Renaissance I .281946.E2.80.931973.29 History of Pittsburgh

the multi-purpose 3 rivers stadium built in 1970 part of renaissance project. imploded in 2001.

rich , productive, pittsburgh smoky city, smog thick streetlights burned during day rivers resembled open sewers. civic leaders, notably mayor david l. lawrence, elected in 1945, richard k. mellon, chairman of mellon bank , john p. robin began smoke control , urban revitalization, known urban renewal projects transformed city in unforeseen ways.

renaissance began in 1946. title 1 of housing act of 1949 provided means in begin. 1950, vast swaths of buildings , land near point demolished gateway center. 1953 saw opening of (since demolished) greater pittsburgh municipal airport terminal.

in late 1950s , 1960s, lower hill district, area inhabited predominantly people of african descent, destroyed. ninety-five acres of lower hill district cleared using eminent domain, forcibly displacing hundreds of small businesses , more 8,000 people (1,239 black families, 312 white), make room cultural center included civic arena, opened in 1961. other 1 apartment building, none of other buildings planned cultural center ever built.

in 1960s, neighborhood of east liberty included in renaissance urban renewal plans, on 125 acres (0.51 km) of neighborhood being demolished , replaced garden apartments, 3 20-story public housing apartments, , convoluted road-way system circled pedestrianized shopping district. in span of few years during mid-1960s, east liberty became blighted neighborhood. there 575 businesses in east liberty in 1959, 292 in 1970, , 98 in 1979.

preservation efforts pittsburgh history , landmarks foundation, along community neighborhood groups, resisted demolition plans. neighborhoods containing rich architectural heritage, including mexican war streets, allegheny west, , manchester, spared. center of allegheny city, culturally , socially important buildings, not lucky. of buildings, exception of old u.s. post office, carnegie library, , buhl planetarium destroyed , replaced pedestrianized allegheny center mall , apartments.

the city s industrial base continued grow in post-war era partly assisted area s first agency entirely devoted industrial development, ridc. jones , laughlin steel company expanded plant on southside. h.j. heinz, pittsburgh plate glass, alcoa, westinghouse, u.s. steel , new division, pittsburgh chemical company , many other companies continued robust operations through 1960s. 1970 marked completion of final building projects of renaissance i: u.s. steel tower , 3 rivers stadium. in 1974, addition of fountain @ tip of golden triangle, point state park completed. although air quality dramatically improved, , pittsburgh s manufacturing base seemed solid, questions abound negative effects urban renewal continues have on social fabric of pittsburgh. pittsburgh, however, undergo 1 of dramatic transformations.

like major cities, pittsburgh experienced several days of rioting following assassination of martin luther king in april 1968. there no further major riots, although tension remained high in inner-city black neighborhoods.