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The Saga of Pittsburgh's 1 t> iberty Tubes: Geographical Partisanship on the Urban Fringe Steven J. Hoffman

Fred Haller, a long-time res- ident of Mt.Lebanon, drove the WHENfirst car through the LibertyTubes, he helped inaugurate the transformation ofhis hometown intoone of the Pittsburgh region's A premier early automobile suburbs. Built spe- cifically to accommodate automobile traffic, the Liberty Tubes (or Tunnels) were one of the first such projects in the country. As an increasing number of Americans embraced the automobile as their transportation mode of choice, American cities struggled to adapt their transportation networks, often with un- foreseen consequences. InPittsburgh, the opening of the Liberty Tubes in1924 not only increased transporta- tionaccess to the city,but sparked aresidential building boom inthe rollinghillssouth of the city as well. As more and more Pittsburghers incorporated the automobile into their daily routines, this sparsely settled region of farm land, a few churches and a tavern or two quickly became one of Pittsburgh's most im- portant suburban districts.

Steven Hoffman is finishing his doctoral degree at Carnegie Mellon University inPittsburgh; his dis- sertation addresses race and class issues in the city- building process in Richmond, Va., 1870-1920. Hoffman, who considers himselfanurban historian withaspecial interest insuburbanization, wishes to thank Joel A. Tarr at CMU for his many helpful comments and suggestions. Photograph: Motorists exitingthe Liberty Tubes north-bound had to wait fouryears forabridge directlyacross the river.Until then, a sharp S-curve (shown here, 1926) led traffic to Carson Street and the SmithfieldStreet Bridge. i

The Saga ofPittsburgh's Liberty Tube

realize its fullpotential. the other communities further out in the South Hills Selecting the location for this important infrastruc- was more subdued. While Dormont increased its pop- ture improvement, however, was a lengthy and conten- ulation almost six-fold between 1910 and 1920, tious process. A total of at least six separate tunnel Mt.Lebanon grew about 30 percent. 6 Because of their projects were proposed and contemplated before the location near the end of the streetcar line,Mt.Lebanon county finallydecided in1919 on the current site of the and many nearby communities had to wait for better LibertyTubes. Initiallyproposed as a non-controversial connections before their growth could match those improvement to link the South Hills with downtown areas closer to the city. Pittsburgh, the economic ramifications ofdifferingtun- nel locations quickly became apparent to everyone A Traffic Tunnel is Proposed involved. As support for the construction of a tunnel As early as 1908, South Hillsresidents, realizing the under Mt.Washington grew, so toodid the controversy limitations of the trolley connection to Pittsburgh, over where that tunnel would be located. The ensuing formed themselves into groups and began agitating for debate reflected a kind ofgeographical partisanship, as a "traffic tunnel" under Mt.Washington. 7 But Pitts- people from throughout the South Hills formed groups burgh's downtown financial interests, the sector usually to advocate tunnel locations that would be of greatest credited withpromoting suburban development, were advantage to their particular localities. not interested inpromoting the continued residential growth of the South Hills;their interests lay in the The Streetcar Era in the South Hills topographically more accessible East End. Even Flinn, Throughout the nineteenth century, Pittsburgh's the principal backer of the streetcar tunnel under suburbanization largely followed the path ofleast resis- Mt.Washington, maintained a lowprofile in the move- tance. Hemmed inbythree rivers, tallsurrounding hills ment tobuild a traffic tunnel into the South Hills.As the and the rugged Mt.Washington escarpment to the editor of the Mt. Lebanon Messenger charged, "The south, Pittsburgh had expanded primarily eastward on prevailing big interests of Pittsburgh are more infavor the relatively level land along the rail line running ofmaintaining the supremacy of the East End than in through Shadyside, East Liberty and Wilkinsburg. In developing a new residential Pittsburgh in the South 1904, however, William Flinn, ex-senator and long- Hills."8 Although support from some downtown inter- time boss ofPittsburgh politics, dug a streetcar tunnel ests was essential for animprovement ofthis magnitude under Mt.Washington withhis associates, thereby open- to succeed, the problem ofactually finding a way to get ing up large tracts of undeveloped land in the South the tunnel built was left largely to the residents of the Hills and along the back face ofMt.Washington. This South Hills themselves. streetcar initiallyran as far as Dormont, on the edge of The South HillsBoard ofTrade was formed in1908 Mt.Lebanon, and from 1903 to 1909 an extension ran and from its inception worked to secure a highway and through Mt.Lebanon to Castle Shannon. 2 tunnel route from downtown Pittsburgh to the South The coming of the trolley precipitated an explosion Hills.9Comprised ofbusinessmen from the South Hills of residential development in the South Hills. Land communities of Allentown, Beltzhoover, Mt.Oliver, values soared as speculators and home buyers flocked to Knoxville,Carrick, Beechview, Brookline,Mt.Lebanon, the area. Three farms inBrookline increased invaluation Castle Shannon and others, the organization boasted a from $68,000 to $1.3 millionbetween the opening of membership of250 in1910.Arguing that over 100,000 the trolley tunnel in 1902 and 1910. The total cost of persons lived in the South Hills and that the district houses being built in the West Liberty, Beechview, required 2,000 wagon loads ofsupplies daily,the group Brookline, Dormont and Mt.Lebanon sections of the attempted topersuade county commissioners tobuilda South Hills immediately adjacent to the trolley line tunnel and bridge combination that would provide amounted to $1.5 million in 1910. 3 access toPittsburgh's downtown. While this building activity in the South Hills was Frank I.Gosser, president of the group, maintained impressive, the limits to expansion were obvious. Since that a new traffic tunnel would pay foritselfinincreased the tunnel was designed for passenger streetcar service, county land valuations and higher tax revenues ina few it could not accommodate heavy team freight. This short years. He noted that the trolley tunnel under restricted the movement ofgoods from the cityand kept Mt.Washington "added $30 million or more to the the transportation cost of building materials high.4 In assessable valuations within three and a halfmiles of the 1910, the South HillsBoard of Trade, a local booster [county] court house, and the population of the district organization, estimated that transportation charges add- had increased 40,000." 10 The effect ofa traffic tunnel, ed $450,000 tothe cost ofgoods coming intothe South he argued, would be even more substantial. Hills.5 Thus, the streetcar initiated the process ofsubur- The idea of a highway and tunnel connection be- banization in the South Hills,but could not adequately tween the South Hills and downtown Pittsburgh was sustain it.Inaddition, although the streetcar connec- initiallywellreceived. Uponbeing presented witha plan tion toPittsburgh fueled a building boom inBeechview, inlate 1909, Allegheny County Commissioners indicat-" Brookline and Dormont, its effect onMt.Lebanon and ed that they "heartily favor[ed] the proposed highway,

