Neighborhood in Pittsburgh · Allegheny County
Lower Lawrenceville
Lower Lawrenceville centers on Butler Street and Penn Avenue at Doughboy Square, with older brick buildings, apartment developments and Arsenal Park.
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Second Empire building at Butler and 37th streets, Lower Lawrenceville — May 2015.
Butler Street homes, Arsenal Park and bus links to downtown and Oakland
About Lower Lawrenceville
Lower Lawrenceville centers on Butler Street and Penn Avenue at Doughboy Square, with older brick buildings, apartment developments and Arsenal Park. Route 91 connects the Butler Street corridor with downtown; Route 93 continues toward Children’s Hospital and Oakland.
Older brick buildings and apartments near 39th Street
Doughboy Square marks the junction of Penn Avenue and Butler Street. The dated photograph on this page shows a brick Second Empire building at Butler and 37th streets, with a mansard roof and dormer windows—one example of the older architecture along the corridor.
Apartment searches also include larger communities such as Arsenal 201 at 147 39th Street. Its operator lists eco-suites, studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, garage parking and bicycle storage. Balconies and patios are available only in selected units, so outdoor space is a floor-plan detail rather than a feature of every apartment.
Groceries toward the Strip and a Tuesday market
Salem’s Market at 2923 Penn Avenue, in the neighboring Strip District, sells international groceries, halal meat and produce. For a home near Doughboy Square, this places a grocery destination down Penn Avenue toward the Strip, while the farmers market lies in the other direction near 41st Street.
The Lawrenceville Farmers Market adds a seasonal option at Bay 41, 115 41st Street, just beyond Lower Lawrenceville in Central Lawrenceville. The 2026 season runs Tuesdays, May 19–November 24, from 3–7 p.m., with produce, meat, bread and pantry vendors. It fits a weekly shopping trip, but operates on one afternoon rather than throughout the week.
Downtown and Oakland use different bus routes
Route 91 follows Butler Street toward the Strip District and downtown. Route 93 serves Butler Street at 39th Street before continuing via Children’s Hospital and Bloomfield to Oakland, then Squirrel Hill and Hazelwood. This gives residents an Oakland option without first riding into downtown.
PRT’s timetable, effective June 28, 2026, lists weekday, Saturday and Sunday service separately for both routes. Route 93’s weekend timetable has fewer departures than its weekday table; the return journey and your working hours matter when deciding whether it fits a regular commute.
Arsenal Park’s playground and pavilion
Arsenal Park’s first improvement phase added a playground and a pavilion with restrooms. The city’s dated update records construction as completed in fall 2024.
The project also included an accessible path from the entrance at 40th and Davison streets. That entrance is a useful starting point for a park visit with a stroller or mobility aid; the city project page provides the site plan and details of the work.
A separate riverfront dog-run trip
Bernard Dog Run has separate areas for large and small dogs. Access is from the riverfront trail beneath the 40th Street Bridge. It provides an off-leash destination by the river, separate from Arsenal Park’s playground and pavilion.
Check these on a visit
Try these in person before you commit to an address in Lower Lawrenceville.
- Explore the Butler Street blocks between Doughboy Square and 39th Street.
- Find Arsenal Park’s entrance at 40th and Davison streets.
- Locate the Butler Street bus stops for your downtown or Oakland trip.
Neighborhoods and districts near Lower Lawrenceville
The closest neighborhoods and districts in Pittsburgh, measured center to center.
Under 1 miCentral LawrencevilleCentral Lawrenceville combines Butler Street’s commercial corridor with rowhouse streets and apartments around Willow Street.
1.2 miStrip DistrictPittsburgh’s Strip District brings Penn Avenue food shopping, the Smallman Street Terminal and riverfront apartment buildings into a former industrial corridor beside downtown.
1.5 miUpper LawrencevilleUpper Lawrenceville mixes older residential streets with Butler Street businesses, industrial sites and Contemporary Craft’s gallery and studios near 57th Street.
Guides about Lower Lawrenceville
ZIP codes in Lower Lawrenceville
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Sources & data notesReferences, reporting periods, and how to use this information
Information on this page is compiled from multiple sources and provided for general information. It may be incomplete or out of date, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Independently verify important details with the original source, relevant authority, or a qualified professional before making decisions.
Statistics keep their reporting periods. Survey estimates are not current asking prices or quotes for an individual property. Displayed values are rounded.
- Butler Street and Penn Avenue junction and neighborhood memorial
- Second Empire building in Lower Lawrenceville, photographed May 16, 2015; CC0 dedication
- 147 39th Street; eco-suites, studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes
- Garage parking, bicycle storage and unit-specific balcony and patio availability
- Penn Avenue market’s international grocery and produce range
- Tuesday May 19–November 24, 3–7 p.m., Bay 41 at 115 41st Street; vendor types
- Effective June 28, 2026; Butler Street and 39th Street timepoints; downtown and Oakland routes and separate weekend tables
- Fall 2024 completion notice; playground, pavilion and restrooms, and accessible path from 40th and Davison streets
- Separate large- and small-dog areas; riverfront-trail access under the 40th Street Bridge
- 2923 Penn Avenue address and 2026 posts describing the Strip District market and grocery range
- ZIP boundariesU.S. Census Bureau ZCTAsCensus ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate postal delivery areas and may cross city and neighborhood boundaries.
Photo credits
- Second Empire building at Butler and 37th streets, Lower Lawrenceville — May 2015.