Roslyn Way

From Pittsburgh Streets
Not to be confused with Roslyn Place.
Roslyn Way
Neighborhood Larimer
➤
Relief Alley (until 1881)
➤
Roslyn Alley (1881–1914)

This alley, really just a footpath, leads from the south side of Meadow Street between Xenia Way and Turrett Street to another unmarked alley named Sago Way. It is shown in the online city map from the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning.[1]

It was originally named Relief Alley. There was another Relief Alley downtown (later Resort Way), so the alley in Larimer was changed to Roslyn Alley by a city ordinance in 1881.[2]

Roslyn Alley became Roslyn Way in 1914 when another ordinance changed all alleys in Pittsburgh to ways.[3]

The phantom Relief Alley

Pittsburgh street directories listed both Relief Alley (downtown, later Resort Way) and Roslyn Alley (in Larimer) from 1882 through 1904.[4][5]

In 1905, the list of streets was updated (apparently because a new map had been created with different grid coordinates) and Roslyn Alley was dropped.[6] The omission was soon noticed, and the 1907 edition attempted to correct it. Unfortunately the alley was added back to the list under its pre-1881 name of Relief Alley, giving two Relief Alleys in the list: one "from Carver to Meadow" in Larimer, and the other "from Cherry ay to Scrip ay" downtown.[7]

The 1908 edition added the Larimer alley to the list under the correct name Roslyn Alley ("from Meadow to Sago ay"), but kept both Relief Alleys.[8] As a result, the alley in Larimer was listed twice, under different names and with different descriptions.

This confusion crept into the 1910 street-naming ordinances that followed the 1907 annexation of Allegheny. It was believed that there were now three Relief Alleys in Pittsburgh (the one downtown, the one in Larimer, and one on the North Side), so the one downtown was changed to Resort Alley and the one on the North Side was changed to Riffle Alley (now Riffle Way).[9] The Relief Alley that got to keep its name was the one in Larimer, which didn't even exist! The next ordinance, which officially established all street names in Pittsburgh, listed "Relief ay., from Carver to Meadow, 12th wd."; "Resort ay., from Cherry way to Scrip ay., 2d wd., formerly Relief ay."; "Riffle ay., from Columbus av. to Kirkbride, 25th wd., formerly Relief ay."; and "Roslyn ay., from Meadow to Sago, 12th wd."[10]

The 1914 edition of the city directory updated the description of Roslyn Alley: "from 6514 Meadow to Sago ay."[11] Strangely, the 1922 edition did the same for the phantom Relief Way (all alleys having been updated to ways in the 1916 edition): "RELIEF WAY, from Carver to 5913 Meadow, 12th wd. Partly open."[12] This description is not even possible, as 5913 Meadow Street is on the opposite side of Negley Run from Carver Street; it seems that Chinn Way was being misidentified as Relief Way.

The phantom Relief Way was apparently still listed in Pittsburgh street directories in 1937, as Charles F. Danver wrote a column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that year in which he said, "And Pittsburghers, if they care to, can take Relief way or Reno way."[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ City of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, GIS Division. https://gis.pittsburghpa.gov/pghmap/. Linked from https://pittsburghpa.gov/innovation-performance/interactive-maps. [view source] pgh-city-planning-map
  2. ↑ "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
  3. ↑ "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
  4. ↑ 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, pp. 45–46. Historic Pittsburgh 31735051650889. [view source] diffenbacher-1882
  5. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh and Allegheny Directory, 1904, forty-ninth annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1904, pp. 90–91. Historic Pittsburgh 31735056286911. [view source] polk-1904
  6. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh and Allegheny Directory, 1905, fiftieth annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1905, pp. 68–69. DonsList.net Pgh1905M; HathiTrust mdp.39015068427601; Historic Pittsburgh 31735055723393. [view source] polk-1905
  7. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh and Allegheny Directory, 1907, fifty-second annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1907, p. 59. DonsList.net Pgh1907M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735058193818. [view source] polk-1907
  8. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh Directory 1908, fifty-third annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1908, pp. 61–62. DonsList.net Pgh1908M; HathiTrust mdp.39015035098667; Historic Pittsburgh 31735058193826. [view source] polk-1908
  9. ↑ "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
  10. ↑ "An ordinance establishing the names of the avenues, streets, lanes and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 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-1910-716
  11. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh Directory 1914, fifty-ninth annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1914, p. 79. DonsList.net Pgh1914M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735058193859. [view source] polk-1914
  12. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. Polk's Pittsburgh City Directory, 1922: Containing an alphabetical list of business firms, corporations followed by their officers, co-partnerships giving names of partners, and private citizens with their occupation, business connections and home address; a directory of all churches, public and private schools, benevolent, literary, religious and other societies, banks and trust companies, a compendium of the federal government, officers of the state, county and city governments, a street and avenue guide, a buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory, vol. LXVII. R. L. Polk & Co., Pittsburgh, 1922, p. 104. DonsList.net Pgh1922M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735056286762. [view source] polk-1922
  13. ↑ Charles F. Danver. Pittsburghesque. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 12, 1937, p. 8. Newspapers.com 90316941. [view source] danver-1937
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