131 Pittsburgh History, Fall 1992 but they wouldgive "nodefinite promise" as to the date HillsBoard ofTrade was the LibertyAvenue Bridge and ofconstruction. The proposed plan, also known as the Shalerville Tunnel Association. Although this group Shingiss-Haberman plan or "high"tunnel, was for a shared the original group's desire for a tunnel, they tunnel withanorthern portal onMt.Washington above wanted itina completely different location. Comprised Brownsville Avenue (present-day Arlington Avenue) ofresidents ofCarnegie, Bridgeville, Oakdale, Green- and Carson Street, and a southern portal at Haberman tree, Crafton, Rennerdale, Scott Township, Union Street near Washington Road (present-day Warrington Township, Robinson Township and South Fayette Avenue). The plan also included a double-deck bridge Township, this group advocated a tunnel that would crossing the Monongahela River, with the upper deck pierce Mt.Washington from the south inShalerville, at connecting on the river's north shore with Shingiss the junction of Big and Little Saw Millruns (below Street, which today windsup the hillonto the Duquesne Duquesne Heights, near the intersection ofBanksville University campus above Forbes Avenue. The lower Road). This Shalerville plan, or "western" tunnel, deck connected Carson Street withShingiss and Forbes. would have been located near the site of the Fort Pitt The planned grade ofthe road leading to the tunnel was Tunnels (which did not open until 1960), and would 3.78 percent, making the north portal of this tunnel 80 have provided access along the ridges running south and feet higher than the present-day Liberty Tunnel, and west of the city,an area not wellserved by the Shingiss- 184 feet higher on the south side. 11 Haberman plan. 15 This tunnel and bridge plan was published as a two A second splinter group, calling themselves the page spread in the January 1910 edition of the Allied South HillsTunnel Association, was formed topromote Boards ofTrade Journal, along with an account of the yet another tunnel location. This one became known as meeting between the South Hills Board of Trade and the BellTavern plan, or "low"tunnel. Comprised of county commissioners. The Journafs reporter suggest- residents from Beechview, West Liberty, Brookline, ed that, despite the presence of a specific plan, the Brentwood, Fairhaven, Dormont, Mt.Lebanon, Castle emphasis ofthe meeting was onconvincing the commis- Shannon, and Bridgeville,thisgroup advocated a tunnel sioners to support the idea ofa tunnel, noting that "no near the one originally suggested by the South Hills particular location was advocated, the citizens content- Board of Trade, but with a lower southern portal. 16 A ingthemselves withimpressing upon the County Com- low-exiting tunnel would provide access to communi- missioners [the] necessity of the improvement." 12 This ties lyingdue south ofMtWashington along the valley contentment, however, did not last long. stretching through Dormont and Mt.Lebanon, as well The issues involved insiting the South Hills Tunnel as eastward along SawMillRun valleyintothe boroughs ended up being more a matter ofpolitics than engineer- of Brentwood and Fair Haven. These communities ing.13 Although civic sentiment inthe South Hills sug- would not have been as well served by the originally gested that the proposed tunnel was "not a sectional proposed high tunnel option (the Shingiss-Haberman improvement," engineering criteria alone would not plan), which wouldhave provided access to the commu- determine the tunnel location. Judging by their rheto- nities located high in the hills along the Carrick ridge ric,Pittsburgh's progressive reformers wanted improve- stretching southeast from the tunnel location, such as ments such as the South Hills tunnel as "matters of Allentown,Beltzhoover, Mt.Oliver,Knoxville,Arling- business and not ofpolitics," but the behavior of the ton Heights, St. Clair, and Carrick. 17 people involved in the process suggested otherwise. This "low"option was initially put forward by Ed- Both Pittsburghers and their South Hills counter- ward M.Bigelow, the state highway commissioner and parts were well aware of the political and economic former director of the Pittsburgh Public Works Depart- implications of the tunnel location. The various plans ment. It called for a tunnel with a northern portal at withtheir differingportal locations augured dramatical- Carson and South First streets in the Southside and lydifferent effects for the future direction ofSouth Hills exiting low in the South Hillsby the Bell Tavern inthe development. As one tunnel advocate remarked, "The Saw MillRun valley, near the junction of West Liberty location for this proposed initial highway is of the and Warrington avenues. This tunnel would have been greatest importance. The first great improvement will 6,280 feet long with a rising grade of 2.12 percent. largely control future destinies." Gosser even went so far Lambasted by Gosser and discounted by Frederick Law as to suggest— that "the location is ofcontrolling impor- Olmsted, Jr. inhis 191 1planning report for the city of tance probably more so than the improvement it- Pittsburgh, this proposal nonetheless exerted consider- self."14 Engaged ina high degree ofgeographical parti- able influence on the final selection. The eventual sanship, various groups ofSouth Hillsresidents mobi- location of the Liberty Tubes's south portal was very lized their forces in an effort to obtain the tunnel close to that proposed by Bigelow in this plan. 18 location that would be ofmost benefit to them. Not surprisingly, membership in the various tunnel groups was largely determined by geographical loca- Geographical Partisanship and the Debate Over tion.The only community tobelong to more than one Tunnel Location group was Bridgeville, located far enough to the south The first group ofresidents to split from the South tobenefit from almost any of the tunnel options.

