Though Pittsburgh is no longer replete with dance clubs, surefire picks still exist. People, however, were mostly well-behaved, The Pittsburgh Press . Its generations of blue-collarfamilies built much of the town's businesses, bars and restaurants from their very beginnings, growing them into true institutions and forever preserving the city's hardworking, steel city values. It was maybe 8 feet wide, and Meat Loaf took up f**king half of it. In the early 1900's at the corner of Atwood and Sennott stood a small hotel. Nightlife in Pittsburgh gives you a vast choice of places to drink, hit the dance floor, and enjoy live music. Rusted Root won it one year and thats how they recorded their first album. known as the Corner of Rock and Roll. So I said to Joe, Who the hell is this? And he says, This is Meat Loaf. I said, I dont give a sh*t if his name is fettuccine alfredo, I dont want him in my kitchen, DiSilvio said. Because the prize was a recording session at Audionation, which was a big recording studio at the time, Schneider said. In an interview with the Post Gazette Danny Kresge said"In ohter cities, there are such clubs and the have proven quite successful. showcase club like the Whisky-A-Go-Go in L.A. and the Agora in Cleveland. set along the side wall a few inches off the ground. 10 Best Vintage Photos From Pittsburgh In The 1970s Posted in Pittsburgh October 30, 2016 by Beth Price-Williams These 10 Photos of Pittsburgh In The 1970s Are Mesmerizing A peek at these photos of Pittsburgh in the 1970s may take you back to a whole different time in your life. Petropoulos takes great pride in Oakland's rise over the past years to the third largest commercial district in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia and downtown Pittsburgh mostly on the strength of the neighborhood's daytime economy. Within hours after news broke the PHI would close because the Forbes Avenue building it was in had been sold, more than 800 CMU brainiacs signed a petition hoping to save it. A tip of the hat to eight beloved Pittsburgh restaurants that are gone but not forgotten. The Ramones rumbled into town for two shows on March 6th and 7th of 1979. Joe After a long week of term papers and 9 a.m. classes, Pitt students in the 1990s had a pitcher full of options when they needed to knock back brews and let loose to Spice Girls or Biggie Smalls. Jessica Wasik lives in Pittsburgh where works as a full-time figure skating coach sharing her passion with todays generation of young skaters. packed, sweaty, and loud with menacing bouncers it was a gritty steel town bar. This 21,000 sq. The Electric Banana on Bigelow Boulevard was the smallest of the three Oakland clubs and featured an Andy Warhol-style banana sign above the entrance. Over the decades, Oakland pushed through a population dip as Pitt did and became overwhelmed by the Universitys ever-encroaching boundaries. Get Pitt and Oakland news in your inbox, three times a week. What are some of the Pittsburgh restaurants that are no longer open that you miss? The first national act to play the Decade was,a former member of the New York Dolls. But as Oakland has matured over the past 20 years, it has traded dive bars and longtime rock joints for corporate fast food and student housing, leaving alums longing for their college nights. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; Walk Like an Egyptian 100 W. Station Square Drive John Elavsky, the owner of Hemingways Cafe since the mid-90s and a Pitt alum, has watched the decline of nightlife in Oakland that Patlakh laments. To provide The Pitt News with data for advertisers and internal analytics. John Bon Jovi did the Decade on March, 1987 playing a 50 minute set with his friend the manful handful Norman Nardini. As it was before they Mario's Oakland Saloon. It features Live music, DJs & karaoke in a no-nonsense, arty space with pool tables & a full bar. By the late 70s the Iron City Houserockers established a residency at the club playing two sets every Thursday night and a growing scene of musicians and bar regulars soon emerged. In 1868, Oakland Township, just two years after seceding from Pitt Township, was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh. After Upstage, OaklandIts a testament to the popularity of the Upstage that more than a decade after it closed, former patrons maintain a Facebook page in its honor. (412) 224-2273www.parkhousepgh.com. [Oakland has] became more sterile. Petropoulos takes great pride in oakland's rise over the past years to the third largest commercial district in pennsylvania behind philadelphia and downtown . We had bars. The club also showcased and rewarded Pittsburghs best talent in its own Battle of the Bands competition called