Pittsburgh's Inclines: Case Studies in Industrial Adaptation

Finally,  inclines  represent  a  unity  of  all  the  above  factors  in  a  single  industrial  artifact.  These  landscape  machines  mediated  between  the  •…ƒŽ‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‹Â?†‹˜‹†—ƒŽ ™‘”Â?‡”ǥ –Š‡ ‹Â?†—•–”‹ƒŽ …‘Â?’Ž‡šǥ ƒÂ?† –Š‡ „”‘ƒ†‡” landscape  through  a  uniquely  engineered  solution  to  topographical  constraints.  They  responded  to  local  conditions  as  a  way  to  move  ’‡‘’Ž‡ ƒÂ?† ‰‘‘†• ‡ˆĎ?‹…‹‡Â?–Ž› ƒÂ?† †‹† •‘ ™‹–Š ƒÂ? —Â?‹Â?–‡Â?–‹‘Â?ƒŽ ‹Â?†—•–”‹ƒŽ aesthetic  that  survives  to  this  day.  They  represent  investment  by  the  government  to  serve  the  public  good,  a  missing  link  in  the  development  of  contemporary  America. –‡Â?–ƒ–‹˜‡ –ƒš‘Â?‘Â?› ‘ˆ ‹Â?…Ž‹Â?‡• …ƒÂ? „‡ †‡”‹˜‡† ˆ”‘Â? –Š‹• •–—†›ǥ –Š‘—‰Š this  is  not  the  only  grouping  that  could  be  developed.  It  is  primarily  based  on  an  understanding  of  the  role  these  inclines  played  in  the  neighborhoods  they  served  and  is  as  follows: Limited  Effect:

Lasting  Effect:

Tourist  Attractions:

Nunnery  Hill Troy  Hill Fort  Pitt Monongahela  Freight St.  Clair Penn

Castle  Shannon  (1  &  2) Duquesne �‘š˜‹ŽŽ‡ Monongahela Mt.  Oliver

Note  that  the  longest-­â€?lasting  inclines  (besides  those  remaining  on  Mt.  Washington)  serve  the  South  Side  Slopes  in  the  area  of  densest  working-­â€?class  housing,  an  area  that  survives  primarily  as  a  blue-­â€?collar  neighborhood.  These  were  also  the  longest  inclines  (requiring  a  transfer  to  a  different  line  in  the  case  of  Castle  Shannon)  serving  residents  fairly  far  from  employment  centers  on  the  Monongahela  River.  Of  course,  the  local  effects  of  any  of  these  inclines  should  not  be  deemphasized,  as  all  contributed  to  the  development  of  the  neighborhoods  they  served.  The  response  to  some  of  these  inclines  is  limited  because  they  were  removed  fairly  early  in  the  industrial  period  to  make  way  for  other  forms  of  infrastructure.  The  removal  of  the  majority  of  the  inclines  was  a  •‹‰Â?‹Ď?‹…ƒÂ?– Ž‘•• –‘ –Š‡ …‹–› „‘–Š ĥ —•‡ˆ—Ž ’‹‡…‡• ‘ˆ –”ƒÂ?•‹– ‹Â?ˆ”ƒ•–”—…–—”‡ and  as  a  unique  characteristic  of  Pittsburgh’s  industrial  identity.

82 / Pittsburgh’s  Inclines:  Case  Studies  in  Industrial  Adaptation