Resort Way

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Resort Way
Neighborhood Central Business District
Fate Vacated in 1952
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Relief Alley (until 1910)
Origin of name Relief of the city's indebtedness by sale of the surrounding lots
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Resort Alley (1910–1914)

This former alley ran from Cherry Way to Scrip Way between Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue.

It was laid out as Relief Alley in 1849 as part of a plan of lots sold by the City of Pittsburgh[1][2] to redeem "city scrip" (paper money that had been issued by the city) and reduce the city's indebtedness.[3][4][5] The names of the two alleys created in the plan, Relief Alley and Scrip Alley (today Scrip Way),[1] commemorate the relief of the city's debt by the redemption of scrip.[4] (A newspaper column from 1850 described the names of these two alleys as "singular.")[6] See Scrip Way for more details.

In 1910, three years after the annexation of Allegheny into the city of Pittsburgh, over 900 streets were renamed to fix duplicates. There were one or two other alleys named Relief Alley (see Riffle Way and Roslyn Way), so this alley downtown was renamed Resort Alley.[7]

It became Resort Way in 1914 when another ordinance changed all alleys in Pittsburgh to ways.[8]

In December 1951 the owners of Kaufmann's Department Store asked City Council to vacate Resort Way so that they could build a loading ramp there as part of a store expansion.[9][10] The ordinance vacating the alley was passed in February 1952.[11][12]

While articles about this project were being published in Pittsburgh newspapers, Charles F. Danver, a Post-Gazette columnist, received a letter from a reader who wrote: "I was surprised to read that the name of the alley between the Carnegie Building and the Frick Annex is 'Resort Way.' I built those foot bridges over it for the steel company—the last one about 1941—and when I took out the permit at the city's office the name was Panic Way. We all got a kick out of that name."[13]

Unfortunately it seems that this reader was mistaken. There is no evidence that this alley was ever named Panic Way. Two ordinances were passed in 1916 and 1937 to permit footbridges to be built over the alley, but both of them called it "Relief Way"—an incorrect mix of the old name Relief with the new denominative Way.[14][15] Perhaps the letter writer misremembered a joke about "Relief" and "Panic" and mixed up which one was the real name.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Plan of the subdivision of lots Nos. 371, 372, 373 & 374 in Col. Wood's plan of Pittsburgh: Made for the City of Pittsburg at the request of James B. Murray, Chairman of Comm. on City Property." Laid out May 22, 1849; recorded May 23, 1849, Plan Book 1, p. 150. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778240. [view source] old-basin-lot-plan
  2. ↑ "Sale of the old water lot: Great excitement among the holders of scrip!" Daily Morning Post (Pittsburgh), May 7, 1849, [p. 2]. Newspapers.com 86641622. [view source] old-water-lot
  3. ↑ "Local matters." Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, Apr. 18, 1849, [p. 3]. Newspapers.com 96009315. [view source] local-matters-1849-04-18
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Including its early settlement and progress to the present time; a description of its historic and interesting localities; its cities, towns and villages; religious, educational, social and military history; mining, manufacturing and commercial interests; improvements, resources, statistics, etc.: Also portraits of some of its prominent men, and biographies of many of its representative citizens, part I, pp. 623–624. A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889. Google Books DwzYAAAAMAAJ; Internet Archive historyofalleghe1889cush. [view source] history-of-allegheny-county
  5. ↑ Sarah H. Killikelly. The History of Pittsburgh: Its rise and progress, p. 192. B. C. & Gordon Montgomery Co., Pittsburgh, 1906. DonsList.net HistPgh1909M; Google Books kXmloex-vr8C, poRU0YjqrzsC; HathiTrust 100122020; Historic Pittsburgh 00adc8925m; Internet Archive historyofpittsbu00kill, historypittsbur00killgoog. [view source] killikelly
  6. ↑ "Local matters: Reported for the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette." Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, June 19, 1850, [p. 3]. Newspapers.com 96006957. [view source] local-matters-1850-06-19
  7. ↑ "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
  8. ↑ "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
  9. ↑ "Demolition of Carnegie Building due: Kaufmann's plans to use site for store addition." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 18, 1951, pp. 1, 4. Newspapers.com 88670543, 88670549. [view source] demolition
  10. ↑ "Store to raze Carnegie Bldg., build addition: City asked to vacate alley." Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 18, 1951, p. 19. Newspapers.com 142975517. [view source] store-to-raze
  11. ↑ "City to vacate alley for project." Pittsburgh Press, Feb. 12, 1952, p. 24. Newspapers.com 142962821. [view source] city-to-vacate-alley
  12. ↑ "An ordinance vacating Resort way from the easterly line of Cherry way to the westerly line of Scrip way, abandoning the City sewer located on Resort way between said terminals, and providing certain terms and conditions." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1952, no. 48. Passed Feb. 18, 1952; approved Feb. 27, 1952. Ordinance Book 58, p. 34. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the year 1952, appendix, pp. 29–30, City Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1952). [view source] ordinance-1952-48
  13. ↑ Charles F. Danver. Pittsburghesque. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 27, 1951, Daily Magazine, [p. 1]. Newspapers.com 88839088. [view source] danver-1951
  14. ↑ "An ordinance granting to Henry C. Frick, his heirs and assigns, the right to construct and maintain permanently an additional enclosed bridge or passageway over and crossing Relief way, connecting the Frick Building Annex with the Carnegie Building." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1916, no. 137. Passed Apr. 10, 1916; approved Apr. 14, 1916. Ordinance Book 27, p. 473. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the year 1916, appendix, p. 64, Eureka Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1916). [view source] ordinance-1916-137
  15. ↑ "An ordinance granting unto the Carnegie Illinois Steel Corporation of Pittsburgh, its successors and assigns, the right to construct, maintain and use two overhead passageways or foot bridges over and across Relief Way connecting the Carnegie Building with the Frick Annex Building, Second Ward, Pittsburgh, Pa." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1937, no. 77. Passed Feb. 23, 1937; approved Mar. 4, 1937. Ordinance Book 48, p. 14. Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Mar. 6, 1937, p. 18 (Newspapers.com 523947773), and Mar. 8, p. 29 (Newspapers.com 523357581); and in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mar. 8, 1937, p. 27 (Newspapers.com 90318253), and Mar. 9, p. 25 (Newspapers.com 90318281). [view source] ordinance-1937-77
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