Named for the common grazing lands -- “liberties” -- east of Pittsburgh’s original settlement, East Liberty became a city neighborhood when the trolley lines arrived. Soon its commercial center rivaled Downtown and produced luminaries like dancer Gene Kelly and Billy “Take the A Train” Strayhorn. The 1960s, however, made East Liberty a poster child for failed urban renewal. The plan intended to compete with new suburbs but undercut the neighborhood’s integrity, bringing neglect and emptiness. Thankfully, East Liberty has now begun to recall its old self. Historic buildings are being rehabbed, like the ornate old Regent Theatre, renamed the Kelly-Strayhorn. New restaurants, including Red Room and Abay, and bars like the admirable Shadow Lounge -- a spot for hip hop and acoustic music -- brighten the night. Two new grocery stores – a mainstream supermarket and the region’s only Whole Foods – reassert East Liberty’s centrality. And its greatest landmark, the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, endures. Once dubbed the “Mellon Fire Escape” after its robber baron Calvinists, it now embraces a diverse, socially active congregation, who call it the Cathedral of Hope.

For more information on East Liberty visit the PopCity:
- Moving Guide
- Visiting Guide
- Investing Guide