Street work, Duss Ave. and Fifth St., 1920s

This photo shows street work near the intersection of Duss Ave. and Fifth St., between 1919 and 1928 as I can best determine right now.

Road work
Duss Ave. near Fifth St.
circa 1919 - 1928
courtesy Borough of Ambridge

The large building on top of the hill on the right side of the photo was Harmony School,* built in 1912 and razed in 1965, now the site of the Ambridge Tower Apartments for seniors.

Harmony School
5th St. and Duss Ave.
Daily Times supplement, August 10, 1929?
Louis Vukovcan collection
courtesy of Jackie Vukovcan

The date the Borough had for this photo was "the 1930s"; however, Maria Notarianni noted that the photo must be earlier than that, since the large St. Stanislaus Church** on the corner of Beaver Rd. and Sixth St., built in 1928, isn't in the photo. However, the 1919 building that was both school and church before the 1928 church was built, is in the photo. (To the left of Harmony School, there are a few homes, and then the St. Stanislaus school/church building. Beaver Rd. intersects with Duss Ave. where those homes are.) After the church had its own building, the building in the photo served as the St. Stanislaus School.

St. Stanislaus School
Beaver Rd.

Daily Times supplement, August 10, 1929?

Louis Vukovcan collection

courtesy of Jackie Vukovcan

I don't know what the Duss Ave. project was, but there are two good candidates: Maria found that the borough planned to grade Fifth Street "from Duss Avenue to Beaver Road" in September 1924. A second possibility is that in 1927, Ambridge and the state were discussing a paving project. The state would take over Duss Ave. as "a part of the route from the Allegheny County line to Rochester," and share in the cost of the paving. (Daily Times, April 28, 1927)

P. J. Shotter took a great photo of what the intersection looked like in July 2016:

Then and Now
Duss Ave. at Fifth St.
courtesy P. J. Shotter
July 2016

* Later used by St. Veronica High School.
** Now New Hope Community Church.