Wolfrum Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
Wolfrum Street
Neighborhood Central Northside
➤
Asylum Alley (until 1887)
Origin of name Orphan Asylum of Pittsburgh and Allegheny
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Winters Street (1887–1910)

This street was laid out as Asylum Alley in a plan of lots by William Graham. The plan was recorded in 1874,[1] but it was laid out earlier, as Asylum Alley appears in the 1872 Hopkins atlas[2] and an unlabeled stub of the alley appears in maps as early as 1852.[3][4][5][6]

Asylum Alley was named for the Orphan Asylum of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, which stood at the north end of the alley.[1] The Orphan Asylum Society of Pittsburgh and Allegheny was organized in 1832[7][8]:63 and incorporated in 1834.[7][8]:21 The main building on what is now North Taylor Avenue at the north end of Wolfrum Street was constructed in 1837–1838 and still stands, having been rehabilitated in 1984 and 2006.[9][10] It was built on land donated by William Robinson, who also donated $7,500, and was designed in the Greek Revival style by John Chislett.[8]:21[9][10] In the 1860s the Orphan Asylum Society constructed new buildings at Ridge and Grant Avenues (the latter now Galveston Avenue),[7][8]:63 and in 1866 the building was purchased by the Allegheny Widows' Home Association to provide housing for Civil War widows; it remained a widows' home until 1983.[8]:69[9]

Asylum Alley was renamed Winters Street by an Allegheny city ordinance in 1887.[11]

In 1910, three years after Allegheny was annexed by Pittsburgh, over 900 streets were renamed to fix duplicates. Pittsburgh already had a Winter Street in North Oakland (later Wassatch Street), so the street on the North Side was renamed Wolfrum Street.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "William Graham plan: Situate in 2nd Ward Allegheny." Recorded Oct. 22, 1874, Plan Book 6, pp. 10–11. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779286. [view source] william-graham-plan
  2. ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, pp. 76–77. 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
  3. ↑ 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
  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. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ Woods' New Map of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Surroundings: 1867. A. Hani, Pittsburgh, 1867. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a9c4def0-d462-0135-7cac-417576d76635. [view source] woods-1867
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Writers' Program of the Works [sic] Projects Administration in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Story of Old Allegheny City, 1994 reprint ed., pp. 90–91. American Guide Series. Allegheny City Society, Pittsburgh, 1994, ISBN 1-884856-01-2. LCCN 94070104. Originally published by the Allegheny Centennial Committee, Pittsburgh, 1941. [view source] old-allegheny-city
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Allegheny City Society. Allegheny City, 1840–1907. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C., 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5500-3. LCCN 2007927944. [view source] allegheny-city
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Franklin Toker. Pittsburgh: A New Portrait, p. 122. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-8229-4371-6. LCCN 2009022903. [view source] toker-new
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson. Allegheny City: A History of Pittsburgh's North Side, p. 19. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2013, ISBN 978-0-8229-4422-5. LCCN 2012047727. [view source] rooney-peterson
  11. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name of Asylum alley, (from Taylor avenue to Benton alley,) to Winters st." Allegheny city ordinance, 1887. Enacted Nov. 10, 1887; approved Nov. 14, 1887. In ordinance book of Allegheny City, 1886–1891, pp. 86–87 (https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_8d329656-54cd-4e0f-9196-b2704c83ba17/). [view source] ordinance-1887-asylum-alley
  12. ↑ "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
  13. ↑ "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
  14. ↑ "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
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