Starch Street
| Starch Street | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | Allentown |
| Hill Way (until 1881) | |
| Portion | From Sweden Way to McLain Street |
| Orchard Street (until 1881) | |
| Portion | From McLain Street to Excelsior Street |
| Hecla Alley (1881–1910) | |
| Portion | From Sweden Way to McLain Street |
| Oswego Street (1881–1910) | |
| Portion | From McLain Street to Excelsior Street |
This former street ran from Sweden Way to Excelsior Street, on the hillside inside the horseshoe curve of Arlington Avenue.
The northern segment, from Spring Alley (later Sweden Way) to McLain Avenue (today McLain Street), was originally named Hill Way.[1][2][3]
The southern segment, from McLain Avenue to Hill Alley (today Excelsior Street), was originally named Orchard Street.[2][3]
In 1881, a Pittsburgh ordinance officially established the names of all streets in the city, renaming many of them to fix duplicates. Pittsburgh had eleven streets and alleys named Hill and four named Orchard, so Hill Way was renamed Hecla Alley and Orchard Street became Oswego Street.[2]
In 1910, three years after the annexation of Allegheny, another great street renaming was needed to fix conflicts. The North Side had a Hecla Street and an Oswego Street, so in Allentown, Hecla Alley and Orchard Street were combined and renamed Starch Street.[4]
When the proposed new street names were first revealed in 1909, many of them were ridiculed in the newspapers. The Pittsburgh Gazette Times highlighted "Starch" in a subheadline,[5] while the Pittsburgh Post wrote, "The commercial interests were not forgotten, for there will be a Starch and Chianti street."[6]
Starch Street does not exist today.
See also
- Hill Street, for other streets that have been named Hill
- Orchard Street, for other streets that have had that name
References
- ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 100. 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "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
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, plate 26. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1882. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1882-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1882 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1882
- ↑ "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
- ↑ "Making a joke of street names: Clerks assigned to wipe out duplications choose any old titles: Hippo, Tumbo, Fortitude!: Also Divinity, Sunday, Starch, Parkhurst, Chianti, Wry and Prudence." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 28, 1909, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85879633. [view source] making-a-joke
- ↑ "Citizens will be strangers: Hard to locate homes after city streets are renamed." Pittsburgh Post, July 28, 1909, pp. 1–2. Newspapers.com 86422549, 86422563. [view source] citizens-will-be-strangers
