News dispatches from around the region — and updates on the East End and beyond.
Neighborhood News in the East End
East Liberty Celebrates Mary Lou Williams
Like most of you, I am eagerly looking forward to spring and all of its beauty and warmth after such a cold winter. As the neighborhood thaws, East Liberty is looking forward to celebrating the “Little Piano Girl,” Mary Lou Williams, by adding a plaque with her name to East Liberty Boulevard.
Born in 1910, Mary Lou Williams taught herself to play the piano at just 3 years old. By the age of 6, she began to play publicly for influential families, earning the “Little Piano Girl” nickname in prominent circles. By 12, Williams became well known in the Pittsburgh music scene as a paid musician.
As a teen, her natural talent and love of jazz music led her to play alongside and arrange music for jazz legend Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy band. As her talent became more widely known, she began composing and arranging music for famous artists including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Tommy Dorsey, and Miles Davis. Breaking barriers as a prominent female artist in the male-dominated jazz scene of the 1930s, Williams became one of the most sought-after composers of the swing era.
A Legacy in Pittsburgh and Beyond
Moving to New York in 1942, she formed a band; her remarkable talent influenced the new generation of bebop artists then rising in renown. In 1977, she was appointed as artist-in-residence at Duke University, teaching classes in the history of jazz.
Never forgetting her hometown, Williams produced the inaugural Pittsburgh Jazz Festival in 1964; the event still takes place annually.
To preserve her legacy and support the work of the Mary Lou Williams Institute, the East Liberty community is proud to add a plaque in her honor along East Liberty Boulevard. To learn more about Mary Lou Williams — East Liberty’s “Little Piano Girl” — and for more information on upcoming music events, visit marylouwilliamsinst.org. — Valerie Parm
Extended Squirrel Hill Tunnel Closure Set for Summer
The aging Commercial Street Bridge, which forms a portion of Interstate 376 just east of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, will be replaced this summer — a necessity, considering the age of many Pittsburgh bridges. The closure, however, will impact traffic in the East End and beyond, stretching far past the parkway itself.
From July 10 through August 3, a detour will divert inbound traffic off the parkway and onto Penn Avenue via Ardmore Boulevard, meeting Fifth Avenue near Chatham University and rejoining I-376 past Oakland. Needless to say, cramming highway traffic onto crowded city streets is expected to cause significant congestion throughout the planned 25-day closure.
The Department of Transportation is recommending several alternate routes, including such out-of-the-way detours as taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Route 28 — or even all the way to Interstate 79 at Cranberry.
Details on routes and construction updates are available at pa.gov/ commercialstbridge — and for businesses and homeowners along the detour route, prepare for a lot of waiting in July and August. (Perhaps consider operating a roadside lemonade stand?) — Sean Collier
What to See in Oakmont
For readers who may be new to Shady Ave, let me introduce you to Oakmont — and invite you to pay a visit.
We are a small town of 6,700 people residing 13.4 miles from the heart of Pittsburgh. Our town, along the Allegheny River, shines for its many oak trees (and, of course, the famous Oakmont Country Club). If you’ve never been to Oakmont, a clear spring day is a great time to visit our 1-square-mile town.
Pick a lovely day and be ready to walk — our Arboretum Trail runs through town. As you walk the trail, you’ll find plenty of reasons to stop: 10 fine restaurants, two pizza shops, a homemade ice cream shop (Brr-Kee’s) and the famous Oakmont Bakery. After partaking of something to eat, you might stroll Allegheny River Boulevard, where you can watch a movie at the Oaks Theater, browse at Mystery Lovers Bookshop, visit the Oakmont Historical Society — or, with advance reservations, tour the Kerr Memorial Museum.
If you visit on a particularly warm day, stop at Local Remedy Brewing. The beer is tasty — and the tables come from Oakmont trees!
Pause at the Clock Tower for a rest and a chance to listen to the sound of the chimes. Make sure to visit the Oakmont Carnegie Library; this year, it’ll celebrate both its 125th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Look for our three fine parks, which you may want to visit with family, as you stroll back to your car. The people of Oakmont are friendly and kind — and there’s plenty to find within our compact borders. I hope to see you in Oakmont someday! — Richard A. Williams
Expansion Plans in Bakery Square
Walnut Capital is still planning to expand its busy Bakery Square development onto adjacent land in Larimer and East Liberty. The exact nature of those plans, however, is in flux.
The developer in January amended original plans for the expansion, according to reporting from PublicSource. The original plan would’ve included more than 1.5 million square feet of new office space. As demand for such space continues to dwindle due to the rise of remote work, those elements of the plan have been scrapped.
The revision of the plans shift focus toward retail and residential space and may still impact the adjacent parcel of land, home to a Trader Joe’s supermarket.
Specific plans for the development will be revealed later in the process. — Sean Collier
Arbor Day — and Herbs to Go — in Mellon Park
The all-volunteer Friends of Mellon Park, an organization that collaborated with the city to establish Pittsburgh’s first public arboretum, will host its annual Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 25. Expect live music, tree walks, giveaways, family activities and more — including information on how to care for and preserve this civic treasure. The event takes place in the park (at 1047 Shady Avenue) from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., rain or shine.
Speaking of Mellon Park, its Elizabethan Herb Garden has for more than four decades been maintained by the western Pennsylvania unit of the Herb Society of America. That organization’s annual plant sale takes place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2; it’s a rare occasion to take fresh herbs from the landmark to your kitchen. The sale, which supports the society’s community projects, will be at the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel. — Sean Collier
Story by Valerie Parm, Sean Collier, & Richard A. Williams
Featured Photo From Gerald Ferguson/Mary Lou Williams Institute