalk. Ahead, a sign directs the course right onto “Fritz”St. and the Knoxville Incline Overlook parklet.

19. * The Knoxville Incline Greenway - A gravel, timber-lined foot trail marks the entrance from Brosville. The bridge crosses over where the Knoxville Incline ran from 1890 to 1960. Over the years, SSSNA members have pulled several hundred tires from the ravine as part of an area clean up. Now a parklet honors its history. From the bridge’s mid-span, you can see heavy stone retaining walls below and the trough through which the incline ran. The Greenway was created in 2016 in partnership with GTECH Strategies as part of its ReClaim South program. It continues down the Welsh Way stairs. The project is on the border with Allentown and Allentown CDC donated the trees planted in the parklet.

20. Knoxville Incline Trail - Cross the bridge. The trail follows what was Fritz St. It’s hard to believe you’re in the city! This is part of a permanent greenway that connects the Flats to the top of the Slopes. Be careful as you walk to Hartford St. Steps.

21. Hartford St. Steps - Make left and ascend 71 steps to Hartford St. At the top of the steps, St. Paul of the Cross Monastery is visible to the left.

22. Hartford St. - Make right. The homes are tucked in tight on this narrow street overlooking the rivers. Stay left and climb 28 steps. An additional 17 steps continue up the right side of Hartford. That’s Arlington Ave. ahead with a trolley link to Allentown, a hilltop community. Make a right on Arlington Ave.

23. Arlington Ave. - Keep right and descend the sidewalk for a couple hundred yards. Notice the view from the railing before Behring St. steps. Keep walking to 801 Arlington and Lauer Way Steps.

24. Lauer Way Steps - Make right and descend these 95 steps to Newton St. Directly ahead are South Side Stadium, 10th St. Bridge and Duquesne University on the opposite bank of the Mon.

25. Newton St. - Make a right and continue along small gravel lane past fire hydrant to street’s end and Newton St. steps.

26. Newton St. Steps - Descend these 128 steps into German Square. Across is a set of steps that descend from Hartford St. above.

27. * German Square - Named after the German families who settled on the hillside, the square is reached by a parallel set of steps from the Slopes. At the bottom is Fritz St.

28. Fritz St. - Turn right, walk 100 feet and turn left onto S. 10th St. steps.

29. S. 10th St. Steps & Pedestrian Bridge - Descend 49 steps to the pedestrian bridge built in 2002 over the railroad tracks. The trestle is made of the same COR-TEN steel as the U.S. Steel tower downtown and the curved canvas at the Brosville-Monastery garden. The brown rust serves as a protective coating over the steel frame. SSSNA successfully lobbied the city to rebuild this pedestrian bridge and another one over the Norfolk Southern railroad at S. 15th St. Another SSSNA effort brought safety lighting to the two bridges. Stop mid-span and look right to view the spectacular St. Michael church on the hillside. Descend 47 steps to S. 10th and Freyburg streets. Welcome to the South Side Flats!

30. Freyburg St. - Make right. Between 1111 and 1117 Freyburg was the path of the Knoxville Incline as it vaulted over Freyburg and up the hill. Walk one block to S. 11th St.

31. S. 11th St. - Make right. Walk one block to Mary Ann St.

32. Mary Ann St. - Make left. Walk one block to S. 12th St.

33. S. 12th St. - Cross and make right. Take two steps up and climb left side of S. 12th along the sidewalk and stone wall to the bridge. Mid-span, look left to view the 15th Street pedestrian bridge and right for the 10th St. foot bridge. Continue up to Brosville St.

34. Brosville St. Steps - Keep left and climb 43 steps to Pius St.

35. Pius St. - Make a left. You are next to the former St. Michael Church. Keep left and walk to S. 15th St.

36. * St. Michael Church - The influence of the church was strong in the Slopes. St. Michael parish started in a house in 1848 where the church front now stands. Designed by Charles Bartberger of Stuttgart, Germany, the church was built between 1855 and 1860 on land donated by German immigrants. The surrounding land reminded them of the Rhine River valley. Though it has a gothic spire, the overall style is Rhineland Romanesque Rival similar to rural Bavarian churches.

