Guide to the City Planning Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1928-1962 AIS.1976.17
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
City Planning Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records
Creator
Pittsburgh (Pa.). City Planning Commission
Collection Number
AIS.1976.17
Extent
5.25 Linear Feet(4 record center boxes and 1 document case)
Date
1928-1962
Abstract
The City Planning Commission is responsible for the city's development, through policy and development review and through administration of the zoning ordinance. During the 1940s and 1950s, the commission devoted its energy to the redevelopment of areas that had been full of vacant or sub-standard housing and factory buildings, and the improvement and construction of major thoroughfares. This collection contains minutes, special reports, and other records of the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission, chiefly from the years 1940-1960.
Language
English
.
Author
Charles Stanford.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
The City Planning Commission is responsible for the City of Pittsburgh's development, through policy and development review and through administration of the zoning ordinance. The Department of City Planning is responsible for community development by facilitating community planning processes and supporting community based and technical assistance programs. The department was created in 1927, but it was not until the Second World War that it received the initiative to alter the appearance of Pittsburgh. On February 4, 1942, Mayor Cornelius D. Scully gave the City Planning Commission the authority to take the lead in planning for post-war construction and renewal. During that time many considered the city to be in a dilapidated state because of the lack of enforcement of city codes and ordinances during the depression. The Commission devoted its energy to the redevelopment of areas that had been full of vacant or sub-standard housing and factory buildings, and the improvement and construction of major thoroughfares. Information about their current activities can be found at http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/.
Some of the other agencies that the City Planning Commission worked with included: the Department of Public Works, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Better Traffic Committee, the Civic Club of Allegheny County, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, and the Pittsburgh Housing Association (ACTION-Housing, Inc.). Records from these last two organizations form a significant part of this collection.
Jesse Paul Watson was an active member of the City Planning Commission throughout the 1940's and 1950's, and replaced Frederick Bigger as chairman in 1954. Watson worked in the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Pittsburgh since the 1930s and was involved in several other initiatives to revitalize Pittsburgh, most notably the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, beginning in 1943; and the Pittsburgh Housing Association (now ACTION-Housing, Inc.), throughout the 1950s.
The Allegheny Conference on Post-War Community Planning was formed during World War II by prominent citizens of Allegheny County. These included Richard King Mellon, President of the Pittsburgh Regional Planning Association, and Robert Doherty, President of Carnegie Institute of Technology. Their aim was to coordinate local efforts to improve transportation and industry. In 1944 it was incorporated as the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. More information can be found at http://www.alleghenyconference.org.
The Pittsburgh Housing Association was active by 1928, and is still operating under the name of ACTION-Housing, Inc., which it adopted in 1957. It maintains a website at http://www.actionhousing.org/. The purpose of the Association was to promote the development of good quality, affordable housing for people living in Pittsburgh.
Scope and Content Notes
Further scope and content notes are available at the series level.
Arrangement
The collection consists of six series:
Series I: Minutes and Special Reports
Series II: General Operations
Series III: Housing
Series IV: Traffic and Roads
Series V: Papers of J.P. Watson
Series VI: Redevelopment and Zoning
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Minutes and reports were donated to the University Library System in 1976.
The remainder of the collection was donated in 2001.
Preferred Citation
City Planning Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1928-1962, AIS.1976.17, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
City Planning Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1928-1962, AIS.1976.17, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Minutes and Reports of the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission, 1940-1959, AIS 76:17, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by University Archives staff on June 24, 1976, and by Charles Stanford in 2005.
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Related Material
Additional collections at the Archives Service Center relating to Ireland or the Irish in Pittsburgh include: ACTION-Housing, Inc. Records, 1957-1992, AIS.2001.11; Allegheny Conference on Community Development Collection, 1944-1993, AIS.1973.04; Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Records, 1937-1953, AIS.1966.08; David Leo Lawrence Papers, 1959-1966, AIS.1978.15; Marjorie and J. Warren Matson Papers, 1942-1980, AIS.1984.17.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Pittsburgh Housing Association
Action-Housing, Inc
Allegheny Conference on Post-War Community Planning (Pa.)
Pittsburgh (Pa.). City Planning Commission
Allegheny Conference on Community Development (Pa.)
Personal Names
Watson, J. P. (Jesse Paul)
Woods, C. Ronal
Lawrence, David Leo
Bigger, Frederick, Thomas
Buente, Willard F.
Hovde, Brynjolf Jakob
Geographic Names
Pittsburgh (Pa.)
Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Politics and government
Other Subjects
Urban renewal -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Transportation
Government
Traffic engineering -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Zoning -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
City planning -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area
Housing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Container List
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains records of the general operations of the commission and the Pittsburgh Master Plan, as well as other projects. Activities of various committees are represented, including the replacement of the Planning Director in 1950. The records filed under "Finance" are not very extensive. Minutes in this series are from the Committee on General Plans, which met separately from the commission as a whole.
Containers
box 3, folder 1-3
Containers
box 3, folder 4
Containers
box 3, folder 5
Containers
box 3, folder 6
Containers
box 3, folder 7
Containers
box 3, folder 8
Containers
box 3, folder 9
Containers
box 3, folder 10-13
Containers
box 3, folder 14
Containers
box 3, folder 15
Containers
box 3, folder 16
Containers
box 3, folder 17
Containers
box 3, folder 18
Containers
box 3, folder 19
Containers
box 3, folder 20
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains memos, articles, clippings, and other documents of the commission's involvement with housing and the planning of lots in Pittsburgh from 1943 to 1951. The series also contains copies of all records generated or used specifically by the Pittsburgh Housing Association (PHA) as kept by Dr. Watson, from 1948 to 1959. These are arranged chronologically and include meeting minutes, memos, correspondence, budget proposals, and public relations writings. Among other things, the records document the efforts to secure funding to the PHA from the Community Chest, and the change in name from Pittsburgh Housing Association to ACTION-Housing, Inc. Also included is a resource unit published by the PHA for use in Pittsburgh area schools. Issues of the PHA newsletter Housing News from March 1953 through December 1955 can be found in ais Journals in the Archives Service Center.
