City of Pittsburgh Geodetic and Topographic Survey Maps, 1923-1961
About the Geodetic and Topographic Survey Maps
These maps were prepared by the City of Pittsburgh Department of Planning staff beginning in 1923 and maintained into the 1960s. Relief is shown by contours and spot heights. The original index map includes a grid index and legend.
In addition to contour data, these survey maps depict streets, buildings (and sometimes their names), churches, institutions, cemeteries, mills, parks, schools, railroads, bridges, tunnels, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, development plans, and various landmarks.
Browsing the Maps
Each individual map plate can be viewed by making a selection from the map. The map serves as the only navigational method for browsing the maps. Further, the map displays only areas of Pittsburgh covered by survey maps on this website. Maps of other areas of Pittsburgh either were not produced or are missing from our collection.
For some areas, the Planning Department revised their original survey at a later date. In cases where both an original and a revised map were available in our collection, both versions were scanned and can be viewed here. The maps begin with Sheet No. 1 at the Point. From there, the sheets increase sequentially in a clockwise motion, spiraling out to the edge of the index map.
