
An Independence Day parade procession passes
Potomac Avenue on West Liberty Avenue in Dormont, in 1930.
By September 1915, the West Liberty
Avenue improvement project was well under way. Work progressed quickly
all along the roadway, from the city line at Dormont through to the Warrington
Avenue intersection. By the end of the year, the work was nearly completed, with
sewers laid and a four-lane street surface paved in belgian block.
West Liberty Avenue had been completely
transformed and prepared to serve the surrounding communities into the 21st Century.
Although many old homes were sacrificed, the end result was extraordinary by the
standards of the day.
Shown here are a random collection of photos
showing West Liberty Avenue (part of State Route 19) for the half century (1915-1965)
following the completion of that reconstruction effort.

Looking south towards Pioneer Avenue from the
service station at the intersection with Saw Mill Run Boulevard in 1931.
In the years that followed, other than
occasional resurfacing and the usual changes in storefronts, the street remained
basically the same. In 2010, the entire roadway was again thoroughly refurbished
and the century old trolley tracks, that had been covered under layers of asphalt,
were removed.

Click on images
for larger pictures
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September 1915

A Beechview home just south of Capital Avenue
(left) and workers near Ray Avenue.

Construction workers near Ray Avenue.

Construction work near Capital Avenue.

Trolleys pass by construction workers near
Capital Avenue (left) and storefronts on the Beechview side near Capital.

A man stands across from Capital near Curran
Hill Avenue (left) and construction work near a busy Capital Avenue.

Work proceeds on the gas line (left) and
the sewer line (right) near Capital Avenue.

A well-dressed family wait for the streetcar at
Capital Avenue (left) and a home across from the Stetson Car Stop.

Two inbound 39-Brookline streetcars approach
the Capital Avenue Car Stop.
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October 1915

A man with a broom stands at Ray Avenue (left)
and Beechview homes between Ray and Capital Avenue.

A view looking north towards Capital Avenue (left)
and looking north from Stetson Street to Cape May Avenue.

Homes across from Stetson Street (left) and
a delivery wagon of McAteer Wholesale Grocers at Cape May Avenue.

Work on the streetcar tracks at Cape May Avenue
(left) and Bupp Contractor and Builder across from Cape May.

The signpost at Brookside Avenue (left) and
a view from Brookside looking north towards Sauter Place.

A view of the homes on the hillside next
to Brookside Avenue.

The home at the intersection with Sauter Place
(left) and the hillside home across the street.

A view looking north towards Pioneer Avenue (left)
and a view towards Pioneer looking south from Warrington Avenue.
Visible beyond Pioneer are the homes along Sauter Place, which is where the
Matthew Bronze complex stands today.

The Shaffner home near Pioneer Avenue (left) and
a view looking south from Warrington Avenue.

A view from Pioneer looking north towards Warrington
(left) and the belgian block along the path of the streetcar tracks.

The intersection of West Liberty Avenue and Cape
May Avenue.
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December 1915

The Brookline Junction, at the intersection
of West Liberty Avenue, Wenzell Avenue and Brookline Boulevard.

Kerr's blacksmith shop at the Brookline Junction
(left) and the walkway to a home across from Belle Isle Avenue.

A wagon stands at the intersection with Belle
Isle Avenue (left) and homes near Belle Isle.

A view towards Pauline Avenue from Belle Isle
Avenue (left) and the home at the intersection with Pauline.

The laundry at Ray Avenue (left) and a view
from Ray towards Capital Avenue.

Looking north towards Capital Avenue (left)
and the Curran Hill intersection.

A view looking from Capital Avenue north
towards Cape May Avenue (left) and buildings near Stetson Street.

Two views from Stetson Street looking north
towards Cape May Avenue.

Workers cutting Belgian Blocks for the
roadway at Cape May Avenue.

A view from Cape May Avenue north towards
Brookside Avenue (left) and a wagon standing across from Brookside.

A view looking north from Brookside Avenue
(left) and a traveller approaches the Pioneer Avenue intersection.

A shack stands at Pioneer Avenue (left) and a
view from near Pioneer looking north towards Warrington Avenue.

A view looking south towards Pioneer Avenue (left)
and wagons parked near Warrington Avenue.
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January 1916

Coal delivery at Michael Born's West Liberty
Hotel, located at 1100 West Liberty Avenue, on January 24, 1916.

