Ghosts of Industry: Braddock, Pa.

When I grew up in the Pittsburgh area in the 1960s and went to college there in the 70s, there were endless steel mills lining both sides of the Monongahela River. At night, the entire sky glowed from the furnaces. Then, starting in the late 70s, the steel industry went into a tailspin. Now, only a few mills are left. The greatest of them is the US Steel Edgar Thompson Plant in Braddock. This mill was established in 1875 and today accounts for about 1/4 of US Steel's domestic steel production. Today, I rambled around Braddock on foot with my friend Bill Reight. Here's the story of our journey.

Even though the mill is still running, Braddock itself has fallen on hard times. For the past decade, Mayor John Fetterman, who looks like a linebacker and has a masters degree in public policy from Harvard, has been leading a spirited effort to bring the city back. He has some successes to point to, including Superior Motors, a fancy restaurant across the street from the mill, and a handful of other restaurants and bars.

 Here's the Edgar Thompson Plant on the Mon shot from the Rankin Bridge.

Here's a statue of Joe Magarac, a mythical character who could bend steel bars with his bare hands.

 Here's the front of Superior Motors, and an artists' space in the background.

The Carnegie Library. The mill was originally part of Carnegie Steel. In an alley across the street from the library we saw a cadaverous young white man in a hoodie talking furtively with with a small group of black teenagers.

This old, beat-down mansion was undergoing some kind of renovation. The lumber piled against rusty scaffolding was weathered gray, as if it had been there for years. Lights were on inside, though.

We dropped in on Bill's friend, Jerry, who restores classic cars. Here, Jerry poses with a 670-horsepower all-aluminum Hemi engine, which he's about to install in a 1971 Barracuda.

 Here's a corner of Jerry's shop.

A few artists have taken up residence in Braddock, leaving their marks on some of the buildings.

Bill at Peppers N'At, a bar and restaurant that specializes in Pittsburgh delicacies. We shared a Hunkie Hand Granade, which is ground meat and rice wrapped in cabbage, roasted in the oven and doused with marinara sauce.

 I had a Freak Show sandwich, which is banana peppers stuffed with meat over fried eggplant. Absolutely delicious.

I was encouraged to see that there are some new houses and condos in Braddock, mostly on small streets uphill from the main drag. Tremendous creative efforts by the mayor and others are helping. Real progress is being made. But it's still a long way from Brooklynization.

If you're in the area and you're feeling rich, try out Superior Motors.