Historically, Bloomfield figured prominently in Revolutionary War Era accounts of Pittsburgh and Fort Pitt. George Washington’s journal described traveling from Liberty Village along “the high ground through a field of many blooms”. Hence the name “Bloomfield”, which began as a farming community supplying the city.
In the early 1800s, founder John Conrad Winebiddle divided his large land holdings and sold lots to fellow German immigrants. These original owners’ names—Woolslayer, Baum, Wallace, Patterson and Campbell—are found today on street signs and on building facades. Later, the building of railroads and steel mills attracted immigrant laborers and families to Bloomfield, including a large Italian influx following WWI.
Today, Bloomfield is known as “Pittsburgh’s Little Italy”, with Italian roots that go back five generations or more. The historic mix also includes German and Polish ancestries, all of which have strong ethnic pride, customs and commitment to family and neighborhood.
Bloomfield is a great place to live. The Bloomfield Bridge, built in 1914, makes Bloomfield convenient to downtown and the universities in Oakland. On the side streets of Bloomfield and nearby Friendship, tree-lined avenues complement lovely, restored Edwardian and Victorian homes built in the late 1800s. Within a mile of the heart of the district live 38,000 of the newest generations, the majority employed in white collar service industries.
Spiritual and architectural anchors of the community include Immaculate Conception Church and Saint Joseph Parish. In 1993, the shortage of priests in the diocese required Immaculate Conception to share a pastor and parochial vicar with St. Joseph. However, the two parishes remained independent. This arrangement lasted until 2001 when the parishioners voted to merge the two parishes. The new parish was named Immaculate Conception / St. Joseph.
The Plaza Theater, 4765 Liberty Avenue, was a vintage theater for those who can remember what it was like when there was no TV. It played a significant role in the social scene in the neighborhood, where the crowd loafed, where you met your boyfriend and fell in love.
As public tastes shifted, the singular theater lost its social dominance and seemed to be stumbling precariously in its shoes when Marcia Deaktor, a private developer, purchased it in 2000. Her preservationist sentiment kept the exterior renovation reminiscent to the intention of the original and agreed to keep the marquee intact. The Plaza is now home to Starbuck’s Café and Sandwich Shop, with other tenants to follow.