37. * Cholera Plague of 1849 - In 1849, a deadly cholera plague hit Pittsburgh. The parish could not find enough burial places for its deceased members. Parishioners prayed to St. Roch and vowed to keep a day holy if the plague would cease. It did. Another plague hit the South Side in 1853 but no members of St. Michael died. Cholera Day is observed each August in Prince of Peace Parish on the South Side. The church was closed through a consolidation within the parish and has been redeveloped into condominiums.

38. * St. Michael Parish - The complex on the right includes the Burning Bush, which offers a retreat center for quiet meditation in overnight rooms. At 44 Pius is the former St. Michael's Madchen Schule and previous home of the Veronica's Veil playhouse. The theater hosted a series of plays throughout the year but was most famous for its Passion play, Veronica's Veil. Performed during Lent, it was said to be the longest running play in American community theater. These buildings were part of St. Michael's Parish. The former convent for the parish lies at 66 Pius Street and is now a condominium complex.

39. S. 15th St. Steps - Make left and descend the 26 steps along left side to Clinton St. At Clinton, descend 60 steps to the footbridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

40. * Pedestrian Bridges - At the request of SSSNA & Slopes residents, the City and railroad completed this footbridge and the other at S. 10th St. in 2002. The trestle is made of the same COR-TEN steel as the U.S. Steel tower downtown. The brown rust serves as a protective coating over the steel frame. The bridges reinstated pedestrian access between the Slopes and Flats. Another SSSNA effort brought safety lighting to the two bridges. At the end of the bridge, descend 59 steps.

41. S. 15th St. - To the right is the former Polska Szkola built in 1898. Continue down S. 15th St. one half block. On the left, a couple of doors down from Breed St. is St. Adalbert Church. This is one of only two churches on the South Side in operation since the consolidation among Catholic parishes. The parish house is at 162 S. 15th and the former convent at 155 S. 15th.

42. 153 & 151 S. 15th St. - Between these two houses is a narrow, paved walkway to S. 16th St. Turn right and walk through.

43. S. 16th St. - Cross the street and make a left to reach 161 S. 16th.

44. 161 S. 15th St. - Beside house is another public walkway, though a bit wider. Walk through to S. 17th St.

45. S. 17th St. - Hang a right and walk a half block to Mary St.

46. Mary St. - Turn left and continue along Mary to S. 18th St. At the corner on the left is the fire station.

47. * Fire Safety on the Slopes - A fire destroyed three Slopes’ homes on Memorial Day weekend 1997. Alarmed by the inability of a standard city fire truck to negotiate the neighborhood’s narrow streets and sharp turns, a group of residents joined forces to create the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. Organized around the issue of fire safety, they gathered data and made the case for a smaller fire truck with a tighter turning base. The city adopted the new design, and now a few smaller, more-able fire trucks serve hillside neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh.

48. S. 18th St. - Make a right on S. 18th. Keep right and cross under the railroad bridge. This underpass is one of seven that cuts beneath the railroad along the base of the Slopes. In a joint project between the SSLDC, SSSNA and the city, all of the underpasses were fitted with lights in 2004 and several sidewalks were replaced. Continue to the steps at the bend and begin to climb!

49. S. 18th St. Steps - Though daylight now, by night these steps glow with LED light fixtures installed in 2012. Their illumination provides helpful lighting and serve as beacons to highlight and celebrate the neighborhood’s steps. The project was made possible with a major grant from Duquesne Light’s "Power of Light" program and state funding. Climb the 140 steps to Pius St.

50. Pius St. - Make a left. Continue east on Pius toward S. 18th St. Signs of prior commercial use dot the street, as seen at 115 Pius and 126 Pius, which once housed a neighborhood bakery. Stay on right side of street. At the stoplight, cross S. 18th Street to Mission St.

51. Mission St. Steps - Behind the bus shelter at the intersection of Mission St. and S. 18th St. is a set of steps. Descend the 102 steps to South Side Park and StepTrek Marketplace. You may also join the East Route at the bottom of the steps.

52. East Route - To join East Route, make a left at the bottom of the steps and follow St. 21st St. to Josephine St. For more information, please see narrative for East Route.