Keep left and descend three steps. Notice the houses sit below grade, a feature of building on a steeply sloped hillside. Continue to where the sidewalk reaches street level. At the last house on the right, cross street and climb Sumner St. Steps across from fire hydrant.
StepTrek Route: Black Route 2023
Black/East Route 2023
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* SSSNA Founding
Just past 39 Holt St. is an open lot. A fire here destroyed three homes on Memorial Day weekend 1997. Alarmed by the inability of a standard fire truck to negotiate the narrow streets and sharp turns, a group of residents joined forces to create the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association and lobby the city for smaller fire trucks. The city adopted the new design, and now a number of smaller fire trucks serve hillside neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh.
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Holt St. and Holt St. Steps
Make left and climb 44 wooden steps that were rebuilt in 1999. Continue along Holt St. and another 4 steps to Eleanor St. Here you’ll see the Birmingham Bridge that crosses the Monongahela River. Stay left and continue to walk Holt St. on the sidewalk.
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Sterling St. Steps
Make right. On the corner is Garvey’s, a popular neighborhood pub. Ascend 64 steps to Holt St.
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* St. Josaphat Church
Dedicated in 1916 to serve a Polish parish established in 1901, the Roman Catholic Church was named for St. Josaphat (Josephat Kuntsevych), a bishop and martyr born in Poland in 1580. The building is Romanesque with a Byzantium influence evident in the arches, pillars and bell tower. The main altar held relics of St. Josaphat. In the rear, beneath the choir balcony, hung a picture of the Black Madonna. The church closed permanently after a section of ceiling collapsed about the casket of the last caretaker during his funeral mass. The school was converted into four living units. The church itself is being transformed into a community wellness center. Many Polish descendants continue to inhabit this section of the Slopes. The names of relations and former residents who served in World Wars I & II are seen on the memorial tucked into the hillside across Mission St. from the church.
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Mission St.
Make right onto Mission. The first bridge was built in 1939 as a project of the Public Works Administration under FDR. An SSSNA initiative brightened this area by replacing existing street lighting with higher wattage lamps. That’s South Side Park below and rising up the hill to your right. After the bridge on the left is the Mission St. pumping station circa 1900, which delivers water into the neighborhood and surrounding area. Continue across second bridge.
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* 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. A number of marked trails within it provide great walking opportunities. With funding from The Brashear Association, South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association partnered with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Landforce and the Student Conservation Association to create this neighborhood asset. Friends of South Side Park manages its ongoing work.
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S. 21st St.
Make left as you exit StepTrek Parking & Check-In next to Josephine St. Walk toward Mission St. Bridge.
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Pittsburgh StepTrek 2023 Black Route
If joining from the Gold Route, jump to # 3. * denotes historical or significant site
