Kelvin Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
Kelvin Street
Neighborhood Sheraden
Origin of name William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin
Hamilton Avenue (1869–1880)
Lafayette Avenue (1880–1908)

This street was originally Hamilton Avenue, laid out in 1869 for N. P. Sawyer as part of the borough of Ashchenaz.[1]

In 1880 Ashchenaz was re-subdivided by Andrew Patterson and renamed Sheridan (later spelled Sheraden). In this new plan, the former Hamilton Avenue became Lafayette Avenue.[2][3]

The borough of Sheraden was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh in 1907.[4]:11[5] The name Lafayette Avenue conflicted with Lafayette Avenue on the North Side, so it was renamed Kelvin Street the next year.[6]

Bob Regan includes "Kelvin" in a list of streets named for noted historical people;[4]:63 the implied eponym seems to be William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907), British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer.

See also

References

  1. "Boro of Ashchenaz plan of lots situate in Chartiers Tow'p laid out for N. P. Sawyer." Laid out June 1869; recorded Sept. 21, 1880, Plan Book 6, pp. 223–225. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779448. [view source]ashchenaz-plan
  2. "Sheridan: Plan of lots situated in Chartiers Twp. Allegheny County Pa." Laid out Apr. 1880; recorded May 12, 1880, Plan Book 6, pp. 212–214. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779433. [view source]sheridan-plan
  3. Atlas of the Vicinity of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, Pennsylvania, plate 26. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1886. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1886-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; included in the 1882 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source]hopkins-1886
  4. 4.0 4.1 Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the City, Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks and More Got Their Names. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source]regan
  5. Mark A. Connelly. "Sheraden Borough–Pittsburgh City 1907 Merger." Local Geohistory Project. https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/sheraden-borough-pittsburgh-city-1907-merger/. [view source]lgeo-sheraden-annexation
  6. "An ordinance changing and establishing the names of avenues, streets and alleys in the Forty-third ward (formerly the Borough of Sheraden) of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1908, no. 393. Passed July 9, 1908; approved July 13, 1908. Ordinance Book 19, p. 496. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the Years 1907–'08–'09, appendix, pp. 210–214, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1909 (Google Books gMBEAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust chi.096598897; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecordselect1907, Pghmunicipalrecordcommon1907). [view source]ordinance-1908-393