The following are Freehold Real Estate advertisements for the Paul Place Plan and the First through Fifth Ward developments that appeared in Pittsburgh newspapers from 1904 through 1916. They give an interesting perspective on Brookline and how the community was viewed at the turn of the 20th century.

Brookline, from 1904 through 1907 a part of West Liberty Borough, had traditionally been a rural farming and mining center, sparsely populated due to it's isolation from the bustling metropolitan and industrial centers in of Pittsburgh. The opening of the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel and the establishment of trolley service in the South Hills were the catalyst to an era of dramatic change. Once annexed into the city of Pittsburgh in 1908, the community continued to develop.

A billboard along West Liberty Avenue announcing bargain buys in Brookline.

The resident population surged. Housing and commercial development boomed. Brookline became one of the hottest areas in the region for investment opportunities and growth. These advertisements tout Brookline as the ideal place in Pittsburgh to own a home and raise a family. Prime real estate was available and the prices were reasonable. For a $10 down payment one could reserve a lot in the fastest growing community in Pittsburgh.

Rolling hills, broad avenues, clean air, new homes, paved roads, cement sidewalks, electric street lighting, new sewer and water lines awaited prospective home buyers. This, accompanied with the safe, reliable and speedy trolley service made Brookline Pittsburgh's "15-Minute Suburb."

1904 <> 1905 <> 1906 <> 1907 <> 1908 <> 1909
1910 <> 1911 <> 1913 <> 1914 <> 1916

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Additional Newspaper Ads:

Fleming Place/Hughey Farms Real Estate Advertisements from 1902

Freehold Real Estate Brochures/Advertisements from 1921-1926

Freehold Real Estate Advertisements from 1930

The Brookline Herald Short Quiz

In the above advertisement, dated October 20, 1907, there is a short quiz that offered prizes to new homebuyers. There were three questions asked:

1. If you pay $25 a month rent for ten years, how much has your rent cost for that time?

2. If 100 houses were built in Brookline the first year and 200 houses the second year, at this rate how many houses would be built in five years?

3. "What are the advantages of owning your own home?

The first and second prizes were $5.00 and $2.50. There were solid sterling silver souvenir tea spoons offered as prizes to the ten third place finalists. The lucky winners were published the following week in the October 27 issue shown below.

Over a century later, a few of these souvenir spoons have survived the test of time. One is owned by a Chelton Avenue resident and shown here. These ornate spoons could very well be the first official Brookline souvenirs ever offered and a prized possession to those fortunate to have one.

Just for fun, I took the short quiz using only a pencil and paper, without the aid of a calculator because none were available in 1907. I also abandoned the present-day Common Core Math which is too confusing even for a college graduate like myself. Using my primitive mathematic skills and intuition, I came up with the following answers:

1. $25/month rent for 10 years = $3000.

2. This must be one of those trick questions that they used to throw at us on high school exams. Either that or I think too much, but I came up with two answers using two different approaches.

First, if the number of homes begins at 100/year and increases by 100 each year for the next four years, the answer would be 1500.

However, if the number of homes built doubles each year (100-200-400-etc.), then after five years the answer would be 3100.

I always disliked these type of interpretive questions and will go with my first instinct ... 1500.

3. The advantages of owning your own home is the investment potential, especially at this particular time, when Pittsburgh was in a period of unprecedented growth, particularly in the southern suburbs. This was the time to grab a piece of the American Pie and watch your investment grow. An added benefit is making your home right here in Brookline, the best neighborhood in the city!

After that short exercise in brain drain, I wonder if I might qualify for a spoon. Then again, considering that a dollar in 1907 would be $98 in 2014, the first prize would amount to $490 and the second prize comes to $245. Either amount sounds good to me!

I wonder if a present-day worth could be placed on the spoon? I suppose we'd have to auction one off to determine that. How much would you be willing to pay?