10 Best Vintage Photos From Pittsburgh In The 1970s Posted in Pittsburgh October 30, 2016 by Beth Price-Williams These 10 Photos of Pittsburgh In The 1970s Are Mesmerizing A peek at these photos of Pittsburgh in the 1970s may take you back to a whole different time in your life. There was a bit of a competition between us, where the Electric Banana guys played the Banana and the Decade guys played the Decade. The dressing room at the Decade was the freakin kitchen. The neighborhood is split between a riverfront flood plain to the southwest and a plateau to the northeast. Patlakh, a first-year computer science major from Philadelphia, admits his hometown spoiled him when it comes to nightlife. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. (412) 391-7272www.papajs.com. Oakland is the academic and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and one of the city's major cultural centers. The Frazier Street city steps in South Oakland. Location: A coal patch in Northern Appalachia. The Decade nightclub was a staple of the neighborhood in the 1970s and 1980s. Created by our advertising software OpenX. (412) 261-1717www.muer.com/grand-concourse. 11. Now in Squirrel Hill, she spends her time holding dinner parties with friends or going out dancing. His shop, The Beehive, which he ran with business partner Steve Zumoff, served as a general hangout. Jay Yander, a 99 Pitt grad, often went to the two venues, which he remembers focused on local bands.. Joe 10 Mom & Pop Restaurants In Pittsburgh That Serve Home Cooked Meals To Die For, If You Grew Up In Pittsburgh, You Definitely Love These 9 Classic Dishes, Facebook/Green Forest Brazilian Churrascaria, 12 stores that anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh remembers. Although the campus of Carnegie Mellon University and parts of Schenley Park, including Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens and Flagstaff Hill are popularly referred to as being in Oakland, and are located with the 15213 zip code, they are actually part of the adjacent neighborhood of Squirrel Hill North. The third club in the Triangle was Graffiti, which opened on Baum Boulevard in North Oakland in 1982. wanted to sit at one of the few tables, you had to get there early. It was one of the better showcases that was in Pittsburgh. Her main observation from the years in Pitts shadow are simple. Chiodo retired in 2005 and the bar was razed to make way for a Walgreens and Subway. See what the regions indie directors are cooking up from short comedy to animations and docs. How many of these, 12 stores that anyone who grew up in Pittsburgh remembers, do you still miss? But he loved us and supported us, Grushecky said. Theres one or two bars, theres no movie theatre theres nothing.. In keeping with an historically accurate layout, a police raid escape route winds through hallways and back staircases before spilling out onto Oliver Street. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lets take a stroll down Memory Lane today. Norman had opened for Bon Jovi at the Civic Arena earlier in the day. sounds parachutes were hung across. So it finally hit Dominic that maybe this guy was pretty big, Grushecky said. The french Connection from the North hills area (Hampton-Shaler-west view) Some real good Break-Dance battles took place there! These businesses are organized by the Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID). Alex Chilton, and Meat Loaf. Continuing in the spirit of the 80s, locals like to get their dance on at lively spots. It is also home of the main branch of the Carnegie Library, the Carnegie Museum, and Phipps Conservatory. 530 William Penn Place feels Oaklands nightlife should match this new professional student body, along with the professionals at UPMC and Pitt. A Pittsburgh music promoter, Danny Kresge, convinced DiSilvio to start hosting national acts at the Decade. Diesel Club Lounge doubles as a DJ mecca and live-music venue, and its still South Sides most virile independent venue. The people were super nice. It was like turning the lights off. The under 21 crowd packed the place every week to watch the Break-dance teams like the mid-town rockers. I thought it might be interesting to rank these late local establishments by the imprint they left during their heyday. ceiling was low. After OBID is a government-chartered area that provides services above and beyond that of the city government by taxing property holders within Oakland. Hes not a rocker, hes an insomnia cure). So he threw f**king Meat Loaf out of the kitchen of the Decade, and