Ghosts of the Past: A Historic Pittsburgh Photo Series

In February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic lockdown began, I spent an incredibly cold morning walking around downtown Pittsburgh with a folder in one hand and my camera and tripod in the other as I traveled along my planned route and captured shots of city life and structures as they are today. My folder contained print-outs of about twenty old, mostly black-and-white photos (some I ultimately could not use), which I physically held up in front of myself in order to get the same perspective before snapping a few photos. Surprisingly, no one stopped me to ask what I was doing except for two ladies who needed help with directions—I suppose they thought that I looked like I knew my way around.

The thing that really struck me as I started working in my photo-editing program was recognizing that there has been so much change in the landscape of the city since the early to mid-20th century. Stores that were once very popular are now completely gone, and newer, more modern stores stand in their place. Small businesses that were the bread and butter of Pittsburghers in years past have been replaced by new businesses—maybe by other small businesses that have emerged to meet the needs of our time or by giant corporations that have had a significant impact on our city's identity. Seeing these changes in the urban landscape really made me realize that change is truly inevitable. Nothing stays the same, and we can only expect a continuation of this as our current culture grapples with the disappearance of all of those once-mainstay businesses that defined our spending habits for decades. I’m certain these ghostly residents that you see in the photos were themselves cautious and concerned about impending changes to their beloved city. Ultimately, it tells me that our city and our people are dynamic—always changing, always improving—and I think that makes Pittsburgh a pretty cool place.