Troy Hill: A Neighborhood Defined by Flavor and Creativity

Brehm's Return

Most people in the area have probably heard of Troy Hill, but many may have problems actually identifying the specific area that is considered Troy Hill. After all, it is only 1.9 miles long by 0.62 miles wide. But as tiny as the neighborhood may be, sitting high on a perch above the Allegheny River, there are plenty of reasons for it to be on your radar.

Morgan Kasprowicz and husband

When Morgan Kasprowicz and her husband were relocating to Pittsburgh six years ago, Troy Hill surprised her in more ways than one.

“I was born in Pittsburgh, but I hadn’t lived here since the early ’90s. We were looking for a neighborhood with affordable and historic housing stock, good access to public transit, and a more relaxed neighborhood feel. Very few folks I knew in the city were aware of Troy Hill when we started looking, which was surprising to me. The neighborhood was so cool and had everything we needed. I didn’t really see the artistic nature of the neighborhood until after we moved in, and so while that’s not part of what attracted us, it’s a big part of why we stay.”

Now fully immersed as a resident, Kasprowicz said, “Troy Hill often feels to me like a small town nestled in the middle of a big city. Neighbors know each other and look out for each other. We have a collective sense of humor about the oddities of our neighborhood too — like the perils of Rialto Street daily driving.”

Kasprowicz has a vested interest in Troy Hill, not only as a resident but as the chair of Troy Hill Citizens, a community development organization that serves the neighborhood.

“Officially, our mission is to ‘foster programs of a civic and social nature and to improve the quality of life for all Troy Hill residents,’” she said. In practice, Kasprowicz explained, that includes hosting annual meetings and events; building partnerships with government and nonprofits to advance development of the business district, redevelopment of vacant residential properties, and other key projects; and connecting neighbors, business partners, and other stakeholders. It is clear that Kasprowicz fully believes in her neighborhood.

“You’ve got to see the Troy Hill Art Houses. They are beyond what you could imagine or expect. Then, go sit at the bar at Scratch & Co. Have a cocktail. Have a burger or a full meal. It’s truly a warm and wonderful spot to eat. St. Anthony Chapel and its massive collection of relics are worth a stop as well,” she said.

Indeed, St. Anthony Chapel is a huge draw to Troy Hill. “One of the biggest reasons that people now come to Troy Hill is to visit St. Anthony Chapel. The chapel has visitors from all over the world. Built 142 years ago, it is a historic building and contains the largest collection of religious relics next to the Vatican. It also houses life-sized figures of the Stations of the Cross. The chapel is one of the shrines of Pittsburgh. Many who enter the chapel have said they feel the ‘holiness’ and ‘awe’ in the chapel,” said Carole Brueckner, chairperson of the chapel.

Gallery Closed - Conceived during the pandemic, the gallery is designed to be permanently “closed”, yet at the same time continuously open. All exhibitions are accessible 24-hours a day by peering through two street-facing windows. Photos courtesy Gallery Closed.

Gallery Closed is another unique reason to visit. The concept behind the gallery was to create a space for visitors to see and experience art 24/7.

Developed during COVID-19, Lenka Clayton, an artist who co-founded the space with her husband and creative partner, Phillip Andrew Lewis, said, “We realized that museums and art galleries were out of the question during the pandemic. If people were going to be able to experience art, there had to be a different way for them to do so. Having a gallery always physically closed, but with artwork that was on view 24 hours a day would be one way to do that.”

The building that houses the gallery is an old bank with a four-foot buffer zone all around the vault on the interior of the building. Two windows open into that unused space, creating a public gallery.

“The space is 12 by 4 feet, and all of the exhibitions are seen from the street through the windows — at any time,” Clayton said.

The gallery opened in 2022 and features internationally renowned artists who might more usually show in world-class museums. For their most recent exhibition, Gallery Closed even extended, with artwork being shown in neighbors’ windows along Lowrie Street, including a pizza shop, a school, and an old beauty salon.

“Over 14 months, we showed seven different exhibitions in six different places,” Clayton said.

Since artwork can be viewed at any time, without appointments or reservations, Clayton said part of the magic is that the artwork can be seen by anyone, anytime — from schoolchildren and dog walkers to delivery people and residents.

The couple also lives on Troy Hill.

A scarf by artist Louise Bourgeois hangs in the window of Ron’s Pizza Place as part of Exhibition. Photos courtesy Gallery Closed.

“For us, artwork is an essential form of communication and is often separated and not easily accessible. Part of the beauty (of Gallery Closed) is that the work we show becomes part of everyday lives and everyday conversations,” she said.

Brehm’s Return is a fun neighborhood dive bar with a long history but with a new twist. Formerly Tammy’s Place, Melanie and Jeff Fletcher purchased the restaurant in 2023 and renamed it.

“Brehm’s Return is based on the history of the location — Mary and Henry Brehm first built the house at 1354 Goettman Street, where the bar/restaurant is located, and Return Street was the original name of Goettman Street,” Jeff said.

Melanie and Jeff Fletcher. Photo courtesy Brehm’s Return.

Melanie said that the couple researched the location and, from what they can determine, it has served as a bar/restaurant for more than 50 years.

“When we were looking for a business, we found out this location was for sale less than a quarter of a mile from our home. We already loved Troy Hill, where we live, and felt it was fate,” Melanie said.

The couple, originally from Georgia, had both lived in several locations nationally and abroad. When they came to Pittsburgh for Melanie’s graduate studies, they fell in love.

“We felt it was the most beautiful city with so many opportunities,” she said.

They particularly fell in love with Troy Hill.

“It is just a beautiful, colorful kaleidoscope of people and buildings. There are so many different stories and folks from so many different backgrounds,” Melanie said.

Brehm’s Return

The Fletchers wanted to keep the familiar, local feel of the restaurant with good, accessible food for residents and visitors.

“We are known, to locals mostly, for our diner-like breakfasts and dive bar appeal,” Jeff said. “We provide made-to-order food all day, and we have a core group of retirees who join us every morning.”

They have also put their own flair and take on the food.

“Given our background in Georgia, we’ve added some Southern touches to the menu, including pimento cheese — for use on patty melts, breakfast sandwiches, and burgers — jalapeño cheddar hushpuppies, and boiled peanuts. We also have a mayo-based house sauce that is a fan favorite,” Jeff said.

He continued, “We are both University of Georgia alumni and host game-watching events for local University of Georgia alumni — there are more here than you think.”