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Brookline Boulevard in 1936 looking
west from Chelton Avenue.
<Brookline Boulevard
Photo Links>
It is hard to determine when exactly
Brookline Boulevard was laid out. Pioneer Avenue was built in 1797 and it
has to be assumed that Brookline Boulevard was in existence in some shape
or form at that time, most likely a dirt road leading to the farms of
East Brookline (then considered Overbrook) and the rail station at Rt.
51. (Saw Mill Run)
The corner of West Liberty Avenue
and Brookline Boulevard during street paving in 1909.
At that time, the Boulevard swung left up what is now Bodkin Street.
As development of the area began
in earnest in the early 1900s, Brookline Boulevard began to take shape.
A single-track streetcar line ran from West Liberty Avenue through to
Edgebrook Avenue. Brookline Boulevard began at West Liberty and Bodkin
Street. Bodkin was the lower part of the boulevard, used for wagon and
vehicular traffic. The streetcars used the Pittsburgh Railways right-of-way
(the looping section of the boulevard as we know it today) exclusively.
Brookline Boulevard in 1910 at the
corner of Chelton Avenue. The Freehold Real Estate office stands
on the corner island where present-day Triangle Park and the Veteran's
Memorial reside.
In 1910 the streetcar line was
double-tracked and extended into East Brookline. The Boulevard was paved
and the West Liberty Development Corporation began the transformation of
Brookline from a rural farming community into a residential neighborhood.
As development prospered and the population boomed, the boulevard was soon
in need of modernization.
Traffic patterns were changed from
Pioneer Avenue to West Liberty Avenue in 1935. The lower portion of the
boulevard was blocked off at Pioneer and renamed Bodkin Street. The
roadway was re-routed onto the Pittsburgh Railways right-of-way, widened
to four lanes and paved for both vehicular and rail traffic.
Click on map to see a larger map
showing the boulevard from West Liberty to Breining Street.
Brookline Boulevard has always been
the centerpiece of the community, a commercial district full of shops to
cater to the needs of the developing neighborhood. The variety of merchants
made it unnecessary to shop anywhere else. There were several grocery stores,
hardware stores, doctor's offices, soda shops, drug stores, shoe stores,
repair shops, dance halls, clothing outlets, night clubs, a library and two
movie theatres. For those who needed to travel, the trolley network could
reach all corners of the city.
As the community grew, the Boulevard
continued to evolve. In time the roadway was paved completely from West Liberty
through to Edgebrook Avenue, leaving the lower portion as a two-lane road
separated by the trolley tracks. When streetcar service was discontinued in
1966 the roadway was repaved and widened to four lanes all the way to Breining
Street.
The 39-Brookline trolley makes its
way past Breining Street and on to the loop.
The seventies and eighties
brought a slight recession. Many steel and manufacturing jobs migrated to
other parts of the country. Brookline's population began to decrease. In
addition, the advent of the suburban malls and superstores brought a
noticeable shift in the types of businesses located along the Boulevard.
Hardware stores, grocers, clothing outlets and other specialty locations
closed their doors after years of service.
Empty storefronts became a problem
that threatened to undermine the community. Through the efforts of many
concerned citizens and community groups, Brookline Boulevard survived
these hard times and is well on the road to recovery. The boulevard
is slated for reconstruction, scheduled to
begin in the Spring of 2013. The renovation will include new sidewalks, roadbed and other
amenities.
A snowy day in November 2008
looking west from Triangle Park.
For those of us who grew up in
Brookline, the Boulevard has always been the center of activity here in
the community, and will continue to be the hub around which Brookline
revolves well into the 21st Century.
The following is a
Post-Gazette article from April 22, 2010:
"Brookline Neighborhood's Business District Is
Just Right For A Food Walk"
The following is a
Pop City article from September 16, 2011:
"The Pop City Guide To
Brookline"
The corner of Brookline Boulevard,
Pioneer Avenue and Bodkin Street in 1935 during reconstruction.
Links
to photos of Brookline Boulevard, past and present.
Enjoy the look back in time. |
