Denniston Street

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Denniston Street
Neighborhoods Point Breeze, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill North, Squirrel Hill South
Origin of name George Denniston
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Denniston Avenue (until 1881)
Origin of name George Denniston
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Diagonal Street (1910–1911)
Portion Shadyside
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North Denniston Street (1911–1916)
Portion Shadyside

This street was laid out as Denniston Avenue in 1865, named for George Denniston, through whose estate the street ran.[1]

The name was officially established as Denniston Street by a city ordinance in 1881.[2]

George T. Fleming believed the street was named to honor a Civil War soldier. In a 1915 newspaper column about military origins of street names, he wrote: "We have some further commemoration of local soldiers, though some of it is divided by the application of family names of pioneer and prominent people of Pittsburgh. Thus we find . . . Denniston avenue, also reminding us of Maj. Joseph F. Denniston, city and county treasurer, who came back from his services with the Excelsior Brigade minus a leg and with a shattered arm to suffer until death relieved him."[3] The next year he mentioned this street again: "There are some names of streets in commemoration of local soldiers. Easily recalled are Childs street, Montooth street and Denniston avenue."[4]

Bob Regan says instead that Denniston Street was named after Samuel Denniston, who he says was a large landowner in the area.[5]

Denniston Street in Shadyside and Denniston Street in Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill were formerly part of the same continuous street (at least on paper),[6][7][8][9] but it seems that the segment immediately south of Fifth Avenue was never built.[10] In 1910, the street in Shadyside was renamed Diagonal Street.[11] City Councils were quickly petitioned to reverse the change.[12] It was changed to North Denniston Street the following year,[13] and then back to Denniston Street in 1916.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Plan of the partition of the estate of Geo. Denniston dec'd.: Plan of lots laid in East Liberty in partition of Geo. Denniston's estate in the District Court of Allegheny County at no. 51 April term 1865 by Tho's. Ewing Master, and James Kelly and Moses Phillips Commissoners and sold by Thos. Ewing Esq. Master by order of court." Recorded in Plan Book 3, p. 133. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778504. [view source] geo-denniston-plan
  2. ↑ "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1881, no. 33. Passed Feb. 28, 1881; approved Mar. 4, 1881. Ordinance Book 5, p. 212. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1880, pp. 213–234 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880). [view source] ordinance-1881-33
  3. ↑ George T. Fleming. "Names recall Civil War heroes: Soldiers of national and local fame well commemorated in Pittsburgh: Battles also live." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 30, 1915, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85758872. [view source] fleming-civil-war
  4. ↑ George T. Fleming. "Streets named for heroes of war: Nearness of Memorial Day brings thoughts of events of the Sixties: Well known leaders." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 28, 1916, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85468043. [view source] fleming-heroes
  5. ↑ Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the City, Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks and More Got Their Names, p. 67. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source] regan
  6. ↑ Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, plate 19. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1882. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1882-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1882 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1882
  7. ↑ Atlas of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 4. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1890. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1890-volume-4-atlas-pittsburgh; included in the 1890 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1890-vol-4
  8. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 1, plates 18, 19. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1898. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1898-volume-1-plat-book-pittsburgh-east. [view source] hopkins-1898-vol-1
  9. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 2, p. 3. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1899. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1899-volume-2-plat-book-pittsburgh-east. [view source] hopkins-1899-vol-2
  10. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 1, plate 32. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1904. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1904-volume-1-plat-book-pittsburgh; included in the 1903–1906 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1904-vol-1
  11. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets, lanes and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1910, no. 715. Passed Mar. 31, 1910; approved Apr. 5, 1910. Ordinance Book 21, p. 342. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the Years 1909–1910, appendix, pp. 312–328, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1910 (Google Books doQzAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223832; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1909). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Apr. 19, 1910, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86611990, 86612022), Apr. 20, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612278, 86612297), and Apr. 21, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612601, 86612625). [view source] ordinance-1910-715
  12. ↑ Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the Years 1910–1911, Select Council, p. 55. Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1911. Google Books 0X0zAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223840; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1910. This book has several parts: "Minutes of the proceedings of the Select Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the years 1910–1911" (index, pp. 3–101; proceedings, pp. 1–399), "Minutes of the proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the years 1910–1911" (index, pp. 3–108; proceedings, pp. 1–561), and an appendix of ordinances and resolutions (index, pp. 1–86; appendix, pp. 1–427). [view source] municipal-record-1910-1911
  13. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain streets, avenues and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1911, no. 558. Passed Feb. 14, 1911; approved Feb. 16, 1911. Ordinance Book 22, p. 498. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the Years 1910–1911, appendix, pp. 322–323, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1911 (Google Books 0X0zAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223840; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1910). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Mar. 10, 1911, p. 13 (Newspapers.com 86499788), and Mar. 11, p. 13 (Newspapers.com 86499822). [view source] ordinance-1911-558
  14. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain streets, ways and place, in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1916, no. 35. Passed Feb. 14, 1916; approved Feb. 15, 1916. Ordinance Book 27, p. 366. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1916, appendix, p. 12, Eureka Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1916). [view source] ordinance-1916-35
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