Homestead

Growing up near Homestead, in the nearby borough of Whitaker, I remember what this town once was. More importantly I recall what Eighth Avenue was to the community. My family and I would spend Saturday mornings shopping on the avenue. The furniture that filled our house came from Katilus’, the shoes I undoubtedly would have on my feet were from Gold’s Shoes, my school uniforms, and so much more all came from the neighborhood shops. I took swimming lessons at the Homestead branch of the Carnegie Library. My preschool, which is now a builder’s outfit, was on the corner of Eighth and Ravine. Standing tall and sturdy, watching over my childhood was the old steel mill.

Today as I walk along Eighth Avenue so many of the buildings are boarded up and without occupants. Some buildings have been torn down and exist only in memory.  All of the places that my grandmother would take me are gone. I try to make sense of where I am, get my bearings, but I find I am lost and unable to place where the buildings of my past were. 

Homestead’s true existence began in 1880 when Andrew Carnegie handpicked the land for the mill. The mill would employ nearly 4,000 men despite Homestead only having a population of less than 600 people. In 1889 the steel workers, under threat of having their wages cut, declared a strike. William L. Abbott tried to break up the strike but the mill workers became riotous and the sheriff was called in to help calm the situation.

As I walk Eighth Avenue I try to imagine this area as a thriving mill, full of workers sweating for mere pennies on the dollar. It is hard to believe that at one time this area was enclosed by a three-mile long fence that was topped off with barbed wire and platforms for snipers.

In the 1970’s the steel industry was still going strong in Homestead. The mill provided secure employment and good wages. Eighth Avenue had every shop that the teeming community would need: shops for shoes, clothing, groceries, and a pharmacy to name just a few. In a time when most families only had one car, if that, everything being in walking distance was key to the way of life for this community.

After the mill closed in the mid-1980’s Eighth Avenue started to become rundown. Without the employment of the mill, workers and their families started moving out of the area and those who remained did not have the money to shop on the avenue. Eighth Avenue, along with other parts of Homestead, started to resemble a ghost town.     One by one the stores closed, windows were broken, and buildings were boarded up. Squatters began taking over.

 Recently I toured the area with Daniel Steinitz who is passionately involved in the revitalization of Eighth Avenue. Unfortunately, it is a very slow process. Eighth Avenue is part of three separate boroughs and to get everyone involved (politicians, business leaders, and residents) to agree on a course of action is an almost Herculean task. Also, there are liens on some of the properties owned by disinterested companies and recalcitrant owners who live out of state.

Daniel showed me around The Moose, or more accurately Lodge #60 of The Loyal Order of the Moose, a building which Daniel’s family has purchased and is deep in the process of remodeling. A huge three-story structure, The Moose features gorgeous wooden floors, crown molding, and ornately designed ceilings. Hidden in the basement is an old speakeasy from the 1920s which Daniel hopes to eventually re-open as a bar and restaurant.

To listen to Daniel speak so enthusiastically about what is happening and what has still yet to happen in Homestead is to be swept up in the excitement of all the possibilities that exist for this town.

Later, while sipping chamomile tea in a neighborhood café, I reflect on how unkind the last twenty-five years have been to Homestead. However, there is a glimmer of hope that grows brighter with each passing day. New businesses are beginning to dot Eighth Avenue. The Annex Cookery, Karma, retro, and Waters Edge Tanning and Tattoo bring with them a hope that a true revitalization of Homestead is not far away.