Alan’s TTIM Stories #24

While walking a park-like square, searching for an elusive wine shop, I felt the historic significance of the area as an example of repurposing a property. Nearby, twelve brick smokestacks (known as The Stacks) reach 130 feet into the sky as an appropriate landmark for Homestead, Pennsylvania. The area seven miles southeast of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River is an area full of history, charm, and commerce.

Built on steel
Pittsburgh began because of its strategic location on the three rivers – it grew on steel. In the 1880’s, the Homestead Steel Works was the largest in the world, employing 15,000 workers.

Most famous (or infamous) for the 1892 Strike. Andrew Carnegie was determined to keep profits high and costs low by breaking the Union. Chairman, Henry Frick, hired Pinkerton National Detective Agency to break the strike.

Three hundred armed agents arrived at the site from river barges. Workers and townsfolk confronted the Pinkertons. The battle left seven workers and three agents dead.  Four days later, 8,500 National Guard took over the plant. Blood and greed broke the Union. Daily wages decreased over the next 15 years with work shifts increased from 8 hours to 12 hours.

Historic markers, The Stacks, and the Homestead Pump House remain.

Repurposing
The steel industry, including the Homestead Steel Works, declined after World War II leaving acres of unused land along the river. Two entrances lead to The Waterfront, a shopping and entertainment wonderland. The Waterfront opened in 1999 with an attempt to recreate a classic downtown atmosphere next to a big-box strip mall.

Next to The Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail are acres of comfort food (favorite establishment name “Burgatory”), chain stores: T.J. Maxx, Petco, Lowe’s, Marshall’s, Giant Eagle; entertainment venues: AMC Waterfront 22 and Dave and Busters, plus a Holiday Inn Express. The investment of property and buildings depends on a regional clientele. Numerous visits for observation have confirmed an abundance of activity and perceived economic success.  

Homestead hometown
Uphill from the river lies the village of Homestead, population 3,000. The once rolling farmland was chartered in 1880 at the height of the steel industry. Predictions of doom after steel industry abandoned the area after World War II did not consider the resistance of the town.

Centered along East 8^th Avenue, the historic downtown includes thriving enterprises supported by local patronage. A site of interest is The Bost Building, 1892, Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers headquarters part of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. Ironically, the town includes the Carnegie Library and Music Hall close to the Frick neighborhood park. Adversaries in another era living in peace.  

Most properties are occupied with scattered examples of new construction. An example of community revitalization comes from Rodriguez Associates Inc., developers of One Homestead, a block of 8^th Avenue. The four-story building provides 30 units of affordable housing combined with commercial spaces explained as “elements of historic preservation and urban infill.”

Homestead stands today as a reminder of the country’s industrial history, the conflict between workers and corporate greed, modern land use, and small-town revitalization. Be sure to stop at Nancy B’s Bakery for massive and delicious cookies.

_____________________________

Becky and I dedicate this story
to our relatives:
Lyn, Lois, Laura, and Walt

Sources:
waterfrontpgh.com
secretpittsburgh.pitt.edu
Wikipedia
homesteadborough.com
AFL-CIO
One Homestead

Photo credits:
The Stacks, Memorial Plague, The Waterfront – the author
Bost Building – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported; Daniel Case
Historic steel mill – public domain

Follow announcements of Alan’s TTIM Stories on Facebook.com/alan.vandervoort or Instagram and Treads at vandervoort_author. All stories are found at www.alanvandervoort.com. Novels by the author include: Sandhills – A Novel and Key Largo Summer are found at Booklocker.com and other online booksellers