Nunnery Hill Incline

The Nunnery Hill Incline was a funicular located in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, in what is now the Fineview neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Nunnery Hill Incline
Overview
LocaleFineview, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40.460°N 80.006°W / 40.460; -80.006
Service
TypeFunicular
History
Opened23 June 1888[1]
Closed13 September 1895
Technical
Line length1,100 feet (340 m)[1]
Track gauge5 ft (1,524 mm)[1]
Minimum radius250 feet (76 m)[2]

History and notable features

Designed by Samuel Diescher, this incline operated from 1888 until 1895, running between its base station on Federal Street to its upper station on the currently-named Meadville Street. It was one of only a few inclines with a curve in its track.[3][4]

The name of the hill derived from a short-lived settlement of Poor Clares earlier in the century.[5]

The incline suspended operations without warning on September 13, 1895, to the consternation of many of the hill's residents.[6] It did not resume business.[7] By 1901, it was being dismantled.[8]

Remnants of the incline, including the red brick lower station and a stone retaining wall along Henderson Street, have been the focus of recent preservation efforts.[9]

Both structures received City of Pittsburgh historic designations in 2011.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Passenger Railways of the State of Pennsylvania". Philadelphia Securities (1893–94 ed.). Philadelphia: The Securities Press. 1893. p. 471.
  2. "The Inclined Planes". The Street Railway Journal Souvenir: 39. October 1891.
  3. "Plate 4" (Map). Real estate plat-book of the city of Allegheny. Philadelphia: G. M. Hopkins & Co. Vol. 2. 1890 – via Historic Pittsburgh.
  4. Diescher, Samuel (June 1897). "American Inclined Plane Railways". Cassier's Magazine. 12 (2): 89.
  5. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Vol. 1. Chicago: A. Warner & Co. 1889. p. 406.
  6. "Suspended Operation". The Pittsburg Press. 15 September 1895. p. 7.
  7. "Weary of Climbing". The Pittsburg Press. 21 September 1895. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
    "Nunnery Hill Residents". The Pittsburg Press. 6 March 1896. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
    "Nunnery Hill People". The Pittsburg Press. 22 January 1897. p. 11 – via Google News Archive.
    "Hillites Want Street Railway". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. 22 February 1900. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "A Lively Time Is Expected". The Pittsburg Press. 8 May 1901. p. 1.
  9. LaRussa, Tony (4 November 2010). "Historic designation urged for rest of Fineview incline". TribLive. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  10. "City of Pittsburgh - File #2011-1263". Retrieved 1 July 2017.
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