132 This 1919 map shows proposed locations for tunnels to the South Hills. 1is the Haberman, or "high" tunnel; 2 is a proposed extension; 3 was the Morse tunnel. Itwas almost parallel to the Neeld tunnel, which was started and quickly stopped in 1915. 4 was not a tunnel at allbut would have been an open cut, similar to a proposal by City Engineer W. M. Donley, who hated tunnels. 5 was the Shalerville, or "western" tunnel, and 6 was a variation; neither was in the running forlong, but the Fort PittTunnels built in1960 closely paralleled the Shalerville proposal. The Bell Tavern, or "low"plan, was chosen in 1919 and built as the LibertyTunnel, as indicated on the map. The map to the right shows some early thoughts on connecting the tunnel to a bridge and adjacent streets.

The western-most tunnel, the Shalerville plan, failed Trade, the Shingiss- Haberman "high"tunnel plan, was to attract much attention and dropped out of public also the choice supported by Olmsted. Olmsted stated discussion. As a result, the major dispute over the that the high route was clearly "the best" choke and proposed tunnel's location involved only the high and indicated that this route wouldprovide access to 1,091 low options, a decision that ultimately lay in the hands acres within 2 1/2 miles ofCityHall,and 7,408 acres of the Allegheny County Commissioners. Plans for the within4miles (as opposed to 156 acres and 6,329 acres connecting bridge were stalled while county officials respectively for the low level route). 20 tried to resolve the dispute over the location of the As a staunch advocate of the high tunnel option, tunnel. This bridge, now known as the Liberty Bridge, Gosser illustrates the political dimensions of the tunnel was eventually builtby the cityofPittsburgh instead of debate. Arguing for acceptance of the Shingiss-Haber- the county, and opened to the public in1928. 19 man proposal, Gosser suggested that it was the only The tunnel supported by the South Hills Board of logical choice because it would connect an already

133 Pittsburgh History, Vail1992 developed and highly populated section of the South ly considered. Streets and bridges willdo more for the Hills with the downtown area. Perceived by Gosser as South Hills than tunnels multiplied by tunnels, ever providing an "almost incalculable benefit to the entire will."24 community," the Shingiss-Haberman location would have the effect of Donley's proposal, as odd as his reasoning sounds to the modern ear, was quickly supported by Dr. J.P. Kerr, a cheapening and quickening transportation; enlarging Pittsburgh City Councilman from the Southside, and the business area of the downtown section; bringing Charles A.Poth, a prominent Mt.Oliver attorney. Both one hundred thousand people miles nearer the center these individuals had interests in promoting develop- ofthe city;revitalizing a vast section immediately east ment high in the South Hills along the hilltops facing of the court house; affording to thousands ofpoor the city, rather than lower in the valley or along the people, ina district now isolated, the opportunity to interior ridge.25 The Southside could only benefit from walk to and from their employment, etc. 21 increased bridge access to Pittsburgh, and Mt.Oliver, owing to its location along the ridge overlooking the According to Gosser, adopting the low-exiting Bell Monongahela, would benefit the least of any of the Tavern plan would be detrimental to the interests ofthe South Hills communities from a tunnel under city as a whole. Ifthe Bell Tavern plan were endorsed, Mt.Washington. he said, "the whole splendid conception would be Actual construction ofa tunnel began in1915, only prostituted to the imaginary interests of a few land to be halted by a court challenge testing the right of the sharks." Suggesting that the "sentiment for the Shingiss county to build tunnels. This first tunnel project was Street-Haberman project has ruthlessly been appropri- named after its consulting engineer, A.D.Neeld (who ated by exploiters ofa bigland speculation beyond Bell also supervised the Liberty Tubes). The Neeld tunnel Tavern," Gosser charged that "a highway leading from was located approximately half-way between the high Carson Street, by the longest subterranean tunnel for and lowoptions. Itwould have connected Carson Street general traffic— purposes on record, out into vast vacant near South Third Street to a point 67 feet below the territory is amatter that ought tobe inquired into."22 grade ofWarrington Avenue near Boggs Avenue on the Whether and in what ways the matter was "inquired south. 26 into" is unclear, but Gosser and the other high level Contracts for the Neeld Tunnel were letinthe fallof tunnel advocates ultimately lost their spirited battle for 1915 and the contractors diverted a sewer on the west the votes of the county commissioners. side of the tunnel before stopping work pending the The debate over what was best for the development outcome of the court suit. The Pennsylvania Supreme ofthe South Hills was not just restricted to the question Court, however, decided the case in favor ofthe tunnel of tunnels and their location. As itbecame increasingly opponents in July 1916, ruling the act authorizing evident that the political willexisted toprovide public funding for some sort of transportation improvement to the South Hills,many other groups and individuals scrambled to present their plans. An alternative to all of the tunnel propositions, titled the "HillTop Plan," was proposed by Pittsburgh City Engineer W.M. Donley inNovember 1914. Displaying a vehe- ment anti-tunnel bias, Donley attempted to gain support forhis plan by denigrating tunnels and extolling the virtues ofbridges and streets. 23 Inacknowledging that "the certainty of a new era for the expansion and development of the South Hills"existed, Donley suggested that

Tunnels are restricted in their possibilities in development, bridges and streets are all-conquer- ing and pervasive intheirs. People prefer the open air and views oftheir surroundings and perspec- tives, in goingfrom place to place, not the isola- tionand the fetid air oftunnels. Tunnels, whose lengths run into the thousands offeet repel the pedestrian as well as the man in the vehicle, because there is a vast distinction between the The Pittsburgh contracting firmofBooth and Flinn also builtthe Holland great outside and the smallinside, atmospherical- Tunnel inNew York while itcompleted the Liberty' Tubes.

