South Commons

From Pittsburgh Streets
South Commons
Neighborhood Allegheny Center
Origin of name South Common

This was originally the South Common, part of the open pasture that surrounded the original town of Allegheny. The South Common was the narrowest part of the commons.[1][2][3][4]

By 1864 two streets had been established through the South Common: Stockton Avenue on the north side and Church Avenue on the south.[5][6][7]

Part of Stockton Avenue became South Commons in 1967 when the "Allegheny Center Loop" was opened (consisting of North Commons, West Commons, South Commons, and East Commons).[8][9][10][11] The name of the street recalls the South Common.[8] Out of the four streets named "Commons" in the loop, only South Commons is actually on or adjacent to the land of the original commons.

The G. M. Hopkins maps from 1890, 1901, 1907, and 1910 show the eastern half of Stockton Avenue, between Federal Street and Union Avenue (today's Union Place), labeled Fountain Street.[12][13][14][15] This appears to be an error; the real Fountain Street is and was a little over half a mile to the north. City street directories from these years indicate that the whole street was named Stockton Avenue (or Stockton Avenue East).[16][17][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ The Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, with Parts of Adjacent Boroughs, Pennsylvania. 1855. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0089; https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~1688~130047; https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32240; 1855 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). In George W. Colton, Colton's Atlas of the World: Illustrating physical and political geography, J. H. Colton & Co., New York, 1856 (https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?q=Pub_List_No%3D0149.000). [view source] colton
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, the Adjoining Boroughs and Villages, Also, Parts of the Adjacent Townships, for 1864–'65. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1864, pp. 387–388. DonsList.net PGH_ALLEGH1864_CDM; Historic Pittsburgh 05z902933s. [view source] thurston-1864
  6. ↑ Map of Pittsburgh and Environs: Published for the monthly magazine entitled The Iron City, a compendium of facts concerning Pittsburgh and vicinity. 1867. In The Iron City: A compendium of facts concerning Pittsburgh and vicinity, for strangers and the public generally, George W. Pittock and Kinsey McFall, Pittsburgh, 1867, following p. 132 (Internet Archive ironcitycompendi01pitt). [view source] iron-city-map
  7. ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1872-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1872 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1872
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 William M. Rimmel. Out of the Past. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 22, 1967, [p. 21]. Newspapers.com 88351802. [view source] rimmel-commons
  9. ↑ "Uncommon confusion?: Allegheny 'Loop' opens in a week." Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 26, 1967, sec. 3, p. 7. Newspapers.com 148899979. [view source] uncommon-confusion
  10. ↑ "Allegheny Commons Loop." Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 3, 1967, sec. 3, p. 8. Newspapers.com 148954558. [view source] allegheny-commons-loop
  11. ↑ "1-way loop to surround N. S. center: All right turns to speed traffic effective today." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 4, 1967, p. 26. Newspapers.com 88155232. [view source] 1-way-loop
  12. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Allegheny, vol. 2, plate 2. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1890. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1890-volume-2-plat-book-allegheny; included in the 1890 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1890-allegheny-vol-2
  13. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Allegheny, vol. 1, plate 13. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1901. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1901-volume-1--plat-book-allegheny. [view source] hopkins-1901-allegheny-vol-1
  14. ↑ Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Allegheny, vol. 1, plate 2. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1907. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1907-volume-1-plat-book-allegheny; included in the 1903–1906 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1907-allegheny-vol-1
  15. ↑ Atlas of Greater Pittsburgh, plate 35. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1910. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1910-atlas-greater-pittsburgh; 1910 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1910
  16. ↑ J. F. Diffenbacher. J. F. Diffenbacher's Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, for 1890: 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, thirty-fifth annual issue. J. F. Diffenbacher, Pittsburgh, 1890, p. 51. DonsList.net Pgh1890M; HathiTrust mdp.39015068427635; Historic Pittsburgh 31735055723211. [view source] diffenbacher-1890
  17. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh and Allegheny Directory, 1901, forty-sixth annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1901, p. 106. DonsList.net Pgh1901M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735055723351. [view source] polk-1901
  18. ↑ 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. 77. DonsList.net Pgh1907M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735058193818. [view source] polk-1907
  19. ↑ R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley. Pittsburgh Directory 1910, fifty-fifth annual issue. R. L. Polk & Co. and R. L. Dudley, Pittsburgh, 1910, p. 69. DonsList.net Pgh1910M; Historic Pittsburgh 31735058193834. [view source] polk-1910
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