West View’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of West View. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗West View was first incorporated on March 20, 1905. In the early 1900s, the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company began acquiring land in Ross Township in order to build houses. Land developer Frederick Christian Martsolf was particularly enamored by the area, so working with the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company, he was able to incorporate 640 acres of land right in the middle of Ross Township into West View Borough. West View held its first election on May 16, 1905, with Martsolf being elected the first president of the Borough Council on May 24, 1905.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart West View’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West View’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1912 circa West View Park postcard, 1912: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to West View
See all 13 →
West View, decade by decade
1990s
LOCAerial view of the high-speed Interstate Highway 279 and th…2019
LOCAerial view of suburban sprawl in the Allegheny County, Pen…2019
LOCAerial view of suburban sprawl in the Allegheny County, Pen…2019
CommonsRichardRossiChildhoodHome2016
CommonsRidgewood Avenue in2015
MapMap of Allegheny County PA Highlighting WestView2007Nothing in West View is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean West View has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Mount Saint Mary Convent and Saint Benedict Academy Historic District in Ross, 1.4 miles away.
West View and the nearest listed places
Closest to West View
Perry High SchoolPittsburgh · Neo-Classical · Built 19012.2mi
Davis Island Lock and Dam SiteAvalon · Built 18852.4miRiverview ParkPittsburgh · District2.6miHow a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1912 circa West View Park postcard (1912) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.