Spring Hill Mosaics to Penn Brewery or Scratch & Co: A T&M Pittsburgh Steps & Dine Hike

By Love2Chow - April 16, 2026

There is no better time than the spring for a Pittsburgh City Steps Hike to see several beautiful tile mosaics in Spring Hill. These include a free-standing mosaic wall, mosaic row houses, and whimsical pigeons arrayed along a cliff bottom. And it's thanks to Linda Wallen, a local artist committed to beautifying our communities. Penn Brewery is on the way back down to River Ave, making for a convenient dog-friendly lunch spot. And on Sundays, try stopping by Scratch & Co for a delicious brunch.

View from Goehring near Vista, 05/22

Diana St steps, 06/24

Pittsburgh is known as the City of Bridges, crossing over rivers and ravines, and over 800 public staircases that vertically bridge different neighborhoods. After moving into the city, we are constantly discovering new views, both grand and intimate, as we walk the city steps.

A few years ago, we noted colorful birds decorating the base of a steep rock cliff rising sharply up from Itin St.

Itin St pigeons, 05/22

Then, we took a steps hike with a Facebook group, and discovered a row of three Yetta St. houses, with a fourth nearby, whose ground level and staircase walls were covered with mosaics.

Yetta St Mosaic Houses, 09/24

As our eyes sharpened, we recognized a common artistic hand behind these, and other mosaics discovered elsewhere in Spring Hill and Spring Garden. A bit of research revealed that local artist Linda Wallen was involved in all these projects, and that the racing pigeons reflect the German heritage of the area.

Whereas our Mosaic Stairway hike in the Southside is centered around steps art created using Italian tiles, according to her blog, Linda Wallen took her inspiration from a trip to Barcelona, Spain.

It's a lot of fun to see the different elements incorporated into her mosaics -- with new discoveries each time -- from depictions of old springs that give the neighborhood its name, to a toy dog or memorial message incorporated into the mosaic by students working with her.

View of Spring Hill Mural, Voegtly Spring, and old Firehall (now housing the Steel City Boxing Association) from Stein St steps

We have taken friends and neighbors on several variations of this mosaic hike on weekends, often followed by lunch in the outdoor courtyard of Penn Brewery.

After describing a basic hike passing most of the mosaics, some variations are presented. This includes a detour past a secret mosaic my husband found that is completely obscured by vegetation for most of the year.

Another variation involves staying up in Troy Hill for Sunday brunch at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Scratch & Co. If you are lucky, the Gallery Closed exhibits in this loop will be back up.

"Fireman" steps looking up from Vinial St, 09/24

For other Pittsburgh urban T&M hike and dine routes, check these blogposts.

Mosaic Stairway to Dish Osteria (Southside)

Troy Hill Four Stair Loop with options for traversing 1, 2, 4, 6 or 7 steps of stairs in Troy Hill.

West End Overlook to Chaykhana (West End-Elliott)

Spring Hill Mosaics & Penn Brewery

As with most of our hikes in this area, you can park in the gravel lot that supports the River Trail.

River Trail parking lot to the right.

See Steps of Troy Hill for additional parking in the area. On the route maps below, staircases are marked with bold purple letters, points of interest with pink diamonds, and eating establishments with yellow hearts.

While a portion of River Avenue is currently closed, it is open to the parking lot. Proceed on foot northeast along the River Trail, crossing River Ave using the crosswalk to the left sidewalk when it appears. Navigate the traffic lights across Route 28 and proceed up the Rialto St. steps.

Rialto St steps

As you pass the side steps that branch off to the left, look up and ahead to see the Troy Hill Incline Mural.

