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1. Brookline's community picnic is held each year at Kennywood
Park. Prior to the 1980s, the picnic was held at ______________ Park,
located in Bellevue, which featured rollercoasters named The Dips (or
"Big Dipper"), The Racing Whippet and The Greyhound (or "Little
Dipper").
<Answer #1>
2. Due to overcrowding at West Liberty School, what local public
elementary school opened in 1909, built the previous year at a cost of
$30,000?
<Answer #2>
3. Brookline has three designated city parks, Moore Park,
Brookline Memorial Park and ___________ Park, located at the corner of
Queensboro and Brookline Boulevard. The park is the site of the Brookline
Veterans War Memorial, and also the resting place of what well-known
World War II relic?
<Answer #3>
4. Brookline Boulevard was once home to two movie theatres. Can
you name them?
<Answer #4>
5. For over half a century, Brookline travelers were connected to
the city of Pittsburgh via a 600 mile network of trolley lines. Rail
traffic in Pittsburgh peaked during the war years of the 40s and 50s,
then slowly declined in favor of new bus routes. The Brookline trolley,
which travelled West Liberty Avenue and Brookline Boulevard made its
final run on September 3, _____. Can you name the Brookline route
number?
<Answer #5>
6. Brookline has a large Catholic population. Resurrection Church
was organized in 1900 with a membership of 65 families. Resurrection
Parochial school opened in 1912. By 1953 the congregation had
grown to 2600 families. What local catholic church, and school, was
built in 1955 to ease the overcrowding congregation and student
population at Resurrection Parish?
<Answer #6>
7. The Brookline Branch of the ___________________ opened in 1930
and was located in the basement of the building once known as
the Brookline United Methodist Church, and now the home of the Metro
Assembly of God.
<Answer #7>
8. The Brookline Chamber of Commerce, a local organization made up
of Brookline business owners, was once known as the
____________ ___________ _________ Association, chartered in 1929. The
first unofficial meeting was held in the basement of Bryant's Hardware,
which for 60 years was an organization member.
<Answer #8>
9. In the 1930s and 1940s, there were three saloons located on the
500 block of Brookline Boulevard. Can you name them?
<Answer #9>
10. For many years, Mom's, or the "Little Store", on Pioneer Avenue
at Metz Way was the closest store for many Brookline residents that live
near Moore Park. The store had been in the Lagattuta family for many
years, and well-known to anyone who has grown up in the area. However,
few of us ever called it by its proper business name, the
_____________ ____________ Market.
<Answer #10>
11. The corner of Stebbins and Brookline Boulevard has been home
to a variety of pharmacies over the years. The most recent was the old
CVS Pharmacy, and prior to that was a Revco. For fifty-odd years prior
to 1996 there was Stebbrook Pharmacy. What was the name of the pharmacy
that occupied the building prior to Stebbrooks?
<Answer #11>
12. The construction of the current CVS Pharmacy at Pioneer and
Brookline Boulevard required the demolition of three boulevard buildings
that had stood for nearly a century. There was a hardware store, a
pharmacy (had been closed for some time) and a pizza place. Can you name
these businesses?
<Answer #12>
13. On January 7, 1965, a group of concerned citizens representing
several local organizations met at the home of Ruth O'Hanlon to exchange
ideas on what Brookline could do to establish better communication with
government agencies that provided support services to the community.
Their focus was the problem of increased population, traffic congestion,
neighborhood crime, and the lack of adequate education and recreation
facilities for the children and elderly in our area. Out of that meeting
came the local organization known as the
__________________________________.
<Answer #13>
14. Beginning in the mid-1940s, Brookliners saw a need for a first
class facility where the youth of the community could congregate for
dancing, sports and recreation. Twenty-five years of hard work and
planning were rewarded on July 25, 1969 with the groundbreaking for what
building?
<Answer #14>
15. For nearly a century prior to 1945, the East Brookline land
that is now Brookline Memorial Park was privately owned by a local
pioneer family and was referred to as the ______________ Farm. Purchased
for $20,000 in 1946, the land was slowly transformed into a recreation
area for the Brookline community known for many years, and still referred
to by many, as the ________________ Center.
<Answer #15>
16. In 1951, John Pascarosa organized the Brookline Little League
Association with help from well-respected Brookliners like Joe Powers,
Bud Auen, Jim Klingensmith, Morris Grummet and Harry Conners, to name but
a few. Mr. Pascarosa was the first president of the Brookline Little
League Association, but another man has gone down as the "Father of
Brookline Little League baseball." Can you name that man?
