Bloomfield (Pittsburgh) - History

History

Bloomfield appears to have been an independent borough prior to its annexation by the City of Pittsburgh in 1868. The land here was claimed from the native Delaware tribe by Casper Taub, one of the area's earliest European settlers. Taub sold the land to his son-in-law John Conrad Winebiddle, whose descendants then broke it into lots and sold it beginning around the time of the 1868 annexation.

In the decades following 1868, Bloomfield was settled by German Catholic immigrants, who in 1886 built St. Joseph's Church. Beginning around 1900, these were joined by Italians from five towns in the Abruzzi region, who formed Immaculate Conception Parish in 1905 (that church was rebuilt in its present form in 1961). Descendants from both groups, with the Italians outnumbering the Germans, still give the neighborhood its character today.

This character can perhaps best be described as earthy, gritty, close-knit, and proud; as local author Chris Potter puts it, "Bloomfield has always taken pride in its modest working-class aspirations and a lack of...upper-class trappings." The local rowhouses, constructed mostly of wooden frames covered long ago by aluminum siding, have unpretentious exteriors that often conceal lovingly maintained interiors.

The business district along Liberty Avenue puts most of life's necessities, and several luxuries, within an easy walk of Bloomfield residents: besides the two churches and West Penn Hospital, there are many bars and restaurants, one supermarket and two Italian markets, plus tanning and hair salons, gift and card shops, gyms, two barber shops, a cobbler, a vacuum repairman, and much more. Many restaurants serve Italian cuisine, although the neighborhood does feature a noted Polish restaurant. There are also two Thai and two Chinese restaurants on Liberty Avenue.