BACKGROUND

The Hill District has a broad history that dates back to the first World War. As men went to fight in the war, demand for steel working jobs increased and quickly made the Hill District a great place to live and work. Soon, the Hill District became a popular cultural hub, using art and music to draw larger groups of people to move to the area.

After the second World War, aging houses were involved in an urban renewal effort that ultimately displaced thousands of locals, the majority of which being of African American ethnicity. Major construction of roadways also ended up separating the Hill District from Downtown Pittsburgh, thus cutting off the prominent economy system for Hill District residents. Vacant buildings, lack of businesses, and low economic status is now seen as common place in the once great neighborhood that is the Hill District.