 Grant Street looking northbound | |
 Interactive map of Grant Street | |
| Location | Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| South end |    I-376 /US 22 /US 30 inDowntown |
| Major junctions | Fort Pitt Boulevard in Downtown Blvd of the Allies in Downtown Fourth Avenue in Downtown Forbes Avenue in Downtown Fifth Avenue in Downtown |
| North end | Liberty Avenue in Downtown |
Grant Street is the main government and business corridor inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. It is home to the global headquarters ofU.S. Steel,Koppers Chemicals, andOxford Development. It also is home to the seat ofAllegheny County, City of Pittsburgh and the regional Federal Government offices. It is part of thePittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District.
Grant Street was named after British Major GeneralJames Grant, who was defeated by the French at that location during theFrench and Indian War.[1] The street's location on "Grant's Hill" strangled growth in downtown Pittsburgh, leading to several attempts in 1836 and 1849 to regrade the area to remove the hill.[2] The successful removal of the hill in 1912 cost $800,000 ($26.1 million in 2024 dollars), plus $2.5 million in reimbursement costs for property damaged by the project ($81.5 million in 2024 dollars).[2] For example, the project removed 16 feet of hill near theAllegheny County Courthouse, meaning that the former basement became the modern ground level.[2][3] The extreme south end of Grant Street—near theMonongahela River andBoulevard of the Allies intersection—was home to Pittsburgh'sChinatown from the 1880s until the 1950s.[4]
Grant Street has long been a central area for civic events, including longtime Mayor and Pennsylvania GovernorDavid L. Lawrence's funeral procession in November 1966 attended byRobert F. Kennedy, mayorsJoseph M. Barr of Pittsburgh,Jerome Cavanagh of Detroit,James Tate andRichardson Dilworth of Philadelphia, governorsWilliam Scranton,James H. Duff,Raymond P. Shafer andJohn S. Fine along with PresidentLyndon B. Johnson staff membersRobert E. Kintner andW. Marvin Watson, Secretary of AgricultureOrville Freeman and Secretary of the InteriorStewart Udall.
An extensive six-year $15.3 million resurfacing and redesign of Grant Street was completed in August 1990.[5][6]
TheAmerican Planning Association named Grant Street one of its 10 Great Streets for 2012, describing it as "Pittsburgh's finest collection of historic buildings and modern skyscrapers, buildings that tell the stories of 20th century aristocrats and architects who shaped the city into an industrial and banking empire."[1]
Its importance to the city is because of its status as the "seat of financial, governmental and legal power" and its "striking architecture".[7] It is the "corporate and government heartbeat" of the city.[8]
After the death ofPittsburgh MayorRichard Caliguiri, his successorSophie Masloff pursued changing the name of Grant Street to Richard S. Caliguri Boulevard[8] However, resistance to changing the historic street name, even for the beloved deceased mayor, halted that effort.[9]
The street stretches for close to 10 blocks on the eastern boundary of Downtown Pittsburgh. Many of Pittsburgh's tallest skyscrapers are on Grant Street.
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