Mentor Way
| Mentor Way | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | Central Business District |
| Morgan Alley (until 1881) | |
| Mentor Alley (1881–1914) | |
| Lisa Ludovici Lane (2001 – ca. 2003) | |
| Origin of name | Vanity street sign bought in charity fundraiser |
This alley, between Cecil Alley (today's Cecil Place) and St. Clair Street (today's Sixth Street), appears in maps from 1852 and 1862, though it is not labeled.[1][2] It was originally named Morgan Alley, but was renamed Mentor Alley in 1881 to avoid confusion with Morgan Street in the Hill District.[3][4] It was changed to Mentor Way by a 1914 ordinance that changed all alleys to ways.[5] The earliest map in which it is labeled seems to be the 1923 Hopkins plat book.[6]
In 2000, as part of a Civic Light Opera charity fundraiser, a woman by the name of Lisa Ludovici, a Monroeville native working as a sales representative for a radio station, bought a vanity street sign for Mentor Way. The sign reading Lisa Ludovici Lane was installed by the Department of Public Works on March 29, 2001, above the sign saying Mentor Way. The sign was removed around the end of 2003.[7]
References
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "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
- ↑ J. F. Diffenbacher. J. F. Diffenbacher's Directory of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities for 1882–'83: Embracing a general directory of residences of citizens, full classified business directory, register of public institutions, benevolent societies, and city government; directory of the streets, secret societies, schools and churches, twenty-sixth [sic] annual issue. Diffenbacher & Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1882. Historic Pittsburgh 31735051650889. [view source] diffenbacher-1882
- ↑ "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
- ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 1. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1923. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1923-volume-1-plat-book-pittsburgh; included in the 1923 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1923-vol-1
- ↑ Diana Nelson Jones. "Solving street sign mystery takes some odd turns." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 23, 2003, pp. C-1, C-2. Newspapers.com 90230509, 90230579; http://old.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20031223whoislisa1223fnp3.asp. [view source] jones-solving
