Homewood, or more properly; Homewood-Brushton, is located in Pittsburgh's East End, and is the largest Black neighborhood in the city. Homewood is located north of the former main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which played a major role in the original development of the area. Most of Homewood lies in a dry river bed, and thus it is one of the flatest areas of Pittsburgh. The northern section of Homewood rises sharply, up one of the highest escarpments in the city. Views are spectacular from here. The housing stock is varied; the majority of the housing being brick single family detatched homes. There is some frame housing in the northwest corner of the neighborhood. This dates to the earliest development of the area, which was after the Civil War. The bulk of the neighborhood was built between 1880, and 1910. There is significant rowhousing, of the West Philly porchfront type in Homewood. There are a few apartment buildings and 2 and 4 family flats here, but single family homes make up the vast majority of housing here. There is a very degraded commercial district along N. Homewood Ave. Homewood was originally populated largely by Germans. Most of these moved out early in the 20th Century, after Italians began to move here in large numbers. There was a small Black enclave here from the begining. Most originaly came to work at a racetrack that operated here after the Civil War. Homewood remained largely Italian until the 1950's, with an enclave of somewhat successful Blacks, who constituted about 20% of the population. Redevelopment of the Lower Hill District in the early 1950's displaced several thousand very poor Blacks. Unwelcome in most of the city, many came to Homewood. Whites quickly moved away, and by 1960, Homewood had become 80% Black, and much poorer than before. Much of the previous Black population also left, moving to Wilkinsburg, and Penn Hills. Most of the businesses followed the flight out of Homewood, and most of those who stayed, left after riots occured following the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Crack hit the area very hard. Street gangs quickly formed, bringing a high level of violence to the neighborhood. There are many vacant and derelict properties in the neighborhood, though there are still quite a few middle class residents holding on who have maintained their property despite the neglect of slumlords and trashy tenants. The housing stock here is largely high quality, and would attract urban homesteaders in a booming city, but Homewood is too far out to compete with intown "brownstone type" areas for the limited number of hardcore urbanites in Pittsburgh.
Derelict commercial properties on Tioga St., near the city line, adjacent to equaly troubled Wilkinsburg. Homewood gangs terrorized Wilkinsburg drug dealers in the early 90's, resulting in an alliance between Wilkinsburg and East Liberty gangs that in turn, visited so much violence on Homewood and neighboring East Hills, that Homewood and East Hills, formerly enemies, had to call a truce so that they could both concentrate on the Wilkinsburg threat. The Feds had to invoke the RICO act to shut the Wilkinsburg gang down.
Rosedale St. at Tioga.
Rough looking housing.
You can see how grand some streets once were.
A well maintained row on Hamilton Ave.
There is a heavy concentration of porchfront rows along Hamilton and nearby streets.
North of Frankstown Avenue (Homewood's main artery), there is a fair amount of decay, but there are still many stretches of handsome, well maintained houses.
Westinghouse High School.
A row with a house missing ruins this block, and will likely result in it's fall.
Housing in Pittsburgh tends to be very closely built, but long rows of similar housing such as this, is relatively rare in Pittsburgh.
This row of houses is still solid, but some of the houses show obvious signs of neglect that could lead to the decline of the entire block.
This block is going downhill fast.
The view from halfway up the escarpment.
A row of flats.
Wrecks along Lincoln Avenue.
Rowhouses turned into detatched homes.
A group of flats.
Homewood Branch: Carnegie Library.
Straight out of West Philly.
UGH!
Infill.
This building was once part of a complex housing the main trolley shops of the Pittsburgh Railways Company.
The former Pittsburgh Hospital. (Actually, this is in East Liberty).
A handsome and well maintained building on Frankstown.
Sign of the violence that has wracked Homewood for nearly 20 years. Unlike during the 90's, most violence here today is the result of Homewood vs Homewood beefs.
Goodbye!
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