134 The Saga ofPittsburgh's Liberty Tube

construction unconstitutional due to a defective title. On May 23, 1919, the Allegheny County Planning Once the act was rewritten the following year and the Commission decided unanimously in favor of the Bell authority of the county to build tunnels was firmly Tavern Plan, and on December 3, 1919, the commis- established, the Neeld Tunnel was re-evaluated. At this sionawarded the contract for a low-exitingtunnel to the point, the county commissioners delegated the decision contractor ofthe ill-fated Neeld Tunnel, Booth &Flinn, on tunnel location to the newly created County Plan- Ltd., the construction firm aligned with Pittsburgh's ning Commission. 27 Republican political machine. Although the Magee- Although some work on the Neeld Tunnel had Flinn machine had lost considerable power in the early already been done, the commission rejected the project years of the twentieth century, Booth & Flinn still because its north portal, connecting withCarson Street competed successfully for many local city-building at grade, would interfere with cross traffic, and the 6 projects. Perhaps as important as its political connec- percent grade of the approach along Warrington Ave- tions at the time ofthe LibertyTubes contract, however, nue to the south portal was deemed too steep. When Booth & Flinn had recently been named the major 1919, 29 construction ofa South Hills tunnel resumed in t contractor for the Holland Tunnel inNew York. itwas for a tunnel exiting even lower into the undevel- Ground-breaking ceremonies for the Liberty Tubes oped valleys of the South Hills.28 were held onDecember 20, 1919, and actual construc- tionbegan the next month. Anticipated to cost approx- The Liberty Tubes imately $4.5 million when let out to bid, the final cost After years of controversy, lawsuits and false starts, of the Liberty Tubes amounted to $5,994,642.83. the supporters ofthe low tunnel option were victorious. Slated for completion on June 17, 1922, labor troubles

Lookingsouth from the southern portal, 1932. West Liberty Avenue stretches southward towards Mt. Lebanon and Dormont. Before the Liberty tunnel, the onlydirect connection between city and suburb was a trolleyline. Freight traffic was routed around Mt. Washington, a costly and inconvenient course.

135 Pittsburgh History, Fall 1992

systems capable of and economic depression delayed construction for al- nized the need to build ventilation deadly automobiles. 35 most a year. Work began again inMarch 1921 and the removing the exhaust of engineering feat ofno small propor- workers set new records intunnel excavation, averaging Representing an 36 feet per day for a year. During the twoyears workers tions, the ventilation system of the Liberty Tubes was actually digging the tunnel, three men were killed one ofitsmost notable design features. Since the Liberty were was inseparate incidents when theyprematurely investigat- Tubes were built at a time when little known about ed why their explosive charges failed to detonate. This the effects of "poisonous gases discharged by motor was was considered a "minimum offatalities" according to vehicles in tunnels," considerable time and energy the standards of the time.30 invested indesigning an adequate and safe ventilation The actual boring of the tunnels was completed in system. Workinginconjunction withthe U.S. Bureau of July 1922. Over the course ofconstruction, 200 work- Mines, the Liberty Tubes' engineers designed a system men removed 400,000 cubic yards ofearth and rock and that would remove the polluted air at a point halfway used 120,000 cubicyards ofconcrete requiring 820,000 through the tunnel while simultaneously providing a 36 sacks ofcement and 2,100 tons ofsteel reinforcing. By new supply of fresh air. January of1924, the Liberty Tubes were virtuallycom- Inorder to ventilate the tubes, a shaft comprised of pleted and were opened to the public. Unrestricted use four compartments was built for each tunnel. Located ofthe tunnels, however, had towaituntil the ventilation slightly off-center from the middle of the tunnels, the system was completed the followingyear, 1925. 31 Traf- ventilation shafts extended 200 feet vertically from the fic monitors counted vehicles and hours of use were top of the tunnels to the fan house floor located high restricted. above inMt.Washington. Utilizingthe current provid- At the time of their construction, the Liberty Tubes ed by moving vehicles, fresh air was pulled inwith the were the longest vehicular tunnels ever built. The Lib- traffic at each portal and pulled to the center, where the erty Tunnels extend 5 ,889 feet fromportal toportal and ventilating shafts drew the vitiated air up out and out consist of twotubes 59 feet apart from center tocenter. through a tower 110 feet above grade at the fan house The portal of the Liberty Tubes on the Pittsburgh side building. Fans also forced fresh air through a different is132 feet above riverlevel and slopes upward at a 0.329 compartment of the same shaft down into the tunnel, percent grade to a 20 foot higher elevation at its blowing itin the direction of the moving traffic from a southern portal near the BellTavern inthe Saw MillRun point about 50 feet from the location ofthe intake vents. valley. Each tunnel is 28.6 feet wide, with a maximum The air was then carried along withthe flowoftraffic and finished height of20.75 feet above the 11inch concrete exhausted out the other end. Wind breaks constructed roadbed. The roadways themselves are 21 feet wide and at the tunnel faces prevented cross-currents ofoutside were originally constructed with4 foot sidewalks to the air from interfering with the air flow exiting the tun- right of the roadway ineach tunnel. 32 nels. 37 The LibertyTubes have the distinction ofbeing the Although the ventilation system was not completed world's first long automobile traffic tunnel, although until1925, intense pressure existed to open the tunnel they are rarely accorded that honor. New York's Hol- to traffic early. On Saturday morning, May 10, 1924, land Tunnel is usually credited with being "the first after the tunnel had been inrestricted operation for a few 'Motor Age' tunnel" despite the fact that its construc- months, a traffic jamoccurred as the result ofa streetcar tionbegan one year after the LibertyTubes were started strike. According to the checker assigned to count the and it was not completed until three years after the number ofautomobiles entering the tunnels, 649 cars Liberty Tubes were opened to the public.33 Since the entered the in-bound tube between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., Liberty Tubes were, in fact, specifically designed to setting a new record. Originating in the downtown accommodate automobiles, the reason for this slight is district, automobiles backed up the entire length of the unclear. A possible explanation is that the Holland inbound tube. The traffic officers on duty ordered Tunnel's design plans were developed prior to those of everyone to shut off their engines, but many drivers the Liberty Tubes. Further, the Holland Tunnel was ignored the command. According to the officialinves- designed solely for use by automobiles, whereas the tigation, as the air became polluted withexhaust fumes, LibertyTubes were designed to accommodate pedestri- many of the motorists stuck in the tubes "became ans, streetcars and horse-drawn wagons as wellas auto- panicky, abandoned their machines and rushed for the mobiles, although streetcar traffic was banned by the exits." Twelve people were taken tolocal hospitals, but county commission while the tunnels were still under no one was seriously injured. After six hours ofhauling construction. In addition, unlike the Liberty Tubes, out the many abandoned vehicles, the Liberty Tubes which are land tunnels, the Holland Tunnel was con- were opened again. No further episodes of this kind structed under the Hudson River and is somewhat were reported, and by the time the ventilation system longer (8,463 feet, portal to portal, with5,480 feet of was fully operational, the Liberty Tubes were already the tunnel beneath the river).34 Both the Holland fulfillingtheir expected potential. By the end of1925, Tunnel and the Liberty Tubes, however, qualify as building activity in the South Hillshad outstripped that "Motor Age" tunnels because their designers recog- ofall other sections of the city.38

