Did you know that Grant Street wasn't always level?

Over the next few weeks (and maybe more), we here at Grant Street Associates, Inc. have decided to delve into our city’s past and dig out some interesting facts or stories that we wanted to share with you.  Along with new photos and a fresh spin on things, we’re aiming to do a top 5 list of things you may not have known about Pittsburgh. 

 So without further ado, here is our first installment.

 

While you might take a leisurely stroll to admire the great architecture along Grant Street or maybe you’re just running to get your lunch, walking down one of the main thoroughfares of the Central Business District wasn’t always so easy.  Grant Street as we know it was actually a hill. 

 

Grant’s Hill, or The Hump, rose 33 feet above current ground level.  Peaking at Fifth Avenue the hill graded all the way down to Smithfield Street.




Grant Street Site Plan

 

Uptown, was quite literally, up town.  Traversing the hill was a pain not just for pedestrians, but for the horses and carts that were commonly used at the turn of the century.  The city deemed the hill a detriment to travel and growth, and set out the long process of removing it.  Starting work in 1836, the hill was removed in three parts over the next 76 years, and finally complete in 1912.

Grant Street During Construction

 

 

Many of the buildings still show signs of the excavation, most notably, The Frick Building.  The pillars that start above ground level once stood flush with the original Grant Street.  The lions, which originally guarded the entrance to the building, now sit one story above looking down towards the entrance.  The basement of The Frick, then became the entrance and lobby we know today.