The Oakley St. Steps mosaic was completed in 2016 and was the first of its kind in Pittsburgh. The installation was designed by artist Laura Jean McLaughlin, who led a group of 100 community volunteers in assembling the tiny mosaics on mesh. The finished work, affectionately titled “South Side Schlumpy Funk,” covers 200 square feet and were mortared and grouted onto 77 risers. Led by SSSNA, the project was community-designed, funded and created.
StepTrek Route: Gold Route 2024
Gold/West Route 2024
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Oakley Way & Mosaic Steps
Ahead are the Mosaic Steps! Take care crossing Josephine St. on the left side of S. 27th. As you climb the first 98 stairs, the colorful image of a young woman with a single flower reveals itself against a backdrop of homes, hills and wildlife. The steps themselves were built in 1928. Notice the foundations of long gone houses on the left as you climb. Continue across McCord St. and ascend an additional 63 steps to Shelly St. Take a break. You’ve just climbed the equivalent of 12 floors.
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* SouthSide Works
This site had once been home to a sprawling steel mill whose works stretched to the opposite riverside. After the mill closed, a multi-million dollar residential and commercial complex took shape in stages between 2002 and 2004. Designed in a new urbanist style, SS Works offers more than 34 acres of shops, offices, hotels and apartments.
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S. 27th St.
Make left and continue along S. 27th to E. Carson St. Cross and continue along S. 27th toward South Side Slopes, Oakley Way & Mosaic Steps.
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Sidney St.
Keep left and head west on Sidney St. toward SouthSide Works Town Square and S. 27th St.