\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEight thousand people\u2019s homes, hundreds of businesses, and part of Pittsburgh\u2019s cultural centerpiece were all lost in the 1950s.City government demolished much of the Lower Hill District 70 years ago to make room for the Civic Arena, the former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.Carlos F. Peterson \u2014 now in his 70s \u2014 watched his neighborhood razed to rubble from the roof of his childhood Lower Hill home. “You could look back and see the bulldozers, the dust,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI remember walking back home, and the dust in my doorway was thick, powdery, like baby powder.\u201dOnce a bustling neighborhood, the Lower Hill District saw Pittsburgh label hundreds of homes and businesses as “slums” \u2014 leveling them and displacing their residents. Since the Civic Arena\u2019s 2012 demolition, the site has been filled with parking lots, serving events at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins\u2019 current home. The emptiness of the former neighborhood is a painful reminder for former residents like Peterson.”It was part of my growing up that got broken away, chipped away. Literally demolished,\u201d Peterson said.In 2007, Pittsburgh signed an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving the hockey team\u2019s real estate arm the sole rights to redevelop the 28-acre Lower Hill site. The Penguins\u2019 promise was to right some wrongs of the 1950s displacement with new projects to serve the community.The Penguins developed roughly seven of those 28 acres over 18 years, with projects like the First National Bank skyscraper and the new live music venue currently under construction. A portion of the revenue from concert tickets will go back to the Hill District. But in October, the Penguins let their development rights expire, leaving the vast majority of the Penguins\u2019 projects and promises unfinished. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the Penguins for an interview. The organization instead provided a statement.”The Penguins remain committed to the vision for inclusive development in the Lower Hill and are proud of the meaningful progress achieved in recent years with community leaders despite challenging economic circumstances,” the statement said. “Following the expiration of the Option Agreement, the organization will stay engaged in the City’s plans for the area and continue to be a collaborative partner in advancing future development.” \u201cThe community absolutely has the right to be frustrated at the Pens and at all of us, to be quite frank, because there have been promises made, promises not necessarily kept,\u201d said Pittsburgh City Council President Daniel Lavelle, who represents the Hill District. \u201cI think made a lot of money off of a parking lot, and did not fulfill all the goals and objectives that we worked on and that we were working to fulfill.\u201dFor decades, Hill District residents and descendants of those who were displaced have grown frustrated with the lack of action, with the sea of parking lots serving as a stark contrast with the former vibrancy of the neighborhood. Besides the homes and businesses, the Lower Hill was also home to historic jazz clubs, which fueled the Hill District\u2019s broader cultural scene \u2014 one that went into decline when the Lower Hill was destroyed.Saxophone player Tony Campbell grew up in the Hill District. He performs gigs in the Hill with his band, Jazz Surgery.Even though musicians like Campbell do what they can to keep the jazz scene alive, he says it\u2019s nothing compared to what it once was. \u201cIt just, I hate to say gutted it, but it just \u2026 didn\u2019t seem to exist ,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cIt erased it.\u201dGesturing up Centre Avenue, Peterson reminisced about all the businesses that once lined the street.\u201cThere were stores all the way up through here. All that\u2019s gone,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThat was part of the economic part of the neighborhood. It\u2019s done.\u201dWith the Penguins\u2019 development rights officially expired, the land reverts back into the hands of city government with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Sports and Exhibition Authority. Lavelle wants the Lower Hill to go back to serving the community it was taken from as soon as possible. \u201cAll the wrongs of the past cannot be righted. We have to acknowledge that. Every sin that happened will not be fixed in this one development,\u201d Lavelle said. \u201cBut we certainly can do as much as possible to ensure that whatever development occurs, occurs in a way that is equitable, occurs in a way that is beneficial to Hill District residents, to the African American community, and to the city at large.\u201dMany residents want development to start with housing. Lavelle thinks more people living in the Lower Hill will support the Hill District as a whole, bringing the local economy back and supporting businesses like a much-needed grocery store, which the neighborhood has lost two of in recent years. \u201cFor the survival of the greater Hill District community, that site needs to be developed,\u201d Lavelle said. \u201cThat site not being redeveloped is also holding back the development of the Middle and Upper Hill Districts.