the Rock Challenge. Nearly anyone can show a film these days, using only a laptop and projector. So we said, Whats next? So we went rock n roll, Zarra said. Screen Tests Zarra still owns the building and operates an Italian restaurant there named, appropriately enough, Zarras. I asked him if he would ever consider coming north. Read . [11] The difference is largely because the area between Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies houses many undergraduate students. On a stage the size of a postage stamp,then- up-and-coming acts such as U2, the Police, the Ramones, Jon Bon Jovi (pictured above) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers played. You really could only go to one place when you craved authentic Brazilian food - and that was Green Forest Brazilian Restaurant in Penn Hills. If we were still trying to sell things we did 20, 25 years ago, wed be out of business, Elavsky said. Gene's Place 3.9 (38 reviews) Dive Bars $Oakland Divey Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Viewing his college stomping grounds from his shop in the South Side, Kramer feels wistful. Oakland has long been considered Pittsburgh's university center. Famous national artists like Aerosmith and Bon Jovi visited the Decade after playing shows at larger venues in the city because of its reputation. Beyond just benefiting the musicians, Graffiti represented a dependable location in Oakland at which to hear talented, rising artists. It wasnt an attractive district. The bands in the Decade scene were older, more professionally skilled musicians who played in a raw R&B, rock-based style. singer David Johansen on December, 28, 1980. And Mary Schenley gave another gift: land for Schenley Plaza. In 1917, Teddy Roosevelt visited the neighborhood.[13]. The dressing room at the Decade was the freakin kitchen. Pat Benetar hit Pittsburgh with her best shot on November of that wanted to sit at one of the few tables, you had to get there early. Her work can be found at Examiner.com. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 The popular Italian restaurant, tucked in the Strip District, was owed and founded by Lidia Bastianich, a familiar face at the restaurant. From 1973 until he sold it in 1995, owner Dom DiSilvio made the Decade Pittsburghs ultimate rock and roll bar. Lets take a stroll down Memory Lane today. we know today. Those Doc Marten-wearing feet could then walk a few blocks down to The Decade, a bar and concert venue, then The Next Decade, a rehashed version of the venue on Atwood Street. Jackson sang his Is She Really Going Out with Him and Funny Papers" in April At Schenley Plaza, industrialist Andrew Carnegie built a library, museum and concert hall complex, which opened in 1895. Since its formation, Oakwatch has noticed a decline in disruptions and house parties in recent years, based on reports from a September Oakwatch meeting. After a decline following the 1970s, Pitt's enrollment grew from 26,328 in 1995 to 28,649 in 2016. It is also home of the main branch of the Carnegie Library, the Carnegie Museum, and Phipps Conservatory. South Oakland has six land borders, including the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Central Oakland to the northeast, Squirrel Hill South to the east, Greenfield to the southeast, Hazelwood to the south-southeast, Bluff to the west, and West Oakland to the northwest. 6. / CBS Pittsburgh. Bruce Springsteen also once played there, years after becoming famous. Get Pitt and Oakland news in your inbox, three times a week. 20 Market St. Bruce and I went over to the Original [Hot Dog Shop] and people swarmed him. Kids have more money these days, Elavsky said, even as students like Patlakh and Drew balk at spending. cut their teeth. Formed in 1976 the Houserockers signed a management/ production deal in 1977 with. It was one night out of more than two decades of a thriving music scene in Oakland that brought in a diverse array artists, such as Bruce Springsteen and Black Flag. Graffiti featured concerts by national groups just prior to their commercial breakthroughs, including two of the more popular rock bands of the 90s. Jeff Usleman recalled seeing bands at the Oakland bar and catching the Springsteen cameo while attending Pitt in 1984. After 22 years of Rock N Roll Dom wanted out. The Electric Banana featured more college students and unrehearsed distortion. So he threw f**king Meat Loaf out of the kitchen of the Decade, and the record company people go storming out, he said. Bars & Clubs. Zarras distracted booking of the band ended up transforming the clubs direction. The curtain fell on the popular diner for the final time in October of 2019. We had a really strong nighttime scene, but we didnt have a strong daytime scene, so that was a challenge, Petropoulos told the Reporter. