Brunot Island

Brunot Island is located on the western edge of Pittsburgh in the middle of the Ohio River. Â It is currently not a residential neighborhood, but considered a neighborhood in Pittsburgh none-the-less. Â
It was originally named for Dr. Felix Brunot, who settled there in the late 1700s, building an estate. Â A flood in 1811 destroyed it, and by 1819 he had sold the island. Â It was used as farmland until purchased by George Westinghouse in 1894. Â Westinghouse built an electrical plant on the island.
Not long after that, a group of businessmen organized as the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Driving Club also built the Brunot Island Race Track. Â Friendly races were held each weekend. Â The track closed in 1907 but was still the site of aerial shows and races for a time after that.
The only bridge access to the island is for railroad use only. Â At one time, there was ferry service as well.







