Overview
Hazelwood is a neighborhood about 4 miles down the Monongahela River from downtown Pittsburgh. It is currently experiencing significant change, at least in the Hazelwood Green portion. The area that I’m designating as Hazelwood Slope is everything outside Hazelwood Green and the small residential enclave between the tracks and the river that I call Hazelwood Flats. The Hazelwood Slope contains the neighborhood’s commercial corridor, cultural and historical sites, and the majority of the neighborhoods’ residences.
What’s New
After my September 2020 check-in on Hazelwood, it seemed that changes in Hazelwood were happening at a slower pace than the other sites I’m keeping an eye on. So I decided to switch from a 6-month interval to a 12-month interval between visits. A few months ago, I saw construction vehicles and other signs of activity while driving down Second Ave through Hazelwood. I thought perhaps I was missing out on some activity. However, when I walked through the neighborhood this month, I couldn’t find any signs of recent demolition or recent construction.
An exciting project that is projected to start soon is the conversion of the former Gladstone School to affordable housing. There were subtle signs of site prep when I walked by this month. Construction is expected to start before the end of the year with an anticipated completion date in 2023.
The Photos
Second Ave
Hazelwood Ave & Other Sites
Hazelwood in the News
Funding from Bridgeway Capital, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the Pennsylvania Housing Financing Agency has been awarded for affordable housing projects in Hazelwood. Center of Life, a local non-profit, also received a major donation to support its mission of helping underserved K-12 students and their families in the neighborhood.
Inspired by the popular Friday fish fries in Pittsburgh, Hazelwood’s Community Kitchen launched a Friday BBQ series this year.
Locating Hazelwood Slope
Previous posts in series
Keeping an Eye on Hazelwood (across the tracks): Sept. 2020
Keeping an Eye on Hazelwood (across the tracks): Apr. 2020
Keeping an Eye on Hazelwood: Introduction
urbantraipsing 
where comes the name Hazel(wood)? My go-to for trees is Irish or the gaelic tree alphabet at https://darachcroft.com/news/the-gaelic-tree-alphabet/#coll
hazel (coll) is the third character
I don’t get much further than that but let’s hope Hazel(wood) has a fruiful future
I just picked up from the library Bob Regan’s book “The Names of Pittsburgh.” He says that “Hazelwood was named for the abundant hazelnut trees in the area.”