When Laura Zurowski first set foot in Pittsburgh, she encountered a markedly different landscape than her native Rhode Island surroundings. Instead of leisurely sea level strolls, she now faced steep hikes to get around her neighborhood. As she began to explore her new city, her walks revealed some curious discoveries — staircases that doubled as streets, some ascending for hundreds of steps.
Intrigued by the quintessentially Pittsburgh landmarks, Zurowski wasted no time in investigating these relics of a bygone era. A technical writer and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, Zurowski began researching the history of Pittsburgh’s beloved city steps.
In 2017, she stumbled upon a copy of “Pittsburgh Steps,” a guidebook written by Bob Regan, a retired geophysicist from the University of Pittsburgh. Regan’s book, originally published in 2004 and rereleased in 2015, is the first known attempt to systematically document and map all of the existing public stairways in Pittsburgh.
Armed with this new information, Zurowski decided to recreate Regan’s original journey, this time documenting how the landscape had changed since the first survey conducted nearly two decades earlier. Her quest: Photograph and write about 739 sets of stairs throughout the Pittsburgh city limits.
Step 1: Look for the Helpers
Since documenting hundreds of staircases would involve many steps — both literally and figuratively — Zurowski enlisted the help of some fellow step trekkers and local history enthusiasts.
While working for the City of Pittsburgh, Matthew Jacob got a phone call from Zurowski requesting information about local maps. During his time with the city, Jacob had inventoried and mapped thousands of city assets, such as retaining walls, trails, buildings, bridges … and steps. When he learned about Zurowski’s book project, he immediately offered to help with the photography and mapping.
Since no historical book project would be complete without a resident historian, Zurowski reached out to Charles Succop, Pittsburgh’s city archivist. As the keeper of Pittsburgh’s historical documents and photographs, Succop has access to a treasure trove of images and information concerning Pittsburgh city streets, sidewalks, staircases and the political and cultural context associated with this infrastructure.
With Zurowski’s writing skills, Jacob’s artistic abilities and Succop’s historical knowledge, the team was ready to get some steps in.
Step 2: Hit the Pavement
Public stairways exist in 66 of Pittsburgh’s 90 distinct neighborhoods. With more than 900 unique flights of steps throughout the city limits, Pittsburgh has the most public staircases in America — outranking other hillside cities such as Cincinnati, Los Angeles and even San Francisco.
How exactly does one go about the monumental task of documenting so many flights of steps tucked away in various nooks and crannies throughout the city?
“Because of Pittsburgh’s terrain, every flight requires a customized solution — no two flights are alike —every flight is unique,” Zurowski explained.
Pittsburgh’s terrain is the reason why the staircases were constructed in the first place. With a 660-foot elevation change between the city’s lowest and highest points, Pittsburgh’s hilly landscape made stairs a necessity for pedestrians commuting to and from work prior to the emergence of automobiles.
To document this complex landscape, the authors relied on a variety of tools and resources, including Regan’s previous research, city maps (both historical and contemporary), GPS systems, visual inspections of current conditions and images from the City Archives, Board of Viewers collection.
Some of the findings were surprising.
Step 3: Retrace Your Steps
While trekking up and down numerous staircases, the researchers noticed clues that suggested former habitation along the hillside steps. Gaps in the railings, perennial flowers in bloom and remains of foundations were all signs of former “orphan houses.”
“The city steps were built when working class families didn’t have cars,” Jacob said. “It was common in densely populated neighborhoods to have housing that could be accessed only via city steps. Called orphan houses today, many of these homes have deteriorated over time.”
This “orphan house” along the Kerr Street steps remains occupied to this day and is only accessible via the public staircase. (Photo by Laura Smail)
Orphan houses weren’t the only examples of vanishing infrastructure. Many of the stairways themselves have either partially or totally disappeared over the years.
For example, the Indian Trail steps were in operation from 1909 to 1935 and comprised 1,000 steps stretching for a mile along the Monongahela River. These city steps were built following a footpath that dated on maps back to 1763. No one knows for sure why the steps fell out of use.
Legend has it that inclined plane companies spread rumors about Indian spirits haunting the steps so that commuters would pay to ride the incline instead of risking the spooky staircase. However, this theory has never been confirmed by any credible source.
These fascinating stories and others like them were ultimately compiled and shared in the 256-page book, “City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide,” published by Arcadia Publishing in 2024. Authors Zurowski, Jacob and Succop hope to “inspire readers to get out and re-engage with the city steps and neighborhoods by slowing down, walking and observing.”
Step 4: Walk and Talk
One way that the authors are engaging the community in this piece of history is by offering public lectures and walking tours. Zurowski and Jacob recently hosted one such tour on Sept. 20 at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – West End branch, which included a trek up the Kerr Street steps and a loop around the West End Park.
Additional lectures and walking tours are scheduled at the Beechwood Library from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, and at the Hazelwood Library from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. For those feeling a bit more adventurous, the South Side Slopes annual “Step Trek” is happening on Saturday, Oct. 4. This is a fun opportunity for people to take self-guided tours of the neighborhood steps.
“There are public stairways that other municipalities have built throughout the region,” Zurowski added. “Unlike Pittsburgh, their locations are not publicly available. People may be able to locate them using old maps or by walking around and making notes of their locations.”
One such example is Crafton. Residents and borough officials have been working together for the past several years to repair public staircases and create walking trails for locals and visitors. According to Zurowski, “Self-guided walks are very popular because they connect walkers with nature, history and, depending on the location, local amenities,” such as libraries, playgrounds, parks, cafes and restaurants.
Step 5: Next Steps
Zurowski, Jacob and Succop are already hard at work on their next book project, “Pittsburgh’s Parks, Playgrounds and Trails: A History & Guide,” which will be published by The History Press in 2026.
Readers can find “City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide,” at their local branch of the Carnegie Public Library. Copies are also available to purchase from Amazon, Arcadia Publishing, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.
“Going outside and exploring, whether it’s in Pittsburgh or another place, is so important for health and well-being,” Zurowski said. “We hope these books inspire readers to get out and enjoy the natural spaces around them!”
For more information about the Pittsburgh city steps, readers can follow the authors on their Instagram pages at @mis.steps (Laura Zurowski), @pghsteps (Matthew Jacob) and @pghthenandnow (Charles Succop). Happy trails!
Be First to Comment