The fate of the Civic Arena continues to be a contentious issue, due in part to the devastating effect the facility’s construction had on the Lower Hill District neighborhood. A recent feature on The Pittsburgh Post Gazette‘s website overlays a present day image of the Arena with an image of the neighborhood from the 1950s, illustrating just how drastically the project altered the surrounding landscape.
The Lower Hill District circa 1956
The historic image is from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs, a collection that offers rich documentation of the city’s Renaissance I & II redevelopment efforts. The collection also contains images of the construction of Point State Park, Gateway Center, and the Pittsburgh International Airport.
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It was a very difficult time for the ethnic groups to be driven from their homes. Many of them (my Italian family) reluctantly had to move into different areas. They lost their Church (St Peter of Fernando Street), their close knit community, friends and family members that they arrived from Italy with, and like the other immigrants, a loss of their identity and comfort/security. No doubt, the other ethnic groups (Jewish, Greek, and Syrian/Lebanese) also had the same feelings.
Very good article. You need to interview the elders of that time who are still alive. It would be a great story.
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