136 The Saga ofPittsburgh's Liberty Tube

The Effects ofthe Tubes percent. The Brookline-Beechview section of Pitts- The original proponents ofa South Hills tunnel had burgh increased its population 117 percent, while Dor- promised a residential building boom, and the Liberty mont experienced growth of104 percent. The popula- Tubes delivered it.Increasing population, traffic counts tionincrease ofnearby communities was not as dramat- and tax valuations all attest to the rise ofthe South Hills ic,but was nonetheless substantial. Overbrook, Brent- as Pittsburgh's pre-eminent residential district. With the wood, Castle Shannon and Baldwin Township increased barrier posed byMt. Washington effectively breached, theirpopulationsacollective83.9percent. 39Incompar- thousands of Pittsburghers streamed into the South ison, the communities that would have been best served Hills seeking building sites far from the smoke of the by a tunnel exitinghigh in the hills,such as Allentown, industrial city. Beltzhoover, Carrick, Knoxvilleand Mt.Oliver,experi- Not surprisingly, the population of the South Hills enced a combined growth ofonly around 25.8 percent district increased dramatically during the decade the (See Table p. 139).40 Tubes were opened. Between 1920 and 1930, the The increasing population of the South Hillsdistrict population ofMt.Lebanon increased a staggering 494 inevitably led to the increased use of the tunnels. Since

Motorists now had a bridge directly crossing the river, but the traffic circle on the tunnel's northen end was stillconfounding drivers inNovember 1932. The portals have since been remodelled.

137 The traffic circle at the north portal, shown here in 1933, was first reduced, then eventually eliminated in favor oftraffic lights. the Liberty Bridge was not completed until 1928, the over 2,000 vehicles headed into the city at the morning opening of the Tubes initially created more traffic rush hour between 8 and 9 a.m. By1933, morningpeak problems than it solved. In order to enter the down- totals averaged from 2,341 to 2,632 per hour and town district, traffic exiting the Tubes had tomanage a evening outbound totals were almost as high. Given the sharp S-curve, then travel west on Carson Street before depressed economic conditions of that period and the crossing the already over-crowded Smithfield Street consequent drop in number of automobile registra- Bridge. Although the opening of the Liberty Bridge on tions, the increase in automobile traffic through the March 27, 1928 helped relieve this congestion, the tunnels is all the more significant. 45 tunnel and bridge connection was still barely able to Although the most dramatic result of the opening of keep up with the expanding number of commuters. 41 the Liberty Tubes was the residential expansion of the By 1930, traffic counts at the Liberty Tubes indicat- South Hills, its residents were not the only users of ed the tunnels were already operating at their maximum course. Infact, of23,824 vehicles indentified entering design capacity. Ata meeting held in1932 before the and leaving the Tubes on November 23, 1933, only county commission debating the need for an additional 26.7 percent (6,361 ) were registered inthe South Hills, tunnel under Mt.Washington, many people complained Passenger cars accounted for about 90 percent of the that the Liberty Tubes were too congested. One vehicles passing through the tubes daily, withthe rest in Mt.Lebanon realtor even suggested that Tube conges- truck traffic.46 The data suggests the importance of the tion was beginning to act as a detriment to sales. 42 An Liberty Tubes in the overall transportation network of engineer hired by a downtown business group to write Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh region. They a report in support ofa second tunnel summarized the were clearly of major economic value to the region, general consensus by stating "there is little doubt that The effects of the Liberty Tubes, however, were not the Liberty Bridge and Tubes have reached their traffic just confined to increased population, more frequent handling capacity under peak load conditions and relief traffic jams and better regional traffic flow.By the early is needed." 43 The report indicated that traffic through 1930s, the South Hillsdistrict was contending withthe the tunnels had increased dramatically during the late East End as Pittsburgh's premier residential district. 47 1920s, risingfrom 10,044 automobiles per day in1928 Although the East End community of Squirrel Hill to 24,345 in 1931. 44 On one day inDecember 1930, remained one of the most affluent communities in the

