Braddock Carnegie Library
Wikipedia (and below)
Braddock's population dropped 20% since the 2010 census.
Governing, 6/9/2021
Braddock’s library was a centerpiece of the community for decades and remained in use until 1974 when the building’s deteriorating condition and lack of funds forced its closure. Soon after, a group of concerned citizens banded together to stop a planned demolition, purchasing the building for a dollar, then raising enough money to begin the building’s revival. The old stone structure reopened in 1983, as a one-room children’s library. The roof, gymnasium and music hall walls were restored in the ’90s as the building was slowly reclaimed for public use. The pool is empty, and the billiard tables long gone, but Braddock’s library is once again a place where locals have access to a range of activities and amenities. The basement bathhouse has been repurposed as a ceramics studio, and a screen print shop occupies a small room on the third floor. An eclectic selection of things is available to check out, including tools, tables and chairs, artwork and giant puppets.
Braddock's population peaked at 20,879 in 1920. Its 2016 estimated population is 2,159 -- a drop of 18,720, or nearly 90%.
Related reading:
“Braddock, PA,” a Brisk, Remedial Documentary of a Rust Belt Town. (The New Yorker, 8/7/2018)In four episodes, each of which lasts just a few minutes, the series gives us a vivid sense of place and politics; watching it this summer, in this anxious pre-midterms moment, might just fire you up even more. Braddock, east of Pittsburgh, on the Monongahela River, is marked by natural beauty and industrial decay. Centered on the Edgar Thomson Steel Works mill, it was once a thriving company town.
Environmentalists by Necessity. (City Lab, 8/1/2018)
In the old steel town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, the toxic footprint is emblematic of what it means to suffer environmental injustice in the U.S. And nobody invested in the town’s future can afford to ignore it.
Other disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State
Aliquippa. (1/12/2019)Ambridge. (1/17/2019)
Arnold. (1/18/2019)
Johnstown. (1/6/2019)
Pittsburgh. (1/13/2019)
Scranton. (1/14/2019)
Other U.S. disappearing cities:
Baltimore, Maryland. (12/31/2018)
Benton Harbor, Michigan. (1/15/2019)
Buffalo, New York, (1/8/2019)
Cairo, Illinois. (1/5/2019)
Cleveland, Ohio (1/2/2019)
Detroit, Michigan. (1/1/2019)
East St. Louis, Illinois. (1/11/2019)
Flint, Michigan. (1/7/2019)
Gary, Indiana. (1/4/2019)
St. Louis, Missouri. (1/2/2019)
Wheeling, West Virginia. (1/16/2019)
Youngstown, Ohio. (1/9/2019)
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