Braddock, PA is a slow moving and quiet place now, but it hasn’t always been that way.  Named after Gen. Edward Braddock, Commander of British Troops in America during the French and Indian War, the town is located on the site where his army was ambushed in 1755 as he moved to capture Fort Duquesne. Because Gen. Braddock didn’t survive the ensuing battle, George Washington, his subordinate officer, led the retreat. Incorporated in 1885, Braddock grew to become one of the liveliest towns in Allegheny County, riding the crest of industrialization; it was a destination for shopping, socializing and big business.

Like many towns adjacent to the Monongahela River, and located just nine miles from downtown Pittsburgh, the steel industry flourished; Andrew Carnegie opened his very successful Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock. As money and resources were funneled into the town, Carnegie opened his first American public library as a resource for the workers at the Thomson plant, one of his first and most successful mills.  Braddock Avenue, along with Talbot and Washington Avenues, attracted people from all around for the shopping, bars, and restaurants. At one point Braddock had nearly a dozen hotels to accommodate visitors! 

Today you’ll find a dramatically different climate as Braddock’s new Mayor, John Fetterman, begins his first term. While the Braddock Carnegie Library and the Edgar Thomson Works still operate, little else is going on. The town’s population has dipped below 3,000 people, down from more than 20,000 in its heyday; it has gone from a bustling shopping destination to a scarred and fractured business district. Aside from a UPMC branch hospital, there is still a strong light industry presence along the river bank but the employees have little reason to leave the confines of their warehouses. Schools have closed. Buildings fall down. Street activity is virtually non-existent. Predictably, as a result, Braddock has a rough reputation and is on the verge of being partially buried under a portion of the proposed Mon-Fayette Expressway. Fetterman is concerned that this action would slice the town in two and further marginalize its residents by cutting much of the town off from its riverfront.

Fetterman has been running the Youth-Out-of-School program in Braddock for the last few years and is also financially investing in the town. These investments represent an acknowledgement of the assets that Braddock does maintain, including the large amount of empty utilitarian space throughout the town. Livable homes can be purchased for as little as $10,000 and larger historic edifices are also available. Fetterman also has bought an empty church, The First Presbyterian, which still has the old organ pipes standing behind the chancel in front of a large, empty nave; a space which could potentially be used for all types of events and in which he hopes to open a community center.

The Carnegie Library includes a music hall and basketball court; deep within, it also has a swimming pool and a bowling alley (both of which are being used currently as storage spaces).  The Creative Arts Program at the Braddock Carnegie library offers classes and workshops in the clay studio, as well as rental opportunites for artists.

Braddock is still very accessible and all one’s basic needs can be easily accommodated in adjacent communities. The history of this once illustrious town can be sensed entrenched in the streets of Braddock; the ghosts of Library Street, Braddock Ave, and the steel mill which looms over them as a giant relic of past industrial glory. These attributes lend a beauty and dignity to this steel town. Hopefully Braddock finds the right recipe to be able to salvage and build upon the remaining structure of a once important place in the Mon Valley.

Links

Braddock, Pennsylvania (15104)

Braddock Carnegie Library

The Creative Arts Program

Cool Space Award Winners

Mayor John Fetterman and the Community of Braddock (2007)

Edgar Thomson Works

First Presbyterian Church on Library St.

Braddock Avenue

Rail yard at the Thomson Works