Foster Way
| Foster Way | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | Lower Lawrenceville |
| Origin of name | William Barclay Foster |
| Foster Alley (until 1914) | |
| Origin of name | William Barclay Foster |
This alley has two disconnected segments, both between 38th Street and 39th Street and parallel to those streets. It is in line with Lodi Way, on the northwest side of Butler Street.
The alley today named Lodi Way, from modern Mineral Way to the Allegheny River, was part of the original plan of Lawrenceville laid out in 1814 by William Barclay Foster (1779–1855), though that plan did not give it a name.[1] It appears, unlabeled, in maps from the 1850s and 1860s.[2][3]
It was named Foster's Alley no later than 1872,[4] but probably earlier: the two segments of today's Foster Way were laid out in 1860 and 1862, and they are labeled Foster's Alley in those plans.[5][6] These various segments, all lying in the same line, were considered part of the same alley even though they did not connect.
In 1881, a Pittsburgh city ordinance changed the name of Foster's Alley (or "Foster Alley") to Lodi Way and reassigned the name Foster to Foster Street. But this ordinance described it as "Lodi alley, from Butler street to Allegheny river, formerly Foster alley, Fifteenth ward."[7] The pieces of the alley southeast of Butler Street were overlooked, and hence were not renamed. They were also missed by a 1910 ordinance that ostensibly established the names of all thoroughfares in Pittsburgh.[8]
Foster Alley became Foster Way in 1914, when another ordinance changed all alleys in Pittsburgh to ways.[9]
The grade of the northwest segment of Foster Way, running northwest from Obregon Street, was established by an ordinance in 1926.[10]
See also
- Foster Alley, for other alleys that have had that name
- Foster Street
References
- ↑ "A plan of the Town of Lawrenceville laid out by William B. Foster on the first day of June A. D. 1814." Laid out June 1, 1814; recorded Jan. 26, 1815. In Tom Powers and James Wudarczyk, The Allegheny Arsenal Handbook: A Guidebook to Pittsburgh's Former Military Facility in Stories, Illustrations, Maps, and Photographs, pp. 4–5, Lawrenceville Historical Society, Pittsburgh, 2022, ISBN 978-0-9773469-3-6. [view source] lawrenceville-plan
- ↑ R. E. McGowin. Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny and of the Boroughs of South-Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East-Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Duquesne & Manchester etc. Schuchman & Haunlein, Pittsburgh, 1852. https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32269. [view source] mcgowin-1852
- ↑ S. N. & F. W. Beers. Map of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Smith, Gallup & Hewitt, Philadelphia, 1862. LCCN 2012592151; https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/31783; 1862 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] beers
- ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 52. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1872-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1872 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1872
- ↑ "Plan of lots laid out at the instance and request of John Wilkinson administrator of the estate of the late William Johnston deceased: Situate in the Borough of Lawrenceville Allegheny County Pennsylvania." Laid out Mar. 16, 1860; recorded Mar. 30, 1860, Plan Book 2, p. 147. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778417. [view source] wm-johnston-estate-plan
- ↑ "Plan of building lots situate in the Borough of Lawrenceville laid out at the request of the heirs of the late Wm. Johnston, dec'd." Laid out June 1, 1862; recorded July 1, 1873, Plan Book 5, p. 116. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779146. [view source] wm-johnston-heirs-plan
- ↑ "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1880–1881, 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, Herald Printing Company, Pittsburgh, 1881 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880). [view source] ordinance-1880-1881-33
- ↑ "An ordinance establishing the names of the avenues, streets, lanes and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1909–1910, no. 716. Passed Mar. 31, 1910; approved Apr. 5, 1910. Ordinance Book 21, p. 359. 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. 328–381, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1910 (Google Books doQzAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223832; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1909). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Apr. 29, 1910, pp. 12–16 (Newspapers.com 86616256, 86616285, 86616314, 86616333, 86616343), and Apr. 30, pp. 12–16 (Newspapers.com 86616643, 86616672, 86616694, 86616726, 86616748). [view source] ordinance-1909-1910-716
- ↑ "An ordinance changing the name 'alley' on every thoroughfare in the City of Pittsburgh to 'way.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1914, no. 402. Passed Nov. 10, 1914; approved Nov. 16, 1914. Ordinance Book 26, p. 360. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1914, appendix, p. 226, McClung Printing Co., Pittsburgh (HathiTrust uiug.30112108223899; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1914). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Nov. 23, 1914, p. 11 (Newspapers.com 86505785), and Nov. 24, p. 12 (Newspapers.com 86505809). [view source] ordinance-1914-402
- ↑ "An ordinance establishing the grade on Foster way, from Obregon street to a point distance [sic] 154.0 feet northwardly therefrom." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1926, no. 587. Passed Nov. 15, 1926; approved Nov. 16, 1926. Ordinance Book 38, p. 41. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the Year 1926, appendix, p. 420, Smith Bros. Co. Inc., Pittsburgh (Google Books A5zkbeRRvzUC; HathiTrust uiug.30112109819794; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1926). [view source] ordinance-1926-587
