Pittsburgh and its steps are not unlike Pittsburgh and its bridges.
Because of geography, they’re inseparable features of the city’s character. Pittsburghers know bridges and steps well, and some view them as a unique aspect of living here.
Or they might tell you they’re generally annoyed at having to bother with all those steps and getting stuck in traffic on any number of bridges.
The Post-Gazette’s photo archive has but one small folder labeled “City steps.” Inside are seven photos of staircases from around the city.
Each has a history.
In the top photo, for example, two girls eluded attacks in April 1952 while walking to work — separately. It’s not known from the photo nor the clips if the attacker was caught.
Photo No. 2: In the winter of 1960, the Post-Gazette took city officials to task for failing to clear rutted snow and ice coverings from its myriad steps, despite the fact they were fining property owners $5 for not cleaning sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall.
And just as in the fourth photo, the city still deals with expensive maintenance on its hundreds of staircases. Rarely is there enough money to cover all the needed repairs, as Diana Nelson Jones wrote this summer.
You might likewise have a story about one or two sets of stairs you’ve come to know.
But this is what we want to know in the comments below: can you name the Pittsburgh neighborhood to which these steps belong?
We waited two days to add the answers to the captions. Not many here nor on our Facebook page guessed correctly. As one member of the community wrote, “These comments say it all.. All steps look alike.”
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