[PRCo] Re: Liberty and Grant

[Bob Rathke]

To help orient the view, see the photo of the PRR station and Federal
Building that I took on 7/9/76 -
http://gelwood.railfan.net/other/prr/prr-pitt-sta-rc.jpg

Note the mail truck loading "deck" at the Bigelow Blvd. level on the south
side of the P.O., and the train moving under the deck and into the tunnel.
Just to the left of the train are some mail cars on the sidings leading into
the ground level of the P.O.

Getting back to Jim's photo: note the inverted "U" concrete structure just
above 1745.  That was one of the supports for a pedestrian bridge that
linked Liberty Avenue (near the red brick driveway entrance) with the Lower
Hill (site of the Civic Arena) to allow pedestrians to cross over the PRR
tracks.  The bridge was removed around 1960-62 when Bigelow Blvd. and other
streets in that area were rebuilt and the level of the roadways changed.
Before the Civic Arena was built, the Lower Hill had active retail
businesses and there were a couple of churches there too (Epiphany Church is
still there, but St. Peter's was torn down) - the pedestrian bridge was a
convenient shortcut from Liberty Avenue to the Hill.

Bob 5/7/02

-----------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Rathke" <bobrathke at attbi.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 5:47 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Liberty and Grant


>
> That "stone" building in the background appears to be the east end of the
> Federal/Post Office Building.  The concrete "deck" running off the second
> floor and to the left is the Post Office truck loading platform on the
> Bigelow Blvd.side of the building.  The PRR tracks (now PAT LRV line to
Penn
> Plaza in under that "deck", running left to right.  There were also tracks
> that ran into the Post Office Building at street level.
>
> The Civic Arena opened in 1961, so it's above the stone wall in this
photo,
> but out of view here.
>
> Bob 5/7/02