Ben Hur Street
| Ben Hur Street | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | Point Breeze |
| Origin of name | The 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace |
Ben Hur Street was laid out by Charles J. Holleman and dedicated to the City of Pittsburgh in 1920 as part of the Carnegie Manor plan of lots.[1][2] The dedication was officially accepted, and the street officially opened and named, by a city ordinance in 1922.[1]
The land through which the street runs was once part of the estate of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie. The street was named by Thomas' brother Andrew Carnegie in honor of his friend Lew Wallace, the author of the best-selling 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.[3][4]
In 1960, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Stanley-Warner Theatres sponsored a free showing of the recently released film adaptation of Ben-Hur for 40 residents of Ben Hur Street. A Greyhound bus picked them up at the corner of Ben Hur and Dunfermline Streets (because Ben Hur Street was too narrow for the bus to get back out). The guests enjoyed dinner at the Carlton House Hotel and then saw the movie at the Warner Theatre.[3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "An ordinance accepting the dedication of certain property in the 14th Ward of the City of Pittsburgh, for Public use for highway purposes, opening and naming the same 'Ben Hur street', and accepting the grading, paving and curbing thereof." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1922, no. 275. Passed July 31, 1922; approved Aug. 8, 1922. Ordinance Book 33, p. 534. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1922, appendix, pp. 191–192, Kaufman Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Google Books -UEtAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223972; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1922). [view source] ordinance-1922-275
- ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 2, p. 12. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1923. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1923-volume-2-plat-book-pittsburgh-east-end-south; included in the 1923 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1923-vol-2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Residents and MGM are both living on 'Ben-Hur.'" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Sun-Telegraph, May 23, 1960, p. 27. Newspapers.com 89534964, 524059002. [view source] residents-and-mgm
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Herbert Stein. "Ben Hur residents get to see 'You-Know-What': MGM and Warner send 40 to dinner at Carlton House and then to film." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Sun-Telegraph, May 26, 1960, p. 29. Newspapers.com 89535092, 524059356. [view source] ben-hur-residents