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; WOODS throughout Pittsburghpopular with kids? A group of young inexperienced All photos used with permission. The walls were thick grey stone and the Carnegie Mellon University is the result of a 1967 merger of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, founded in Oakland in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie, and Mellon Institute, founded in 1913 by Andrew W. and Richard B. Mellon to conduct industrial research. The Park House In 1873, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) was first chartered and in . The french Connection from the North hills area (Hampton-Shaler-west view) Some real good Break-Dance battles took place there! Plate 15", "Can Pitt get SOUL (i.e., South Oakland Urban Litter)? . topped bar. acts moved on. There shouldnt be any nightlife [in Oakland because] the rents dont allow for that, he said, referencing tight profit margins on cinemas and bars. Froggys, DowntownFor a quarter of a century beginning in 1978, the gravelly voiced Steve Froggy Morris held court in his Market Square bar and restaurant where celebrities such as Jack Nicholson flocked when they were in town. Elavsky is also bemused that students have the cash for a microbrewed IPA, as well as an Uber to then hit the competition in the North Side, South Side or Lawrenceville, when he couldnt even afford a cab in college, Strictly Necessary Cookies, Performance Cookies, Functionality Cookies, Targeting Cookies or Advertising Cookies, Preferences, Security, Processes, Advertising, Session State, Analytics, Pitt police reviews protocol for campus shooting scenarios after Michigan State shooting, Pitt women's lacrosse defeats Canisius 16-8, Opinion | Response to Ohio train derailment reminds us that government, companies treat life as expendable, Pitt Dance Marathon prepares for another successful event to support UPMC Childrens Hospital. Especially on a Friday night, it was a happening place. Since returning with her husband and kids, Mattiko is delighted by a few changes. Went to the VIP north in Hampton in the 80's great place to be on Sundays. , however, she recalled that when the District was founded in 1999, its nightlife was a prime attraction, though at a cost to midday shoppers and prospective tenants. 80s Night Clubs in Downtown on YP.com. The area got its name from the abundance of oak trees found on the farm of William Eichbaum, who settled there in 1840. Allow us to take you on a brief journey through our past. According to the Pitt Fact Book, the average SAT scores of new Panthers rose from 1110 to about 1280 from 1995 to 2016. After booking a few cover bands, Zarra took a chance on a Pittsburgh punk group called Carsickness. Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. Over the next five years Kresege booked a Drew and her friends then content themselves with raging at house shows in Oakland basements or partying at friends homes habits that have drawn the ire of Pitt police and Oakland residents alike. Heaven wasn't in a bank, it was actually in the lobby of the Fulton Building, which is now the hotel. The Boardwalk, Strip District This actually wasnt a single bar, but several bars and restaurants over the years that were located on a barge moored on the Allegheny River. might not always stay within Oakland as the sun sets and students come out. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC and the Pittsburgh Technology Center are major landmarks of this neighborhood. The Pretenders packed the Decade on March 19, 1980. My preference was Graffiti, by far. Pittsburghers rocked at the Decade Lounge Take an historic look at Pittsburgh through the bottom of your beer mug at these five bars and taverns that have grown into Pittsburgh institutions with their own tales and unique backgrounds. In 1925, work began on what was then the world's tallest educational building, the 42-story Cathedral of Learning. [12] Twenty-one years later, Mary Schenley gave the city 300 acres in Oakland for a park. Patlakh, a first-year computer science major from Philadelphia, admits his hometown spoiled him when it comes to nightlife. A parent herself, and a proud alum, Mattiko is content to let go of her memories though, if it means a thriving, more vibrant Oakland for her children. A graduate of Robert Morris University with a degree in English Studies, Jessica is also a contributing writer for Allegheny West Magazine. singer David Johansen on December, 28, 1980. www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/PittsburghWilliamPenn. The Gandy Dancer Saloon is located next to Pittsburgh's Grand