Greenfield is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the city's 15th Ward along with Hazelwood and Glen Hazel.[2] Greenfield is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Squirrel Hill to the north and east (including Schenley Park, which shares a long border with Greenfield), Hazelwood to the south and west, and Oakland to the northwest.[3] Greenfield includes the geographically and culturally distinct sub-neighborhood of Four Mile Run, also known as Rusyn Valley.[4] Pittsburgh Fire Station #12 is located in the neighborhood on Winterburn Avenue.
History
In 1768, a large tract of woodland was purchased for $10,000 under the Treaty of Fort Stanwix made with the Native Americans. This area included what became Greenfield and neighboring Hazelwood, which today are both part of the city's 15th ward. By the late 1800s, many of Greenfield's residents were of Irish, Polish, Slovak, Italian, Hungarian, and Carpatho-Rusyn descent. They resided in Greenfield and traveled to Hazelwood, Homestead and Duquesne to work in the steel mills.[4]
During the Civil War, Greenfield (part of Squirrel Hill at the time)[5] was the site of a small redoubt, Fort Black on Bigelow Street between Parade and Shields Streets, also known as Fort Chess or Fort Squirrel Hill.[6]
City steps
A neighborhood with uneven and hilly topography, Greenfield has 26 distinct flights of city steps - many of which are open and in a safe condition. In Greenfield, the Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation, business districts, and playgrounds and provide an easy way to travel through this hilly, densely populated area.[7]
The city steps connecting Greenfield Avenue to Blanton Street in Greenfield, Pittsburgh. Photo by Laura Zurowski.
Points of interest
Greenfield contains two small business districts along Greenfield Avenue and Murray Avenue. A major travel route is along Beechwood Boulevard, connecting I-376 to the Waterfront shopping district in Homestead. As a predominantly residential neighborhood, Greenfield boasts three baseball fields, four basketball courts, two hockey rinks, two soccer fields, and a swimming pool. It is also home to seven churches and one synagogue; the largest is St. Rosalia, a Roman Catholic church. Greenfield is known among locals for very steep hills, a chaotic street grid off the main roads, and a preponderance of single lane 2-way streets, which does not usually lead to congestion as the neighborhood is not heavily traveled (excluding Murray and Greenfield Avenues and Beechwood Boulevard, which are all multi-lane streets).
Similar to other Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Greenfield hosts a holiday parade and fireworks every December. The fireworks, which are usually sponsored by Zambelli Fireworks, are shot off from Magee Field.
Spanning I-376 and connecting Greenfield to Oakland is the Beechwood Boulevard Bridge, known more popularly as the Greenfield Bridge. It was built in the 1920s and eventually demolished on December 28, 2015. It was replaced by a new bridge that became available for public use in October, 2017.
