Columbus Avenue
| Columbus Avenue | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhoods | California-Kirkbride, Chateau, Manchester |
| Island Lane (until 1867) | |
| Portion | Between Beaver Avenue and Brighton Road |
| Origin of name | Brunot Island |
| Washington Street (until 1867) | |
| Portion | From Beaver Avenue to the Ohio River |
| Washington Avenue (1867–1910) | |
The main part of Columbus Avenue was originally Island Lane, laid out in 1788 in the plan of the "Reserve Tract of Land Opposite Pittsburgh," as the North Side was originally called. Island Lane ran from Ferry Lane (today Beaver Avenue) to Pasture Lane (today Brighton Road and Irwin Avenue).[1] It was named for Brunot Island in the Ohio River, whose upper point is at the line of this street.[2]
By 1852, Island Lane formed part of the northern boundary of the city of Allegheny, and the segment of modern Columbus Avenue from Beaver Avenue to the Ohio River had been laid out in the borough of Manchester as Washington Street.[3][4]
Manchester was annexed by Allegheny in April 1867.[5] An Allegheny city ordinance the following month to grade and pave the street within the Manchester district called it Washington Street,[6] but a resolution two months later to widen the street called it Washington Avenue from the Ohio River to the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad (today the Norfolk Southern tracks), which included some of Island Lane.[7] A notice in the Pittsburgh Gazette in 1870 referred to "Washington Avenue (late called 'Island Lane')."[8]
In 1910, three years after Allegheny was annexed by Pittsburgh, over 900 streets were renamed to fix duplicates. Washington Avenue conflicted with Washington Boulevard, so it was renamed Columbus Avenue.[9]
The easternmost part of Columbus Avenue, from Sedgwick Street to Irwin Avenue, was made part of California Avenue in 1933.[10]
See also
- Washington Avenue and Washington Street, for other streets that have had those names
References
- ↑ Reserve Tract of Land Opposite Pittsburgh. L. J. Richards & Co., 1863. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0084. Reproduced in Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson, Allegheny City: A History of Pittsburgh's North Side, pp. 2–3, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2013, ISBN 978-0-8229-4422-5 (LCCN 2012047727). A variation entitled City of Allegheny 100 Years Ago is reproduced in Walter C. Kidney and Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr., Allegheny, p. 2, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, 1975 (LCCN 75-43276), and in Allegheny City Society, Allegheny City, 1840–1907, pp. 10–11, Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C., 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5500-3 (LCCN 2007927944). [view source] reserve-tract
- ↑ George T. Fleming. "Old Allegheny families are honored: Pioneer rope makers' name given to prominent North Side street: Others on the list." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 2, 1916, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85766180. [view source] fleming-old-allegheny
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Mark A. Connelly. "Manchester Borough–Allegheny City 1867 Merger." Local Geohistory Project. https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/manchester-borough-allegheny-city-1867-merger/. [view source] lgeo-manchester-annexation
- ↑ "An ordinance to authorize the grading and paving of Washington Street in the Manchester District." Allegheny city ordinance, 1867. Enacted May 9, 1867. In ordinance book of Allegheny City, 1840–1868, pp. 522/523–523/524 (https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_97c25faa-af4d-4826-99ba-011d5d2f68e5/). [view source] ordinance-1867-washington-st-grading-paving
- ↑ "Resolution to widen Washington Avenue." Allegheny city resolution, 1867. Enacted July 11, 1867. In ordinance book of Allegheny City, 1840–1868, p. 537/538 (https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_97c25faa-af4d-4826-99ba-011d5d2f68e5/). [view source] resolution-1867-washington-ave-widening
- ↑ Samuel Glass. "Orphans' Court sale of house and lot on Washington Avenue, Allegheny City." Pittsburgh Gazette, Feb. 15, 1870, p. 1. Newspapers.com 86346902. [view source] orphans-court-sale
- ↑ "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
- ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets, roads and ways in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1933, no. 121. Passed May 29, 1933; approved May 31, 1933. Ordinance Book 45, p. 241. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the Year 1933, appendix, p. 72, City Printing Co., Pittsburgh (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1933). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, June 3, 1933, p. 13 (Newspapers.com 523406708); and in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 5, 1933, p. 25 (Newspapers.com 89887815), and June 6, p. 23 (Newspapers.com 89888832). [view source] ordinance-1933-121