From River Trail parking (blue P), head northeast to the 31st St Bridge. Stairs heading up (red) or down (green) are shown: A. Rialto St; B. Harpster St; C. Diana St; D. Steine St; E. Lappe Ln; F. Chestnut St; G. Vinial St to Province St (near Goettmann St), and down H. Basin St steps and the I. Penn Brewery upper lot steps to the restaurant (yellow 1). For an easier route, stay on Vinial St, skipping G-I, until you get to the Penn Brewery entrance. The Garden Cafe is also on the way (yellow 2). Points of interest: Historic Site plaque on upper incline train station building, now the main Gallery Closed building (pink 1), Voegtly Spring and Spring Hill mosaic mural (pink 2), Yetta Ave mosaic houses x 3 (pink 3), bird art on cliff along Itin Rd (pink 4), mosaic art on Chestnut St stairwall (pink 5), Troy Hill mosaic welcome sign (pink 6).

Steps and Sights

At the top, after climbing 180 steps, turn left down Ley St. until you approach the triangle intersection with Froman St and Lowrie St.

Intersection of Ley, Froman and Lowrie with Scratch & Co mural on Froman

Across the intersection, you will see a large blue-grey building at 1733 Lowrie with an 8-foot tall bronze plaque.

Former Troy Hill incline upper station, currently Gallery Closed art in the windows

Cross the street to read this historic plaque, placed in September 2021. It describes the history of the site, from prehistory through its use as movie theatre, the upper incline train station, and several banks.

Today it houses the main installation of a set of changing art exhibits called Gallery Closed. Peek through the window and note the locations of the other 4 sites along the street.

Gallery Closed exhibit at 1813 Lowrie, Spaces to Exhale, 12/24

All five of these are readily viewable if you elect the Spring Hill Mosaics to Scratch & Co hike described below.

Spring Hill Mosaic Mural

But for now, we will head west back up Froman, past the Troy Hill mural painted on the side of the building. Turn left on Hatteras and then right on Tinsbury St.

This will take you past the parking area for the Most Holy Name of Jesus church complex. Note the double steeple of Saint Anthony Chapel, which is known for having more relics than anywhere else in the world except Vatican City. We have yet to venture inside, but plan to do so in the future.

Turn left at the T-intersection onto Harpster St, and keep going straight past the Most Holy Name of Jesus church.

Most Holy Name of Jesus Church, also depicted on the Troy Hill garage mural at the top of the Harpster St steps

Just to the right of a Troy Hill mural painted onto a garage, is a descending metal railed stairway.

Harpster St, 09/24

As you descend the 134 steps, notice the street signs that indicate these stairs are part of Harpster St. The mail service staff are undoubtedly pleased that the mailbox for 1601 Harpster is now at the bottom after the residents added a driveway down to Lager St.

Turn left on Spring Garden Avenue, and walk to the Welcome to Spring Garden display on the left.

Turn right on Homer St and look to the left for an attractive set of stairs that will take you 116 steps from Homer up to Diana St.

Diana St steps, 09/24

At the top, continue down Diana St.

Then, take a right on Iona St, and go up hill. At the top, hang a left onto Itin St, and then a right on Rhine St.

Corner of Diana and Iona, 09/24

Continue down Rhine St and take the downward right fork on Walz St. You will pass a convenience store where you can pick up a cold drink in the event that someone in your group forgot to bring a water bottle!

Meme's Market, Walz St

At the bottom of the hill, where Walz St joins back to Homer St, you will see a historic brick firehall that now houses a boxing club.

Old firehall with Voegtly Spring behind, 09/24

As you follow the corner around the firehall onto Damas St, take a peek inside the fence and see if you can spot mosaic flowers.

Cross Damas St to view the fountain structure. This is the Voegtly Spring, also known as the Spring Hill Spring, which is still running -- kind of like all those aqueducts in Rome. It used to seep through the shale hillside, but in 1912, this concrete structure was built to provide easier access to drinking water.

Voegtly Spring, 08/24

Head back down Damas St and walk right up to the free-standing Spring Hill Mural, and its rose garden. This mural was created by high school students working with Linda Wallen and members of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild to tell the history of Spring Hill.

Spring Hill Mosaic, 03/26

Besides the racing pigeons, look for familiar landmarks and professions pursued by these immigrants, which have been artfully incorporated into the mural. Indeed the Spring itself appears in more than one place.

But also take a closer look at the 3-dimensional objects embedded into the mural, and the side panel contributions of individual students.

