Woof Way
| Woof Way | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | East Liberty |
| Origin of name | The woof, the threads carried by the shuttle in weaving |
| Woof Alley (1912–1914) | |
| Origin of name | The woof in weaving |
There's a tiny little alley in East Liberty called Woof Way—but it's not named for a dog!
The alley was laid out in the Mellon's Orchard plan of lots, recorded in 1890, though that plan did not give it a name.[1] It was named Woof Alley by a city ordinance in 1912, which also gave names to the two intersecting alleys: Warp Alley (today Frazee Way) and Shuttle Alley (today Shuttle Way).[2]
These names are weaving terms. A shuttle, of course, is the wooden piece that holds yarn to be passed back and forth between the warp threads on a loom; the woof, or weft, is the resulting threads that run perpendicular to the warp. So Warp Alley and Woof Alley were quite appropriate names for intersecting alleys!
Woof Alley became Woof Way in 1914 when another ordinance changed all alleys in Pittsburgh to ways.[3]
References
- ↑ "Mellon's Orchard plan of lots: 19th Ward, Pittsburgh." Recorded Nov. 17, 1890, Plan Book 11, p. 34. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3780451. [view source] mellons-orchard-plan
- ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets, alleys and ways in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1912, no. 318. Passed May 28, 1912; approved May 31, 1912. Ordinance Book 24, p. 209. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1912, appendix, pp. 182–184, Gill Press, Pittsburgh, 1912 (Google Books 3DQwAQAAMAAJ, H8JEAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust chi.096598685, uiug.30112108223873; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1912). [view source] ordinance-1912-318
- ↑ "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
