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Photo Links at
bottom of page
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)
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.
In 1910 the streetcar line was
double-tracked and extended into East Brookline. The Boulevard was
paved and the West Liberty Development Corporation turned Brookline from
a rural farming community into a residential neighborhood. As the community
grew and prospered, the boulevard soon was in need of modernization. In
1935, traffic patterns were changed from Pioneer Avenue to West Liberty
Avenue. The lower portion of the roadway was blocked off and renamed Bodkin
Street. The boulevard was re-routed onto the trolley right-of-way, which was
widened 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 became the
centerpiece of the community, a commercial district full of shops to
cater to the needs of the developing neighborhood. As the community of
Brookline grew, the Boulevard continue 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 seperated by the tracks. In 1966 the
streetcar service was discontinued and the Boulevard was widened to four
lanes all the way through to Breining Street.
The seventies and eighties
brought a bit of a recession as many steel jobs migrated to other parts of
the country. Brookline's population began to decrease and there was a
noticeable shift in the types of businesses located on the
Boulevard.
Empty storefronts were a problem
that threatened to undermine the community. Through the efforts of many
concerned citizens and community groups, Brookline Boulevard survived
the hard times and is well on the road to recovery. The boulevard is
slated for a reconstruction project in sometime the near future. The work
will include new sidewalks, roadbed and other amenities.
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.
Below are links
to photos of Brookline Boulevard, past and present. Enjoy the look back in
time. |
