The Lower Hill before the Arena: : A rambunctious, crowded, loud place with 'everything you needed'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/17/2011.

Excerpt:  In 1957, the year demolitions began to clear land for the Civic Arena, the Lower Hill had been designated a slum. But what the bulldozers destroyed was the last of the city's great immigrant melting pots.

Crowded, unsanitary, multilingual, multicultural, multiracial and unsavory here and there, its old architecture and vitality were the wrong kind. The Lower Hill had come up against a postwar society thinking about space.

The $21 million "Cinderella Project" proposed to revitalize 100 acres with what the newspaper called "a long-needed municipal auditorium."

No longer needed after 50 years, the since-renamed Mellon Arena itself is a step from the wrecking ball. The Historic Review and Planning Commissions have voted not to recommend historic status to preserve it. City council, which has yet to vote, is the last hope of preservationists.

Preservation was not an issue in the 1950s, nor were the sacrifices people were anticipating within the arrowhead-shaped land bounded by Bedford Avenue, Crawford Street, Centre Avenue and Washington Place.

Possible Tenants Three Stores Express Interest In Lakewood Plaza

Excerpt: David Wordelmann, Lakewood mayor, said TJ Maxx, Pet Smart and Michaels could be moving into the plaza. He said the owner of the plaza, Widewaters Construction, will be investing $3.5 million into renovating and improving the plaza for the arrival of the new businesses. He said Widewaters officials are hoping to complete a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the county, school district, town and village to offset the cost of renovating the building for the new stores. Wordelmann said the county's Industrial Development Agency is also working on the proposal. The mayor said, hopefully, if the deal goes through the businesses will be open by October.  (4/6/2011)

City considers seeking state funds to upgrade courts at Beaty Field

Excerpt:  There will be new basketball hoops and backboards, new top coat and blacktop on the basketball court and three tennis courts, a concrete pad for bleachers, 130 linear feet of limestone pathway connecting the existing handicapped accessible path to the basketball and tennis facilities, as well as upgrades to fencing and lighting.

Workers on the project will also raise the elevation of the basketball courts to the level of the tennis courts and skate park.

"In this manner, we are anticipating that the flooding will not impact this area any longer," Nau said. "This year's flooding, due in part to the exceptionally high conditions of the Allegheny River, has never impacted the tennis courts over the 20 years of their existence."

Rehabilitation of the Beaty Park area began in 2008 with new restrooms and storage facility, handicapped parking, Americans with Disabilities Act-approved playground equipment, and the development of accessible pathways connecting the various park features. The second phase of the Beaty Improvement Project included the addition of the skate park last year.

Warren Mall sold to new owners: Work to revitalize mall will begin in ‘couple weeks’

 

Excerpt:    Between the Warren County Commissioners weighing a rezoning issue that was the first step in construction of the mall and the ribbon-cutting in 1979, seven years lapsed.

When John and Esther Berkebile first requested to have their 21-acre agriculturally zoned property along the Conewango Creek rezoned to business transitional in February 1972, many local retailers viewed the request as a possible threat to local business.

Attorney William M. Hill Jr., represented 50 retailers in downtown Warren and voiced several concerns they shared before the property had been sold to George Zamias of Johnstown.

During a county commissioners meeting Hill said rezoning the property would encourage "fragmentation of retailing," and did not see new job growth, "rather a reapportionment of retail jobs will take place."

"Nor is a healthy economic outlook seen for the retail stores of the area who are, and have been, taxpayers to the county. The downtown will still be the major source of retail sales and services, even though left in a weakened condition. It would only weaken the strength, so to speak, just as it has in almost every area where malls have been created."

The request to rezone the Berkebile property was granted by the commissioners in March of that year.

Ground was officially broken on November 16, 1977,. "Warren County has finally come of age," said Zamias. A completion date of late 1978 or early 1979 was anticipated.

Montgomery Ward was the first store to open at the mall on Sept. 13, 1979, and the Warren Mall officially opened for business when the opening ribbon was cut on Oct. 5, 1979.  (4/2/2011)

Colonel leaves town

Workers sealed up the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue East in Warren last Thursday. "The franchisee made the decision to close this restaurant," KFC Spokesman Rick Maynard said this week. "We hope our loyal customers will continue to visit our other nearby locations."  (4/6/2011)

10th Avenue South: One Street's Story

10th Avenue South: One street's story. (Great Falls Tribune, 1/23/2011)

Excerpt: Now I have almost 300 trees along my length — though many of them are but forked sticks. Be patient and I'll look more like a real forest than a forest of signs.

I'm 4 1/2 miles (79 football fields) from the Warden Bridge to 57th Street South, where I give way to prairie again.

That bridge made all the difference in taking me from a sleepy residential street to, at one time, the state's busiest commercial artery.

The 1951 bridge over the Missouri River — named for Tribune publisher and Montana Department of Transportation bigwig O.S. Warden — opened my lanes to traffic passing through town.

With the interstate system and postwar prosperity putting a car in every driveway, stores with big parking lots gained appeal.

In 1956, I was widened to four lanes. After decades of debate and millions of dollars, only in the last year did the widening efforts finish, stretching my six lanes clear to the hospital.

Where Retiring Guy Checked Out His First Book

At the Carnegie facility (1903-1967) shown in the small black-and-white photo.

The Great Falls (Montana) Public Library today

Link to February 19 Great Falls Tribune article, "More people flock to use library's free services during tighter times".

And the book I checked out some 55 years ago?