138 The Saga ofPittsburgh's Liberty Tube

Pittsburgh region, housing values inthe the South Hills Monongahela River parallel to the Wabash bridge near were also quite high. Compared to Squirrel Hillhous- Ferry Street downtown. 54 ing, fewer houses in the South Hills were valued at In 1933, the Southside Advancement Association $20,000 or more, but 89 percent in the South Hills proposed a high-level tunnel connecting Carrick,Knox- topped $10,000 in value, compared to 85 percent for villeand Mt.Oliver withPittsburgh via a tunnel exiting Squirrel Hilland only 29.9 percent city-wide. 48 (In into the Southside, withtraffic planned tocross over the addition, houses inthese twoelite,residential areas were 10th Street Bridge.55 Another Depression-era plan, part larger and more likely to be built of brick or stone, ofa larger infrastructure-building project tobe financed another sign ofeach district's affluence .49)Although the by the Works Progress Administration, called for re- East Endremained a strong residential choice for Pitts- modeling the Wabash railroad tunnel as a tolltunnel for burgh's middle class wellintothe twentieth century, the automobiles. Public resistance to the proposed tolls, South Hills district was clearly growing in wealth and however, caused the entire deal to fall through. 56 importance. Despite the many plans put forward over the years, The improved access to the city provided by the it was not until 1960 that a second tunnel under LibertyTubes also resulted insignificantly higher prop- Mt.Washington, the Fort Pitt Tunnel, was construct- erty values in the South Hills.Mt.Lebanon's taxable ed. However, congestion was still not eliminated, as valuation, for example, increased from $4.3 millionin —traffic through the Liberty Tubes continued to increase 1920 to $27.8 million in1931, an average increase of considered over-burdened in1932 witha daily load over $2 million per year. Prior to the opening of the of25,000 vehicles, by 1975 that burden had grown to Liberty Tubes, Mt.Lebanon's growth rate had aver- 60,000. 57 aged only about $760,000 per year. 50 The value ofreal estate inthe area directly affected by the Tubes, includ- Conclusion ing Beechview, Brookline, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon, The fullpossibilities ofautomobile ownership could Castle Shannon, and other nearby communities, in- only be realized through the construction ofnew infra- creased 192 percent between 1920 and 1935. 51 Ifreal structure, and in the Pittsburgh region, the rugged estate values inthe area had increased only at the same topography required the construction ofespecially large rate as in the city, they would have been slightly over and expensive projects. The resulting expansion inland $26 million in1935 — less than half their actual 1935 values and housing developments, however, far out- value. 52 A 1935 report analyzing the Liberty Tubes weighed the initial high cost of construction. InPitts- confidently attributed this additional value directly to burgh's South Hills,this linkbetween the automobile, the increased access they provided. 53 highway improvement and rising real estate valuations Not surprisingly, geographical partisan- ship over the location Population Change ofCertain South Hills Communities, of transportation in- 1920-1930 frastructure in the Pittsburgh region did not end withthe open- 1920 1930 % change ing of the Liberty Tubes. South Hills Dormont 6,455 13,190 104.3 residents and their 2,258 13,403 downtown allies con- Mt.Lebanon 493.6 fight Brookline 4,959 10,131 104.3 tinued to forim- 11,417 proved access to the Beechview 4,988 128.9 In1926, two city. only Overbrook 2,185 4,967 127.3 years after the Tubes 5,381 217.5 were opened, plans for Brentwood 1,695 tunnel under Castle Shannon 2,353 3,810 61.9 another 4,928 6,371 29.3 Mt.Washington were Baldwin Twp. formally proposed. Oliver 5,575 7,071 26.8 This plan called for a Mt. Allentown/Beltzhoover 10,223 21,974 8.6 tunnel further west 16,033 Liberty Carrick 10,504 52.6 than the 7,201 8,303 Tubes, and would Knoxville 15.3 have connected Saw Source: U.S. Census, 1920 and 1930; and WilliamL.Zemberry, "ASurvey ofthe Effect ofTolls at Run Boulevard Mill the Liberty Tunnels," unpublished bound typescript, 1935, unpaged, section II.A.3/4 on the south with a bridge over the