Michael Born's West Liberty Hotel and out buildings,
located at 1100 West Liberty Avenue, on January 24, 1916.
Opened in 1896, the hotel had a popular restaurant/bar and often served
as a borough meeting place. Sold in
1923 to Charles McKim for $45,000, it was renamed Tunnel-View Hotel to coincide with
the opening of the
Liberty Tunnels. In operation until 1928, the establishment was again sold. The new
owner tore down the
wooden structure and installed a People's auto service station
at the now crowded tunnel intersection.
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June 1916

Two views from the city line near Dormont
looking north towards the Brookline Junction.

Brookline homes along West Liberty Avenue (left)
and a view from the Brookline Junction looking towards Dormont.

A view from Wenzell Avenue looking south
towards Dormont (left) and business at Kerr's blacksmith shop.

A view from the Brookline Junction looking
north towards Belle Isle Avenue (left)
and the steps to a hillside home across from Pauline Avenue.

The home at the intersection with Pauline Avenue
(left) and the laundrey at the corner of Ray Avenue.

A view looking north towards Capital Avenue (left)
and the bend that leads to Capital Avenue.

Approaching the Capital Avenue intersection (left)
and the building that stood at the crossroads.

The intersection with Stetson Street (left) and
a view from Stetson looking north towards Cape May Avenue.

Beechview homes between Stetson Street and Cape May
Avenue (left) and a woman stands at the Cape May Car Stop.

A view looking north from Stetson Street to
Cape May Avenue (left) and Bupp Contractor and Builder at Cape May.

A car parked at Brookside Avenue (left) and
a view looking from Brookside north towards Sauter Place.

Homes across the street from Sauter Place (left)
and a southbound traveler passes the Sauter Place intersection.

West Liberty Avenue in Dormont, looking from
Tennessee Avenue towards Potomac Avenue and Pioneer Avenue.
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1917

Just north of Pioneer Avenue, these homes were
numbered 2801, 2803, 2805, 2809 and 2811 left to right.
The homes have since been razed and the property is now the Cochran Volkswagon
dealership parking lot.
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1918

The homes in Sauter Place in 1918 (left) and
a trolley car heading north towards Pioneer Avenue in 1918.

The intersection of West Liberty Avenue and
Warrington Avenue in 1918 before the Liberty Tunnels.
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1920-1960

Looking southwest along West Liberty Avenue,
from the intersection with Pioneer Avenue, in 1920.

A view south from Pioneer Avenue towards
Potomac Avenue (left), and the Independence Day parade route, in the 1920s.

The William Haas estate home at the corner of
West Liberty and Curran Hill Avenues, circa 1923.

A home across from Saranac Street in 1921 (left)
and a store near Saranac Street in 1922.

A bar at the corner of Saranac (left) in 1922,
and the Tunnel View Hotel at the intersection with Warrington, in 1925.

Liberty Auto Sales, at the corner of West Liberty
Avenue and Dormont Avenue, shown here in 1923.

Twin-Tube Auto Repair at the intersection
with Saw Mill Run Road and Warrington Avenue in 1925.

West Liberty Avenue in 1925, looking north in the
direction of Potomac Avenue and on towards Pioneer Avenue.

West Liberty Avenue in Dormont, looking north from
Tennessee Avenue towards Pioneer Avenue, in 1926.

Road improvements along West Liberty Avenue in
Dormont, near Biltmore Avenue, in 1926.
The Bethany Lutheran Church, at Park Boulevard, is in the distance to the
left.

The intersection of Saw Mill Run Boulevard and
West Liberty Avenue, at the Liberty Tubes, in 1930.

Looking north at thehe intersection of Pauline
Avenue and West Liberty Avenue on October 28, 1929.

A view looking south towards Pioneer Avenue
(left), and a car gassing up at the service station located at
the intersection of Saw Mill Run Boulevard and West Liberty Avenue in 1931.

A parade procession passes Potomac Avenue in
Dormont (left), and a view looking north towards Pioneer Avenue, in 1930.

Police divert cars around a landslide on the
southbound lane, just south of Pioneer Avenue, in December 1931.