<Answer #16>
17. On May 31, 1973, a fire on Brookline Boulevard gutted
three buildings, including Tryson's Shoes and Sesto's Barber Shop. These
buildings and one other, Zitelli's Boulevard Gardens, were torn down to
make room for what housing and parking complex, opened in
1982?
<Answer #17>
18. Name the first league president of the Brookline Knights Football
Association, organized in 1974? Extra Credit: For the first season, in 1974,
the team went by a different name. Do you remember the team name?
<Answer #18>
19. From 1957 to 1970, he was the community recreation director
at Moore Park, and from 1971 until his retirement in 2003, __________________
was the recreation director at the Brookline Memorial Recreation Center at
Brookline Park.
<Answer #19>
20. Near the turn of the 20th century, the Brookline area was
primarily a prosperous ________ and ________ community.
<Answer #20>
21. In 1763 Indians went on a rampage and killed all white settlers
except those who escaped to Fort Pitt. Afterwards, the first permanent
settlers in the Brookline area came from southeastern Pennsylvania and
Maryland. Many of these hardy settlers were veterans of what war of
independence?
<Answer #21>
22. One of the early Brookline pioneers were the Fleming's. Their
home, located on the grounds now used by St. Pius Parish/School, included
an elevator to accomodate daughter Lydia, who was unable to walk. The Port
Authority's "Fleming" stop (once for streetcars and now used as a bus stop)
is named for this pioneer family. Also, a side street in the area of
Brookline School is named for daughter Lydia. Can you name this
street?
<Answer #22>
23. ___________ Avenue was established in 1797 as the State Road
from Pittsburgh to Washington and was later known as the upper road from
Boggs Mill and also the Coal Hill and Upper St. Clair Turnpike
road. It was an artery of major importance because it connected the old
township road (Warrington Ave) with the Morgantown Road (Banksville
Road).
<Answer #23>
24. The area known as Brookline was incorporated into the city of
Pittsburgh in 1908. The community was made up of parts of three distinct
municipalities: ___________________ Borough, ________________ Township,
and ________________ Township.
<Answer #24>
25. The original West Liberty School, located on Pioneer Avenue,
was one of the first public schools in the Brookline area. It was closed
in 1938 and the building sold. That structure was purchased, renovated
and dedicated as ____________ __________ High School in 1941. A $500,000
addition was completed in 1953. The final graduating class was in 1979,
after which the school merged with tow other local area parochial
high schools. Extra Credit: Can you name the other two high schools
involved in that merger, and finally, what was the name given to the
new high school?
<Answer #25>
26. ______________________________________ Church was organized in
1906 as a mission in a private home on Bodkin Street. The congregation
moved into its new home on Brookline Boulevard in 1929, when their new
church was erected. A subsequent addition in 1960 gave the church
grounds its present day appearance.
<Answer #26>
27. The Brookline Little League entered its 50th season in 2000.
After all those years, only one team sponsor remained from the original
group of Brookline business boosters. Can you name the remaining
original sponsor, who is still active today in the year 2005?
<Answer #27>
28. At the corner of Glenarm and Brookline Boulevard is a Co-Go
convenience store. Before being a Co-Go the store was a Stop-N-Go,
erected in 1985. Prior to that year, and dating back over 40 years, that
corner was the site of ______________________________.
<Answer #28>
29. In October of 1966, the Brookline Community Center Association
sold the 16 acres of land that is now Brookline Memorial Park in East
Brookline to the city of Pittsburgh in order to take advantage of
development funding from the state and federal government. To date, the
city has spent millions of dollars developing and maintaining the park.
What was the price tag of the land sold by the Community Center
Association to the city of Pittsburgh?
<Answer #29>
30. Brookline is a well-watered area, 1250 feet above sea-level,
consisting of many springs, creeks and ponds. Some could say Brookline
was lined with brooks. The community was named after what American city,
also known for its abundance of streams?
<Answer #30>
31. Back in the 1800s, West Liberty Avenue was originally known as
______________ Run.
<Answer #31>
32. Before the building of Brashear High School in the late 1970s,
Brookline residents were offered two choices for a public high school
education. Can you name the two high schools?
<Answer #32>
33. Brookline's engine house was built in 1909 and went into
service in 1910. The firefighters were originally equipped with a horse
drawn steam pump and wagon. Prior to the advent of fire alarms, the
firemen had to post lookouts in the tall tower of the building to
spot smoke. The tower served a dual purpose. Can you name the second
reason for having such a tall tower?
<Answer #33>
34. Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer ______________________
wrote the Brookline Little League round-ups for the Brookline Journal
for twenty years from the 1950s through the 1970s under the alias of
"Mas Neyrb". He returned in the 1980s to write for a new neighborhood
publication known as "The Journal."