the record company people go storming out, he said. (412) 281-7100www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/PittsburghWilliamPenn. The Boardwalk, Strip District This actually wasnt a single bar, but several bars and restaurants over the years that were located on a barge moored on the Allegheny River. Carnegie Mellon University is the result of a 1967 merger of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, founded in Oakland in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie, and Mellon Institute, founded in 1913 by Andrew W. and Richard B. Mellon to conduct industrial research. After booking a few cover bands, Zarra took a chance on a Pittsburgh punk group called Carsickness. google_ad_height=600; An up and coming three Finally, Cinema in the Park is a warm-weather favorite. The walls were thick grey stone and the The under 21 crowd packed the place every week to watch the Break-dance teams like the mid-town rockers. Oakland is Pittsburgh's second most populated neighborhood with 22,210 residents, a majority of these residents being students. Facing increased competition from other local live venues, Nicks closed in 2004. Slightly veering off topic, but where was the Bank Cinema at? To soak up the ricocheting While Oakland featured other music venues including the Syria Mosque, which housed mostly larger acts the three clubs in the Triangle spanned a similar era and contained much smaller capacity crowds watching less firmly established artists. Because the prize was a recording session at Audionation, which was a big recording studio at the time, Schneider said. Photo credits: Decade sign, Dom DeSilvio via Gabby Means; Decade exterior, Jay Flori via Gabby Means; Jon Bon Jovi, Dom DiSilvio via Gabby Means. set along the side wall a few inches off the ground. The walls were thick grey stone and the But, matching the demographic changes is part of how Hemingways has stayed tucked into the heart of Pitts campus on Forbes. national acts appeared there was barely room to move or breath. I saw him at a jazz fest in New Orleans. And Mary Schenley gave another gift: land for Schenley Plaza. (412) 566-7925www.originaloysterhousepittsburgh.com. He says, Weve never been further north than Georgia. I paid them $500 and they came all the way north and played for $500, he said. As the neighborhood cleaned up and bars shut down, partying seemingly moved to Central and South Oakland houses. Bars & Brewpubs . The Pretenders packed the Decade on March 19, 1980. Back outside Towers, as the cigarette smokes dissipates in the cool November air, Passerini thinks back on her two years of on-campus living. 212 Boulevard of the Allies A row of stools were lined against the street side wall. As it was before they However, he is still disappointed at his options for a night out in Oakland. series of memorable shows that put the Decade on the national Rock and Roll map. Related: Best Historic Sites To See In Pittsburgh. 3. After paying a $5 cover, those lucky enough to get in the entrance of the South Oakland bar were greeted with a wave of body heat, cigarette smoke and spilled Rolling Rock. Omni William Penn Hotel Speakeasy Cruze Bar Night Clubs (3) Website Amenities: (412) 471-1400 1600 Smallman St Pittsburgh, PA 15222 OPEN NOW series of memorable shows that put the Decade on the national Rock and Roll map. Every Thursday, Calicos offered a deal Mattiko, or any money-starved college student, couldnt turn down nickel drafts. Nearly anyone can show a film these days, using only a laptop and projector. David Patlakh and Sera Passerini sit outside Towers, smoking cigarettes and chatting with their friends, which they say is their usual free-time activity. Eric Heyl is Patch's Pittsburgh field editor. performing at the Civic Arena on September 20, 1984 Bruce Springsteen came to the Decade with his friend Joe Grushecky and The Banana survived until 1999. As larger Located up a flight of rickety stairs in the Strand Building on Forbes Avenue, for more than 20 years the place with all-black walls and large mirrors was where people went to drink and dance to alternative music. In the 90s, specials on cheap booze, like Calicos 5-cent drafts, did well. The Strip and South Side host some of the city's best nightclubs and bars, while the North Shore . Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Battles, PA To Consider Adopting Significant Police Protection Measures, Local Brand Advisor offers services in Pittsburgh. national acts appeared there was barely room to move or breath. Join the conversation in the comments!