Concourse. google_ad_type="text_image"; Grushecky remembers the concert as monumental for the city, as well as Oakland. The first national act to play the Decade was. Back outside Towers, as the cigarette smokes dissipates in the cool November air, Passerini thinks back on her two years of on-campus living. From 1991 until 2008, the Boardwalk was home to places such as Tequilia Willies, Club Champagne and the infamous Donzis, where people seemed to get shot on an almost weekly basis. To provide The Pitt News with data for advertisers and internal analytics. The effort failed, the bar closed in 2014 and the site where it once stood now is a Chipotle restaurant. DECADE ROCKS OUT, AFTER 22 YEARS -Scott Mervis Pittsburgh Post-Gazette August 22, 1995. How many of these, 12 stores that anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh remembers, do you still miss? google_ad_format="120x600_as"; When he was a student, from 1999 to 2006, bars were often shot and beer joints, and if they served food, the emphasis was on low price not on high quality. The crowd was a rowdy mix of mill workers, college students, and young professionals who were there to blow off steam. This Flea Market Near Pittsburgh Covers 14,000 Square Feet With More Than 100 Vendors On-Site, The Charming Out Of The Way Flea Market Near Pittsburgh You Wont Soon Forget, 6 Must-Visit Flea Markets In Pittsburgh Where Youll Find Awesome Stuff, 5 Amazing Flea Markets In Pittsburgh You Absolutely Have To Visit, 10 Beloved Places In Pittsburgh That Well Never Forget. Central Oakland is bordered by Schenley Park, the Boulevard of the Allies, Fifth Avenue, and Halket Street. Closing Meat Loaf was, literally and figuratively, the biggest rock star in America. 11. So feel free to disagree with these rankings in the comments section below. In late 1978 The Cathedral of Learning, the engineering or midsection of the University of Pittsburgh campus, and the Craig Street business district are in North Oakland. Grushecky remembered the exchange led to Meat Loafs quick exit from the Decade. ", "Allegheny County; its Formation, its Cities, Wards, Boroughs and Townships", "Teddy Roosevelt giving a speech in Pittsburgh | the Brady Stewart Collection", "Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia", "The Pittsburgh Press Google News Archive Search", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oakland_(Pittsburgh)&oldid=1136264597, The neighborhood is the location of the massive Carnegie culture complex, originally funded by. concert promoter Danny Kresege convinced Dom Disilvio to make the Decade a Grushecky tied the prominence of Pittsburgh bands at the Decade to its mystique and relevance. Her main observation from the years in Pitts shadow are simple. Articles in some news media have made this error; for example, a column about street cleanliness near the University of Pittsburgh used the term "South Oakland" to describe an area entirely within the boundaries of Central Oakland.[10]. The Decade had the most history, but it was small, he said. section of Pittsburgh on the corner of Atwood and Sennott streets which became Oakland is Pittsburgh's second most populated neighborhood with 22,210 residents, a majority of these residents being students. They were noted for being great music bars. While playing in the band Mother McCrees Garden, Russ Schneider performed at all three of the Oakland clubs in the mid-90s and described the Electric Banana as a start-up venue. It debuted in Pittsburgh back in 2011, serving such delicious dishes as the famous Spoon burger, pork tenderloin, and cod. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Manor Theater. Scattered amongst Oakland's four neighborhoods are 29 distinct flights of city steps many of which are open and in a safe condition. The Decade had two small rooms that were said to hold two of the Iron City Houserockers. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As the neighborhood cleaned up and bars shut down, partying seemingly moved to Central and South Oakland houses. The one night I was there, Bruce Springsteen showed up and played a couple songs, he said. Originally opened in 1901, the railroad station is now part of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and home to the saloon aptly named after a slang term used for rail workers who maintained railway tracks. hey built up a loyal following that packed the Decade every weekend for years. in Bridgeville; #1 Park Avenue in the South Hills; the Students could grab a coffee, study, hang out or catch a movie then later concerts all in the same spot. 10. google_ad_type="text_image"; While it is commonly considered to be in South Oakland, it is actually the heart of Central Oakland.