139 Pittsburgh History, Fall1992

was clear. The Liberty Tubes provided the transporta- Believing that easy transportation access was the key to the tion access that transformed Pittsburgh's southern pe- region's success, the group worked to relieve congestion on riphery. the Smithfield Street Bridge and toimprove the South Hills's But the saga ofthe Tubes is more than just a story of trolley connections to Pittsburgh. Along with the constant improved access to the city. Inmany ways, ithighlights promotion of a tunnel through Mt.Washington, such en- the important inter-connections between citizen ac- deavors were the mainstay ofthe organization. AlliedBoards tion, politics and urban growth. As the geographic of Trade Journal, Jan. 1910, back cover advertisement; Feb. partisans ofPittsburgh's periphery were all too aware, 1910,2, 13, 16; May 1910, 13-14; and Pittsburgh Sun, May the mostimportant consideration inthe construction of 26, 1922. the Liberty Tubes was not one of engineering, traffic 10 AlliedBoards ofTradeJournal, Jan. 1910, 3, and back cover flows or exhaust ventilation; it was a question ofloca- advertisement; and Feb. 1910, 2. tion. For the people involved in getting the tunnels uAlliedBoards ofTradeJournal, Jan. 1910, 3-5; and Descrip- built,as wellas for the many subsequent— residents ofthe tionof theLiberty Tunnels, Power Plant andBridge, compiled South Hills,the crucial issue— the one whichprovoked byDepartment ofPublic Works, Bureau ofBridges, County the most heated debate was whether the first auto- ofAllegheny (Pittsburgh, c. 1926), 1. mobile tunnel to carry would-be suburbanites under 12 AlliedBoards ofTrade Journal, Jan. 1910, 3-5. Mt.Washington would exitintothe South Hillshigh or 13 The report bythe Allegheny County Public Works Depart- low. \u25a0 ment which describes the various projects considered relies solely on engineering criteria as explanation for each site rejected. Since this report was prepared at the request of •Joel A. Tarr, "Infrastructure and City-Buildinginthe Nine- county commissioners "forthe benefit ofother communities teenth and Twentieth Centuries," inSamuel Hays, ed., The who [were] facing similar problems," its explanations proba- City at the Point: Essays inPittsburgh Social History (Pitts- bly reflect the county commissioners' "sanitized" version of burgh, 1989), 246-47; Steven J. Fenves, "Trends and Con- the debate rather than actual circumstance. Description ofthe troversies inBridge Design: AHistory ofPittsburgh's Bridg- LibertyTunnels, cover letter and 2. es," (Unpublished paper, Carnegie MellonUniversity,1988); 14 AlliedBoards of Trade Journal, Feb. 1910, 9, 16; The Joel A.Tarr, Transportation Innovation and Changing Spa- Municipal News, May 20, 1911,9. tialPatterns inPittsburgh, 1850-1934 (Chicago, 1978), 33- 15 AlliedBoards of Trade Journal, Feb. 1910, 13; "New 34;and Franklin Toker, Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait(Uni- Automobile and Good Road Map ofAllegheny County, Pa., versity Park, Pa., 1986), 303-04. 1923"; and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 28, 1960. 2 Pittsburgh Leader, May 29, 1904; and Lee Gregory, "Birth 16 Pittsburgh Leader, Dec. 21, 1919; and, Frederick Law ofa Trolley Town, Part II:Liberty Tunnel is Birth Canal," Olmsted, Pittsburgh: Main Thoroughfares and the Down Town Mt.Lebanon Magazine (June/July 1986), 28-35. District(Pittsburgh, 1911). 3 AlliedBoards ofTrade Journal, Feb. 1910, 2 and 8; and May 17Pittsburgh Leader, Dec. 21, 1919;and TheMunicipalNews, 1910,13. May 20, 1911,9. 4 VirginiaBeck, "The Evolution ofGovernment inAllegheny 18Description of the Liberty Tunnels, 1; Olmsted, 51-56; and County" (Ph.D. dissertation, UniversityofPittsburgh, 1941 ), The MunicipalNews, May 20, 1911,9. 98, fn. 47. 19 Pittsburgh Sun, May 25, 1919; Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 5 AlliedBoards ofTrade Journal, Jan. 1910, 3. 1919; WilliamL.Zemberry, "ASurvey ofthe Effect ofTolls 6 Dormont population in 1910: 1,115; 1920: 6,455; at the Liberty Tunnels," unpublished bound manuscript, Mt.Lebanon in 1912: 1,705; 1920: 2,258. U.S. Census 1935, unpaged, section I.E. 2; and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bureau, Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, vol. I, March 28, 1928. Number and Distribution ofInhabitants, Table 2, 13; and, 20 Description ofthe LibertyTunnels, 1;and, Olmsted, 54-55. "Mt.Lebanon FiftiethAnniversary," Mt.Lebanon News, Sec- InDescription ofthe LibertyTunnels, engineers suggested that tion II,July 3, 1962. this project was not built "because of heavy grade 7 its and the AlliedBoards of Trade Journal, Jan. 1910, back cover height ofthe bridge and the long climb from West Liberty advertisement; AlliedBoards ofTrade Journal, Feb. 1910, 13; Avenue to its south portal." Pittsburgh Leader, Dec.—21,1919;and "Extension ofRemarks 21 The MunicipalNews, May 20, 1911,9. of James G. Fulton Samuel A. Schreiner: Outstanding 22 Ibid. 23 Pennsylvania Citizen and Community Leader," Congression- Itis interesting to note that Donley continued to work on alRecord — 13, Appendix, April 1967. tunnel proposals, offering several plans ofhis own as wellas 8 Mt.Lebanon 1916, Messenger, Sept. 1;Pittsburgh Board of participating indesigning the plan that was ultimately accept- Trade, East End: Greater Pittsburgh's Classic Section (Pitts- ed. Description the Liberty Tunnels, 2; and, "Pittsburgh burgh, of 1907); and John N.Ingham, "Steel CityAristocrats," South HillsTunnel and Earlier Projects," Engineering News- inCity at thePoint, 275-78. 24, 9 Record (July 1919), 167. Inaddition to promoting the development ofnew projects 24 HillTop Record, Nov. 27, 1914. likethe South 25 — Hills Tunnel, the South HillsBoard ofTrade Ibid.; and The Index Co., Prominent Families 1915: was dedicated toimproving existing connections tothe city. Pittsburgh, Suburban Districts and Adjacent Towns (Pitts-