<Answer #34>
35. From 1931 through 1983, Brookline had its own weekly news
publication, called the Brookline Journal. Since 1983 there have been a
number of startup publications, but none has caught on with the community
as well as the old Journal. Can you name the long-time editor of that
neighborhood newspaper?
<Answer #35>
36. The Brookline Boxing Club was one of the most successful
clubs in Western Pennsylvania for nearly half a century. Coach Chuck
Senft and several generations of Brookline boxers have a trophy room full
of Golden and Silver Gloves championships to their credit. The club itself,
and the individual fighters, were known to their fans as "Charlie's
________."
<Answer #36>
37. Starting in 1982 Brookline has been the host of what annual 5K
fitness run/walk that begins and ends in Brookline Memorial
Park?
<Answer #37>
38. The Brookline area spans two distinct wards in the city of
Pittsburgh, both served by a different district justice, one on Brookline
Boulevard and one on Brownsville Road. Name the two wards.
<Answer #38>
39. After the Port Authority's bus route realignment in the early
1990s, the Brookline area has been serviced by the 41D Brookline and 41G
Dormont buses. Prior to that realignment Brookline was serviced by four
distinct PAT bus routes. Can you name the four routes?
<Answer #39>
40. The highrise apartments at Breining Street and Brookline
Boulevard sits on land that once was the site of the East Brookline
Shopping Center. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the shopping center
consisted of a Coin-Op laundramat, a Dry Cleaners, an Open Pantry grocery
store and Manco's Pharmacy on the corner. Before it became Manco's,
what was the name of the corner drug store?
<Answer #40>
41. What legendary NFL quarterback, known for his hightop cleats
and his passing exploits as a member of the Baltimore Colts, lived on
Berkshire Avenue as a child?
<Answer #41>
42. What former Brookline resident, at age 26, led the Pittsburgh
Triangles professional tennis team to the WTT championship finals as a
coach, then died tragically the following year, prompting the mayor of
Pittsburgh to dedicate a day in his memory and name a Brookline baseball
field in his honor?
<Answer #42>
43. What radio personality from the 1950s and 1960s, known by his
fans as "The Daddio of the Raddio," makes his home right here in
Brookline?
<Answer #43>
44. After the turn of the century, population growth in the
Brookline area and the South Hills in general was accelerated by the
building of the _________________, in 1904, at the South Hills Junction,
which helped bring consistent and reliable mass transit to the South
Hills communities. Growth was further promoted in 1924 with the
completion of the ___________________, which made vehicular traffic to
and from the city much quicker.
<Answer #44>
45. ________ Institute, a training school for boys run by the
Capuchin Fathers, was chartered in 1941. The Institute was closed in
the early 1970s.
<Answer #45>
46. What Brookline resident, who was an All-American basketball
player in high school and college, an Olympic gold-medalist in 1988, and
a 1st team All-WNBA selection in 1998, capped off a stunning professional
comeback by being named the Post-Gazette's Dapper Dan award winner along
with co-winner Mario Lemieux in 1999? Today, in 2005, this individual is
now a head coach in the WNBA, adding Coach of the Year honors in
2004 to an already incredible resume.
<Answer #46>
47. ________ ______, located on Capital Avenue, opened in 1974 and
is one of the few pizza shops that DO NOT deliver because of their
extraordinarily high volume of walk-in business. Extra Credit: Can you
name the pizza shops that were at this location prior to 1974?
<Answer #47>
48. Brookline Boulevard once had several drug stores that had
the old style soda fountains. Eventually, all had closed except one,
owned by a man many knew only as "Herkie." The business remained open
until 2003. Can you name that drug store?
<Answer #48>
49. Sam Bryen Fields in Brookline Memorial Park have been the
yearly venue for the Brookline Little and Minor League baseball
tournament since 1982. Each year, teams from around the local area gather
for two weeks in July to dual for the coveted championship trophy. Who
was the original organizer/director of the tournament?
<Answer #49>
50. Built in 1939 and located off Pioneer Avenue, _______ ______
was Brookline's first official recreational park, with an olympic size pool,
bathhouse, lighted baseball/football field, children's playground, tennis
courts and basketball courts. Extra Credit: What professional team once
used the bathhouse as a meeting place to conduct workouts and review game
films, back in the 1940s.
<Answer #50>
51. Prior to 1935, the present-day section of Brookline Boulevard
that loops from Pioneer Avenue to West Liberty Avenue was only a streetcar
right-of-way. There was no vehicular or horse drawn traffic allowed,
only trolleys. In those early days, Brookline Boulevard connected to West
Liberty Avenue via what street, which at the time was considered a part of
Brookline Boulevard?
