Comments on: Reconnecting The Other Deutschtown Neighborhood

By: Alexander Lau

Alexander Lau — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 19:07:44 +0000

Deutschtown wasn’t necessarily founded by the Swiss. There was no modern day Germany at the time. There were plenty of modern day German states represented at the beginning. Austrian, Swiss (yes), Germans, Moravians, Czechs as well. All of whom spoke Deutsch. Later the Croats.

http://deutschtown.org/history/

In 1890, the population of Allegheny City was 105,287, of whom 30,216 were foreign born, and 12,022 were born in Germany. Deutschtown, also called Dutchtown, was the eastern expansion of the vital hub of Allegheny City (annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907), where the German-speaking peoples settled early in the nineteenth century.

Mid-19th century East Ohio Street began at Allegheny City Hall (now gone), once the very heart of the North Side and, unfortunately is now an abandoned shopping mall. Then, East Ohio Street showcased grand three-story Victorian commercial buildings, becoming a bustling business district with a movie house, banks, clothing and food stores. To the north of East Ohio were livery stables, a blacksmith shop, wagon manufacturer, granary, and lumber mill.

Until the 1850s, the Deutschtown area was largely farmland. Deutschtown, as we now know it, was developed from 1850 – 1920 as Allegheny City spread beyond the park Commons and the land was subdivided into residential lots for the ever-growing, mostly German, and then Croatian, population. At roughly the same time, neighborhoods developed north and west of the then Allegheny Commons Park – what is now the Central Northside and Allegheny West.

Cedar Avenue became the residential showplace, where 9 – 14 room stone and brick houses would have a view onto the handsome new greenspace: Allegheny Commons Park. Housing was built amongst the businesses for a wide range of incomes, with the larger homes found on Cedar Avenue, Avery Lockhart and Pressley Streets. Medium sized homes (6 – 8 rooms) were generally located north of East Ohio, and small frame homes (4 – 5 rooms) were mostly located in alleys and ways.

http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Allegheny_County/Pittsburgh_City/Dutchtown_Historic_District.html

Immigrants were a significant part of the expanding population, and it was from the concentration of Germans here that the eastern portion of Allegheny acquired the name of “Dutchtown,” a mispronunciation of Deutschtown. As the city grew, East Ohio Street became an impressive commercial street while other areas of the neighborhood accommodated both houses and industries. In 1907 Allegheny became a part of the City of Pittsburgh. Like other sections of Pittsburgh, Dutchtown experienced an influx of immigrants from Italy and Eastern Europe during the early twentieth century. Nevertheless, the German character continued to predominate. Even today census statistics affirm the German, and to a less extent other European, sources of much of the population.

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:29:21 +0000

Thank you for the kind words! And thank you for the correction about it being settled by the Swiss. They can come over too, everyone likes the Swiss!
Of all the neighborhoods that need help in PGH, this one seems to be a potentially easy and low-cost fix. There are already good people like yourself living there willing to help, just need some assistance and funding.

Please keep reading TPOP and sharing it with others.

By: Ruth Dailey

Ruth Dailey — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 23:47:08 +0000

Kevin — thanks so much for writing about our awesome neighborhood! It’s encouraging to see that “outsiders” see the same potential that we who’ve chosen to live here see in it. Our Community Alliance (CASGED) has worked really hard for the past 6 years to address exactly the issues you’ve identified, and we are starting to see the work pay off and all the essential elements for success come together.
But you are right about an old schism having occurred — the highway program destroyed the middle third of Deutschtown, and in the horrible years of decay that followed, the (reasonably) sad and resentful people fought bitterly over how to lead what was left… East Deutschtown was basically left to wither on the vine.
I hope you won’t mind one correction — It was the Swiss who settled Deutschtown — almost 100 years before the nation of Germany existed. Swiss, Bavarians, Bohemians – German-speaking people from many provinces settled here. Today we are attracting people — especially artists and young people — who like the Old World feel and great accessibility. We do need some help from the administration/URA — so… we join you in hoping they send some love this way! Thanks again for the article — several people sent me the link, so it’s getting around.