\u201dLavelle is more optimistic now than he has ever been about the area\u2019s future, and says shovels should be in the ground at the Lower Hill site within two years. But even with that growing hope for what\u2019s next for the Lower Hill, Peterson hopes future generations will remember what once was \u2014 both the neighborhood and its demolition. Peterson, who designed the Freedom Corner memorial that overlooks the Lower Hill, uses art to come to terms with the loss he experienced as a young boy. In the basement art studio of his Avalon home, he sat drawing in one of his familiar sketchbooks.\u201cYou could call it a curse to have to be able to put that stuff on paper,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cYou\u2019re not just drawing a pretty picture. You\u2019re drawing from memory, you\u2019re drawing from experience. You\u2019re drawing from whatever hurt and pain there was, even what joy there was.\u201dHe wants his art to serve as a reminder of the neighborhood\u2019s history for decades to come.\u201cI\u2019m hoping that they see that \u2026 people with feelings lived there,\u201d Peterson said. “That\u2019s what I want people to understand. It\u2019s for them to see.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tPITTSBURGH \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Eight thousand people\u2019s homes, hundreds of businesses, and part of Pittsburgh\u2019s cultural centerpiece were all lost in the 1950s.<\/p>\n
City government demolished much of the Lower Hill District 70 years ago to make room for the Civic Arena, the former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n
Carlos F. Peterson \u2014 now in his 70s \u2014 watched his neighborhood razed to rubble from the roof of his childhood Lower Hill home. <\/p>\n
“You could look back and see the bulldozers, the dust,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cI remember walking [from school] back home, and the dust in my doorway was thick, powdery, like baby powder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once a bustling neighborhood, the Lower Hill District saw Pittsburgh label hundreds of homes and businesses as “slums” \u2014 leveling them and displacing their residents. <\/p>\n
Since the Civic Arena\u2019s 2012 demolition, the site has been filled with parking lots, serving events at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins\u2019 current home. The emptiness of the former neighborhood is a painful reminder for former residents like Peterson.<\/p>\n
“It was part of my growing up that got broken away, chipped away. Literally demolished,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n
In 2007, Pittsburgh signed an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving the hockey team\u2019s real estate arm the sole rights to redevelop the 28-acre Lower Hill site. The Penguins\u2019 promise was to right some wrongs of the 1950s displacement with new projects to serve the community.<\/p>\n
The Penguins developed roughly seven of those 28 acres over 18 years, with projects like the First National Bank skyscraper<\/a> and the new live music venue currently under construction. A portion of the revenue from concert tickets<\/a> will go back to the Hill District. <\/p>\n But in October, the Penguins let their development rights expire, leaving the vast majority of the Penguins\u2019 projects and promises unfinished. <\/p>\n Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the Penguins for an interview. The organization instead provided a statement.<\/p>\n “The Penguins remain committed to the vision for inclusive development in the Lower Hill and are proud of the meaningful progress achieved in recent years with community leaders despite challenging economic circumstances,” the statement said. “Following the expiration of the Option Agreement, the organization will stay engaged in the City’s plans for the area and continue to be a collaborative partner in advancing future development.” <\/p>\n \u201cThe community absolutely has the right to be frustrated at the Pens and at all of us, to be quite frank, because there have been promises made, promises not necessarily kept,\u201d said Pittsburgh City Council President Daniel Lavelle, who represents the Hill District. \u201cI think [the Penguins] made a lot of money off of a parking lot, and did not fulfill all the goals and objectives that we worked on and that we were working to fulfill.\u201d<\/p>\n For decades, Hill District residents and descendants of those who were displaced have grown frustrated with the lack of action, with the sea of parking lots serving as a stark contrast with the former vibrancy of the neighborhood. <\/p>\n Besides the homes and businesses, the Lower Hill was also home to historic jazz clubs, which fueled the Hill District\u2019s broader cultural scene \u2014 one that went into decline when the Lower Hill was destroyed.<\/p>\n Saxophone player Tony Campbell grew up in the Hill District. He performs gigs in the Hill with his band, Jazz Surgery.<\/p>\n Even though musicians like Campbell do what they can to keep the jazz scene alive, he says it\u2019s nothing compared to what it once was. <\/p>\n \u201cIt just, I hate to say gutted it, but it just \u2026 didn\u2019t seem to exist [anymore],\u201d Campbell said. \u201cIt erased it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gesturing up Centre Avenue, Peterson reminisced about all the businesses that once lined the street.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were stores all the way up through here. All that\u2019s gone,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cThat was part of the economic part of the neighborhood. It\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n