<Answer #51>
52. In the 1950s, Brookline Boulevard's 700 block was home to what
bowling alley?
<Answer #52>
53. Once the West Penn National Bank, then Equibank, then Integra
Bank, from the mid-1920s through the mid-1960s the present-day
National City Bank on Brookline Boulevard was known as the ________
________ ______ ________, the neighborhood's first major banking
institution?
<Answer #53>
54. Throughout Resurrection Parish's nearly 100 years in Brookline,
due to rapid growth, the diocese created four unique spinoff churches, to ease
overcrowding, that are still in existence today. Can you name the four
offspring parishes?
<Answer #54>
55. During the 1970s, the building that houses the Boulevard Ice
Cream store, across from the Brookline Library, was the site of what
nationally known ice cream chain, renowned for its 51
flavors?
<Answer #55>
56. Former Brookline resident _________________ was the chief
photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette during the 1950s and 1960s.
His sequential photographs of Bill Mazeroski's famous homerun in the 1960
World Series hang in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was
also a past-president of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce.
<Answer #56>
57. The island at Queensboro Avenue and Brookline Boulevard is one
of Brookline's three city parks and home to the Brookline War Memorial and
the Cannon. Back in the 1910s and 1920s this island was the home of a frame
structure for what real-estate company, where potential home buyers could
get information on the new homes in the East Brookline
area?
<Answer #57>
58. For three years, from 1958 through 1960, there was a beauty
contest for 8-12 year old girls. Eligible girls submitted their photos to
the Chamber of Commerce and they were displayed at the Towne and Country
Store on the boulevard. Prior to July 4th, the photos were judged by a
panel of Chamber merchants. The lucky winners were awarded prizes and
appeared at all major community events. Kathleen Knipp, Emily Martin and
Donna Marie Lackner were the winners in 1958-59-60, respectively, of
what prestigious title?
<Answer #58>
59. What nationally recognized institution, located in Brookline
near Castlegate Avenue from 1908 until 2003, was known for its care and
education of children with hearing and speech difficulties? Extra Credit:
The renowned Brookline institution moved to its new home in Shadyside in
2003. The buildings were sold and now part of The __________ Center.
<Answer #59>
60. What school, located near Dunster Street, is specially equipped
to deal with the needs of the severely to partially handicapped students
in the Pittsburgh area? Extra Credit: In 2003, the school was partitioned
and used to create a new Middle School to help ease the crowding at South
Hills Middle School. The new school is called ______ _______ _______
______.
<Answer #60>
61. As far as we can tell, the oldest business establishment in
existence in Brookline celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1905. Originally
located in a home on Bayridge Avenue, it is now at 613 Brookline Boulevard.
It is still owned by the same family, having been passed down from generation
to generation. Can you name this business establishment?
<Answer #61>
62. What man was the first principal of Brookline Elementary School?
This man was also the principal at West Liberty School and Beechwood Elementary
in Beechview.
<Answer #62>
63. Brookline Regional Catholic Elementary School was formed by the
1996 merger of three local parochial schools. Which three schools were
merged?
<Answer #63>
64. What was the name of the first pastor of Resurrection Church,
who served from the church's formation in 1909 until his death in 1955.
<Answer #64>
65. In 1997, in its 47th year of existence, the Brookline Little League
finally saw one of its own alumni rise to become the league president. He
followed in the footsteps of Morris Grumet, Sam Bryen, Angelo Masullo and
Ed Motznik to become the "Grand Poobah" of our neighborhood baseball association.
This distinguished alumnus served for five years, from 1997 until 2001. Can you
name this man?
<Answer #65>
66. The Brookline Branch of the United States Post Office, located
at 612 Brookline Boulevard, was dedicated in what year?
<Answer #66>
67. What local public elementary school opened in 1937?
<Answer #67>
68. What was the year of the Great Thanksgiving Blizzard, that
dumped a record 30.5 inches of snow on Brookline and the City of
Pittsburgh?
<Answer #68>
69. Back during the Great Depression, as part of President Roosevelt's
initiatives to put unemployed citizens back to work, the CCC (Civilian
Conservation Corps) was formed. It was the CCC who carved out the roadways
and built the structures that make up South Park. The CCC was also involved
in paving the many dirt roadways in Brookline. On many of these roadways they
used large rectangular stones that in many cases have stood the test of time
and still cover many Brookline streets. Despite their longevity, these stones
are murder on tires and car suspensions. What are these rocks called?
<Answer #69>
70. What Brookline Church, located on Pioneer Avenue and founded in
1904, celebrated it's 100th anniversary in the year 2004?
<Answer #70>
* First created in the
year 2000 by Clint Burton. Updated in May, 2005. * |