January 2018 Est. 1985 Your Community Newspapper
The Northside Chronicle
Volume 34 Issue 1 - FREE -
$17.5 Million Comfort Inn coming to E. Deustchtown Page 4 The Northside is getting a new food hall. Read more about Federal Galley in Nova Place on page 6.
Photo by Neil Strebig
Happy New Year! A look back at the biggest stories from 2017
By Neil Strebig
I was a bit undecided about a year in review. Don’t get me wrong I like the idea of having a list to read through – a convenient flashback of the last 12 months. My reservation came from my adopted ideals. I’m a Pittsburgh transplant (born in New Jersey) and I’ve lived here in Deutschtown for four years now. Since I’ve lived on the Northside I’ve noticed how distorted the view of our 18 communities are from across the Allegheny. At times it feels like non-Northsiders just don’t understand our neighborhoods and rightfully so,the Northside has been recovering for quite some time. Yesteryear’s Millionaire’s Row and the Federal Street Trolley are long gone and after the Allegheny Mall came in, history reminds us how much it gutted the Northside from downtown. There’s a certain level of angst in the Northside and it isn’t because the residents and communities here are not supportive of one another. Rather the communal vibe that comes with being a Northsider, is the realization you’re a part of something. Northside’s resentment, that chip on your shoulder mentality many natives have built up, is because they’ve seen the rise and fall of our great communities. And it’s been a long time since Pittsburgh welcomed the Northside into its arms the same way
Northsiders do once they cross one of the Sister Bridges. And that’s why I wasn’t completely on board with the idea of a year in review. I didn’t want to continue to highlight the past. I’m more inclined to look forward and discuss the brighter future ahead. However, as I began to look back through our archives, I noticed something. The Northside saw 14 new businesses arrive last year, East Deutschtown just completed a $17.5 million investment, 5 new community murals were built (one of which won a ‘Best Block Award’, see page 9), the Deutschtown Music Festival celebrated its fifth year in lieu of city-wide acclaim. And as I read through past posts I began to notice something – 2017 was a very good year for the Northside. Sure, it wasn’t all roses (we’ll miss you James Street and Casellula), yet for what feels like the first time in a long time – and first, since I’ve lived here – it isn’t just Northsiders telling one another how great our communities are. It seems like more and more Pittsburghers are starting to cross that bridge and are beginning to see what we’ve all already known – Northside is on the come up.
Cont. Year in Review, Pages 14-17
Over 800 properties sold & $166 million in property transfer sales. Read the full 2017 report, Pages 23-24