We find something new to see every time we come up here.

Yetta St. Mosaic Houses

After enjoying the Spring Hill Mural wall, head across the street and start up the 109 Steine St. steps to rejoin Rhine St at the Steine and Rhine intersection.

Steine St steps, 08/24

Head left (south) down Rhine. As you approach an attractive steepled church building, which is For Sale, turn right onto Yetta Ave.

Church for sale on Rhine St at Yetta St, 09/24

You will pass one of the tallest buildings in the area, St. Ambrose Manor, which is easily seen from the river. Say hello, if you pass one of the senior citizens that reside in this building. They are often quite interested in the concept of a steps hike.

Yetta St pigeon, 09/24

On the north side of Yetta, you will see some colorful murals arrayed along the lower, street level of several row houses. Linda Wallen lives in one of these houses, and started the trend. On our earlier visits, there were three of these houses in a row, with a fourth further to the left.

Mosaic houses on Yetta St, 06/25

On the left, a pink-trimmed house at 1208 is Linda's own home. This project took 6 years, and contains donated pieces of ceramics and glass, including a ceramic lizard sent by an anonymous donor in New Mexico.

Pink house, flowers over water, 07/25

Look for the different animals, including an octopus that was added upon request by a neighborhood child.

Next door at 1212, and connected to the first house by a second floor bridge, is a yellow house with blue trim. Flowers seems to be the main theme here.

Yellow house, flowers over land, 09/24

And attached to the right at 1214 was a blue house with more of a southwest, desert feel to its murals. This one tended to get a bit overgrown with plant life.

Blue house, animals and faces, 09/24

Sadly on our latest visit, the blue house had been torn down, with only a remnant of its mural propped up against the red trellis work of the neighbor's house at 1204.

The blue house and its animal mosaics is now just a grassy lot, 03/26

Hopefully, the aardvark that used to be here has been rescued and will go back up somewhere, someday.

Continue west along Yetta, and just before the wooden steps to the right, take a look at 1202. The residents of this house were from Puerto Rico and Philadelphia, and the artist designed in elements to reflect these themes.

1202 Yetta, the central part of the location-based mural has fallen down, 03/26

Of the three houses, this one was hardest to see due to plant overgrowth. Visiting in the winter or early spring is highly recommended.

1202 Yetta, tree frog, palm tree and edge detailing, 09/24

There is a vague whale-shaped darker region with jazz instruments positioned over some tropical waves. Check this site for older images of these foundation mosaics, taken in 2016.

Itin St. Birds

Take note of the Hunnell St steps that run alongside 1202 Yetta. While not part of this loop, these steps will lead you to the hidden house mosaic detour, described below for the Scratch & Co variation of this hike.

Instead, continue down Yetta until you come to Lappe Lane. To your left, you will see a staircase headed down into the trees.

Lappe Lane steps to Haslage, 11/24

After 47 steps, you will emerge on Haslage Ave. Cross the street and continue down 30 steps from Haslage to Zane Way or Kenzig Ave.

Go down a final long 164-step segment of the Lappe Lane steps to emerge onto Goehring St.

Lappe Lane steps to Goehring, 11/24

Take a slight detour to the left where Goehring joins Itin St, and look for the birds arrayed along the steep cliffside.

Itin St birds, 11/24

These represent the highest concentration of racing pigeons in the area, although you can find others scattered around the neighborhood.

Then go back along Goehring St, past the base of the Lappe Lane steps, and take the downhill fork onto Vista St.

Chestnut St. (East Deutchtown) City Steps Mosaic

Near the rightward bend on Vista St, look to the left for a nice set of concrete stairs with black metal railings and a bright yellow bike rail.

Chestnut St steps, 09/24

Go down these 177 steps from Vista St. to the intersection of Itin St. and Concord St in Deutschtown. Then turn around to look back at the steps you just descended.

While overgrown in the summer, in the winter and spring, you can really enjoy the sunflowers, yellow bridge and red/pink flowers of this beautiful mural.