A motorcycle with sidecar stands at the gas
station at Saw Mill Run (left) and a view south towards Hargrove Street.

The South Portals of the Liberty Tunnels (left),
and the Saw Mill Run Bridge that leads to the tunnel portals, in 1932.

Looking south towards Brookline from atop
the south portals of the Liberty Tunnels in 1932. Pioneer Avenue is
visible to the left, heading up the hill towards the homes in the Paul Place
Plan and West Liberty School.

Two views of the intersection of West
Liberty Avenue and Saw Mill Run Boulevard in 1932.

A traffic safety sign at the entrance to the
Liberty Tunnels in 1932 (left), and the Brookline Junction in 1936.

West Liberty Avenue buildings, between Pioneer and
Potomac, draped in stars and stripes on September 14, 1934.
The occasion is Dormont's Silver Jubilee, celebrating 25 years as an independent
municipality.
The Borough of Dormont was incorporated on March 31, 1909.

The corner of West Liberty Avenue and Pioneer
Avenue in Dormont circa 1935.

Seebacher's service station (left) and a customer
pulling out onto West Liberty Avenue in 1936.

Looking southwest along West Liberty Avenue,
near Potomac Avenue, in 1936.

Looking down from Pioneer Avenue at West Liberty
Avenue, between Pioneer and Brookside Avenue, in September 1938.

The Charles W. Rohrich Cadillac Company, at 2044 West Liberty Avenue, shown here circa-1939.

The West Liberty Lumber Company stands in the
distance along West Liberty Avenue, at Pioneer Avenue, in June 1939.
This picture was taken during the construction of the West Liberty Avenue trolley ramp. John's Lumber Company,
north at the corner of West Liberty and Saw Mill Run Boulevard, had a
storage yard out of frame to the right.

Traffic detours along West Liberty Avenue,
like this one on August 28, 1939, during the ramp construction were hard
on motorists, especially during rush hour. However, in the end, removing
the trolley traffic from the
main road resulted in a much smoother flow of traffic towards that Liberty
Tunnels.

Two pictures showing northbound traffic on
West Liberty Avenue near the Trolley Ramp in October 1939.

Howard Gebhardt's Atlantic Service
Station, located at 1500 West Liberty Avenue, shown here in 1941.

The Matthews Bronze Division Headquarters at
1315 West Liberty Avenue - circa 1948.

Downtown Pontiac, located near Capital Avenue,
in 1950.

The interior of the Artcraft Mantel Company,
located at 1811 West Liberty Avenue, in 1950.

Traffic along West Liberty Avenue
near Pauline Avenue in 1950.

The enlarged Charles W. Rohrich Cadillac Company in 1950 after a recent renovation and expansion.

A. D. Motor Company Studebaker, shown here circa
1953, at the corner of West Liberty Avenue and Pauline Avenue.

A view to the south from atop the South
Portals on May 16, 1954. The "No Left Turn" notation was a
reminder that left turns into the tunnels from Saw Mill Run Boulevard
were now prohibited.

An outbound streetcar comes down the West
Liberty Avenue trolley ramp in 1955.

The Dormont Eat 'n Park Restaurant, located
at 2874 West Liberty Avenue, in 1956.

The West Liberty Tire Company in June 1939
(left) and a used car lot near the Brookline Junction in May 1962.

January 22, 1959 - Looking down Curranhill
Avenue, across West Liberty, at buildings along lower Capital Avenue,
the Capitol Bar/Grill and the Capital Market.

Looking down Curranhill Avenue, across
West Liberty, at buildings along lower Capital Avenue,
on January 22, 1959 (left) and February 4, 1960.

Traffic moving south on West Liberty Avenue (left)
in 1956 and approaching the Liberty Tunnels in 1962.

Looking down at freshly painted traffic
lines on lower West Liberty Avenue on June 26, 1960.

West Liberty Avenue, heading south towards
McFarland Road in Dormont circa 1945 (left) and a
Bower Hill bus passes McFarland Road on West Liberty Avenue circa 1965.

Soldiers of the Pennsylvania National Guard
were in Pittsburgh to clear snow and restore order after
the Thanksgiving Day Blizzard of 1950. This photo was taken on November 30, five days
after the storm, showing soldiers directing traffic outside the Liberty
Tunnels.
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