140 The Saga ofPittsburgh's Liberty Tube burgh, c.1915), 121. 45Evening south-bound totals ranged from 2,184 to 2,563. 26 Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, July 2, 1916; and "Pittsburgh Zemberry, I.E.3.1 and I.E.3.a; and Hearings, opposite 86. South HillsTunnel and Earlier Projects," Engineering News 46 Vehicles registered inthe CityofPittsburgh accounted for Record (July 24, 1919), 166. 26.4 percent (6,288) ofthe total, and 26.5 percent (6,326) 27Engineering News 74(August 12, 1915), 300; Engineering came fromPennsylvania localitiesoutside Allegheny County. News76 (July 6,1916), 45;Description oftheLibertyTunnels, Allegheny County registrations outside the South Hillscon- 2; Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, July 2, 1916; and Mt.Lebanon tributed 11.2 percent (2,681),and out-of-state cars made up Messenger, Sept. 1916, 1. the rest (9.1 percent or 2,168). Automobiles numbered 28 Description ofthe Liberty Tunnels, 2. 10,832, while 1,131 trucks used the tunnels. Zemberry, 29 Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 1919 and Dec. 21, 1919; Pitts- I.E.3.a. burghLeader, Dec. 21,1919; Engineering News 74 (Aug. 12, 47See Steven J. Hoffman, '"APlan ofQuality':The Develop- 1915), 300; and Tarr, 236-53. ment ofMt.Lebanon, A1920s Automobile Suburb," Journal 30Pittsburgh Leader, Dec. 21,1919; Pittsburgh Sun, Dec. 29, ofUrban History 18, No. 2 (February 1992) for a discussion 1919, July 17, 1922, and Jan. 30, 1924; Pittsburgh Gazette- ofMt.Lebanon's growth and development as an early auto- Times, Sept. 9, 1923 and April 7, 1926; Pittsburgh Post- mobilesuburb. Gazette,Oct. 27, 1927 and Sept. 26, 1936; Description ofthe 48 A 1934 survey showed 28 percent ofSquirrel Hill's4,021 Liberty Tunnels, 2-5, 13; and Tarr, 30. owner-occupied, single-familyhomes were valued at $20,000 31 Pittsburgh Sun, July 17, 1922 and Jan. 30, 1924; and or more, compared to only 13 percent ofMt. Lebanon's Description ofthe Liberty Tubes, 2-5, 13. 2,124 owner-occupied, single-family homes. In1930 Squir- 32 Description of the Liberty Tunnels, 2-5; The American relHillhad 4,959 owner-occupied dwellings,both single and Architect, (July 5,1928), 55-58;Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. multi-family,Mt.Lebanon had 2,074, and the City ofPitts- 27, 1927; and Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, Sept. 9, 1923. burgh had 62,309. RealProperty InventoryofAllegheny Coun- 33 Construction on the Holland Tunnel began on Oct. 12, ty (Pittsburgh, 1937), 119, 124; and U.S. Census Bureau, 1920, and the tunnel didnot open to the public untilNov.12, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Population, Vol- 1927. Archibald Black, The Story of Tunnels (New York, ume VI,Families, Tables 21 and 24. 1937), 184-88; T.M. Megaw and J.V. Bartlett, Tunnels: 49 Over 45 percent ofSquirrel Hill'shouses had seven rooms Planning, Design, Construction (NewYork, 198 1),vol.1,41; or more, as compared to 36.5 percent forMt.Lebanon and Patrick Beaver, AHistory of Tunnels (London, 1972), 117- only20.5 percent city-wide.Furthermore, 88.2 percent ofthe 18;Description ofthe Liberty Tunnels; and, Pittsburgh Gazette- homes in Squirrel Hillwere built of brick or stone, while Times, April7, 1926. Dormont and Mt.Lebanon boasted percentages of91.9 and 34 Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 1919; Pittsburgh Sun, March 6, 87.7, respectively. This compares to a city-wide average of 1922; and Black, 189. 52.7 percent. (Note: The calculation forthe number ofrooms 35 Brunton, Davis and Davies, 457; Beaver, 116-118; and per unit was based onthe totalnumber ofdwellingunits, not Description ofthe LibertyTunnels. the number ofhouses/apartment buildings.) Squirrel Hill 36Stanley L.Roush, "LibertyTunnel Fan House, Pittsburgh, had 10,428 dwellingunits in1930, Mt.Lebanon had 4,579, Pa.," The American Architect (July 5, 1928), 55-58; Pitts- Dormont 3,873, and the City ofPittsburgh 154,074. (The burgh Gazette -Times, April7, 1926; Description ofthe Liberty number ofstructures builtofbrickorstone was based on the Tunnels', and Tarr, 30. total number of housing structures, not the number of < 7 Ibid. housing units.) SquirrelHillhad 6,833 dwellingstructures in 38 Description ofthe LibertyTunnels, 9-10. 1930, MtLebanon had 3,460, Dormont 2,760, and the City 39 Zemberry, II.A.3/4. ofPittsburgh 104,494. RealProperty Inventory, 202-08 and 40 Zemberry, II.A.3/4;and, various population tables from 76-82. U.S. Census Bureau, Fourteenth Census of the United States, 50 Hearings, 10-11. 1920 and Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. 51 The area described also included Overbrook, Brentwood, 41Pittsburgh Post, May 24, 1919; Pittsburgh Press, March 25, Baldwin, Bethel, Jefferson, Scott, Snowden, and Upper St. 1928; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 28, 1928; and Pitts- Clair.Zemberry, II.A.4. burgh Sun-Telegraph, June 3, 1928. 52 Actual values were about $55 million. Zemberry, II.A.4. 42 Hearings Before the Board ofCounty Commissioners Relat- 53 Zemberry, II.A.4. ingto theNecessity-Value Purchase and Use ofthePittsburgh & 54 Zemberry, III.C.l. West VirginiaRailroad Company's Wabash Bridge and Tun- 55 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 1, 1933 nelfora County TrafficLane intoPittsburgh atFourth Avenue 56 Hearings, 7-8; Zemberry, I.F. and III.B.;Pittsburgh Post- and Liberty Street, Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, c. 1932), Gazette, Oct.2,19$$,Pittsburgh Press, June 1,1934; and, The 24. BulletinIndex, April4, 1935. 43 Ibid.,85. 57 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 2, 1960; Hearings, 85; and 44 Ibid., 85. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 20, 1975.

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