The mural was placed on the previous version of the steps in 2015 by Linda Wallen and Amanda Wolfe in collaboration with local residents. The city did a great job of preserving the mural and reinstalling it on the new steps in 2021.

At the corner of Chestnut St. and Spring Garden Avenue, you will see the Garden Cafe. This is a nice spot for a small casual bite, and you might even be able to pick up a copy of Laura Zurowski's (aka mis.steps) book on City Steps of Pittsburgh.

Go left on Spring Garden Ave past Fire Station #32. This is one of the best kept secrets in town if you want a cold vending machine soda. They had a note apologizing for having to raise the price to 75 cents.

Angle right onto Vinial St.

Loop up Fireman Steps for Great Views (Optional)

At this point, if you are exhausted, you could simply continue down Vinial St, which will take you right past Penn Brewery. But it really is worthwhile for some great views of Pittsburgh to tackle the steps from Vinial St up to Province/Brabec St near their junction with Goettmann St.

Nicknamed the "fireman steps", because the firefighters run up and down for training and fitness, this staircase features an unusually high rise, making it a good fitness workup for the number of steps.

At 177 steps, it does not technically meet T & M's criteria for supersteps (any staircase with 200 or more steps). But he has made an exception for this one.

Take your time going up, stopping at a few landings to look behind you as the urban scenery emerges.

View of Allegheny General Hospital, filming site of the The Pitt tv series, from "fireman steps" 03/26

The top of these public steps can be a bit hard to find, but it emerges to pass next to a black and white house with an optical illusion painted on the stoop/basement wall.

Public railing for top of "fireman steps" to right of house with a view, 03/26

Jog to the left to take Goettmann St. east to the Troy Hill spray park.

View from Goettmann St, 09/24

Walk along the spray park to the corner, and search for the Basin St steps heading down towards the river.

These 98 steps will take a right turn and lead past a beautiful view of downtown and the Heinz smokestacks, to Province St.

View from middle of Basin St steps headed down to Penn Brewery, 03/26

Enter the upper parking lot for Penn Brewery and make your way down the Penn Brewery steps (81-98 total depending on your route) to the outdoor seating area.

Penn Brewery

In addition to indoor seating and nice bathroom facilities in the basement, Penn Brewery has a nice outdoor seating area, with umbrellas for shade. Just walk up into the building and let them know if you want to sit outdoors.

Penn Brewery dog-friendly courtyard

Sited in Pittsburgh's oldest brewery building, stemming back to the 1848 Deutschtown brewery of Eberhardt & Ober, this brick building with stone lagering tunnels is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On a hot day, it is refreshing to walk inside one of these lagering caves from the courtyard.

Historic lagering caves are nice and cool on a hot summer day

For appetizers, the pretzels are fantastic. If available, try the Giant Pretzel that is served with Obatzda and Bavarian mustard dipping sauces.

In addition to craft beers and seasonal offerings, Penn Brewery offers classic Pittsburgh fare including bratwurst, schnitzel and pierogies.

We have enjoyed most dishes that we have tried here, including loaded fries, wings, sausages and sandwiches.

The servers are fantastic, and kind enough to keep the dog well hydrated as well.

Return to parking area.

After leaving the Brewery, cross Troy Hill Road and admire the mosaic sign with its owl and flowers. This ceramic and glass mosaic was created by James Simon.

Look for the Charles J. Leiberth pedestrian walkway, named for Mr. Science of PBS, across Route 28. Then follow the path towards the Sarah Heinz House.

Turn left onto Heinz St and follow it back to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on the river side of River Ave. Turn left onto the path (watch for bike traffic), and walk back to the parking area.

Spring Hill Mosaics to Scratch & Co

This is a stem loop hike coming up and down Rialto St. steps. As such, it makes sense to park under the 31st St. Bridge on Herrs Island.

Note that Scratch & Co is open for Sunday brunch, with dinner service from Wednesday to Sunday. So it works well after either a Sunday morning hike, or mid- to late afternoon hikes.

Scratch & Co hummus platter

In the summertime, Redfin Blues waterfront restaurant is a dog-friendly option.