Containers
box 3, folder 21
Containers
box 3, folder 22
Containers
box 3, folder 23
Containers
box 3, folder 24
Containers
box 3, folder 25
Containers
box 3, folder 26
Containers
box 3, folder 27-35
Containers
box 3, folder 36
Scope and Content Notes
This series holds records of dealings with the Bureau of Traffic Planning and Better Traffic Committee, and the construction of many new motorways around the Pittsburgh area. Specific roads represented include: 22-30 or Penn-Lincoln Parkway, Brookline Boulevard, Crosstown Thoroughfare, and Ohio River Boulevard. Willard F. Buente, the chief engineer of the Department of City Planning, was a major participant in these projects.
Containers
box 4, folder 1
Containers
box 4, folder 2
Containers
box 4, folder 3
Containers
box 4, folder 4
Containers
box 4, folder 5
Containers
box 4, folder 6
Containers
box 4, folder 7
Containers
box 4, folder 8
Containers
box 4, folder 9
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains records accumulated by Dr. Watson during his tenure with the commission as a member and as chairman. The papers mostly consist of correspondence, memos, and reports. The records from the Allegheny Conference include correspondence with members of the Conference, surveys, newspaper clippings, and meeting minutes from the various committees within the Conference.
Containers
box 4, folder 10
Containers
box 4, folder 11
Containers
box 4, folder 12
Containers
box 4, folder 13
Containers
box 4, folder 14
Containers
box 4, folder 15
Containers
box 4, folder 16
Containers
box 4, folder 17
Containers
box 4, folder 18
Containers
box 4, folder 19
Containers
box 4, folder 20
Containers
box 4, folder 21
Containers
box 4, folder 22
Containers
box 4, folder 23
Scope and Content Notes
The commission worked closely with the Urban Redevelopment Authority in redeveloping neighborhoods that were deemed to be in need of improvement. Documents produced from these activities are here together with records of the Zoning Committee. Folder 31 contains a zoning map of the city dated 1927. The General files relate to various zoning cases and inquiries. The files for the proposed new zoning ordinances contain drafts of tentative zoning ordinances, news releases, memos, and correspondence between Frederick Bigger and Earl O. Mills, the Staffing Consultant who drafted the new ordinance in 1947. Also included is correspondence from various parties – notably the Civic Club of Allegheny County – about the new ordinance in its various revisions.
Containers
box 4, folder 24-25
Containers
box 4, folder 26
Containers
box 4, folder 27
Containers
box 4, folder 28
Containers
box 4, folder 29
Containers
box 4, folder 30
Containers
box 4, folder 31-32
Containers
box 4, folder 33
Containers
box 4, folder 34
Containers
box 4, folder 35
Containers
box 4, folder 36
Containers
box 4, folder 37
Containers
box 4, folder 38
Containers
box 4, folder 39-40
Containers
box 5, folder 1-2
Containers
box 5, folder 3
Containers
box 5, folder 4
Containers
box 5, folder 5
Containers
box 5, folder 6
Containers
box 5, folder 7
Scope and Content Notes
This material was added to the finiding aid in November 2010.
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 1
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 2
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 3
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 4
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 5
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 6
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 7
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 8
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 9
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 10
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder 11
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder ?
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder ?
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder ?
Containers
map-case 7-7, folder ?
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Contains 5 sheets of design.
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 2
Scope and Contents
Contains 6 sheets of drawings and plans including: pool site plan, notes, sewer reconstruction on Banksville Road, and ballfield construction.
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 3
Conditions Governing Use
Contains 2 sheets of improvement to playground and landscaping planning.
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 4
Scope and Contents
Contains 9 sheets of sewer and playground plans.
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 5
Scope and Contents
Contains 3 sheets of ballfield design.
Containers
map-case 32-8, folder 6
Scope and Contents
Contains 4 sheets of design.
Containers
map-case 32-9, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Contains 20 pages of service building design plans, park design, and park improvement.
Containers
map-case 32-9, folder 2
Scope and Contents
Contains 2 sheets of planting design.
Containers
map-case 32-9, folder 3
Scope and Contents
Contains 4 pages of ballfield design and playground equipment.
Containers
map-case 32-9, folder 4
Scope and Contents
Contains 23 pages of repair plans, park design, and pool design.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Contains 6 sheets of playground design.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 2
Scope and Contents
Contains 3 sheets of the route of the marathon, liberty bridge police presence, and the route of the bicycle race.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 3
Scope and Contents
Contains 1 sheet of improvement to playground.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 4
Scope and Contents
Contains 47 sheets of sewer plans for ballfield, swimming pool design, ballfield design, drawings, and field house designs.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 5
Scope and Contents
Contains 1 sheet of playground design.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 6
Scope and Contents
Contains 4 sheets of playground design.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 7
Scope and Contents
Contains 6 sheets of park design.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 8
Scope and Contents
Contains 10 pages of sketched plans, shelter plans, and rehabilitation plans.
Containers
map-case 32-10, folder 9
Scope and Contents
Contains 2 sheets of lighting design and additions to playground.