William “Willie” Baker, owner of Baker’s Dairy & Mr. B’s Car Wash, Hamilton Avenue, Homewood.
On a warm Friday afternoon in July 2026, a crowd gathered at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Albion Street in Homewood. City officials, family members, old neighbors, and young people who had grown up working at the store all came to witness something long overdue.
The City of Pittsburgh unveiled a new street sign: William Baker Way — an honorary renaming of the stretch of Hamilton Avenue that runs past 7300, the address where William Baker spent more than half a century serving his community.
“I try to be… I’ve enjoyed serving them, and I hope they enjoyed some of my work that I put out, and I try to be the person that they can always depend on.”
— William Baker, interviewed by Chris Moore, 2014
From Montgomery to Homewood: A Life Built on Service
William Baker was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and came to Pittsburgh in 1959. He survived the Jim Crow era before heading north, took classes at the Community College of Allegheny County, and worked at Country Belle Dairy to learn the trade. In 1968, he opened his first Baker’s Dairy store on Brushton Avenue in Homewood.
At his peak, Baker operated three locations — Brushton, Centre Avenue in the Hill District, and Hamilton Avenue. As the others eventually closed, Baker’s focus narrowed to 7300 Hamilton Ave., where he would remain for decades. In an era when big-box stores forced countless “little guys” out of business, Baker’s bond with Homewood residents kept the lights on and the cash register rolling.
He also ran Mr. B’s Car Wash next door, creating a neighborhood anchor that offered both groceries and services to a community that needed both.
The Bicycle Tradition & Feeding the Neighborhood
Baker’s generosity was legendary and deeply personal. Throughout the year, he collected broken and discarded bicycles, repaired them himself, and gave them away to local kids at Christmas. He held toy giveaways and donated to Homewood football teams. He gave out free corned beef and deli sandwiches to neighborhood children who otherwise would not have eaten that day.
His business also served as a first job for many neighborhood youth, teaching them a strong work ethic. He and his wife, Patricia, were fixtures at community functions and events. Baker was the recipient of numerous community awards over the years.
Pittsburgh District 9 honored William Baker as a Black History Month Shero & Hero.
A Pandemic Loss & A Community’s Delayed Farewell
William Baker passed away in April 2020 at age 79, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Because he died at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family was unable to hold the massive, community-wide homegoing celebration that a figure of his stature deserved. The community mourned through local tributes and retrospectives, but the public gathering never came.
His son, Curtis Baker, took over daily operations and kept the storefront open — a promise to the neighborhood that the Baker legacy would continue. The 2026 street dedication, in many ways, became the grand public celebration of life that Homewood was never able to hold in 2020.
“In Loving Remembrance: William D. Baker” — a photo collage displayed at the July 31, 2026 street dedication ceremony.
The Street Dedication Ceremony
The City of Pittsburgh and the Baker family cordially invited the community to attend the official honorary street renaming ceremony celebrating the dedication of William Baker Way, honoring the life, legacy, and lasting contributions of William and Patricia Baker.
The Baker Way: A Philosophy of Community
The Baker family’s tribute to William captured his philosophy in four simple lines that defined how he ran his business and his life:
- Treat people right.
- Work harder than expected.
- Keep your word.
- Leave things better than you found them.
“That’s The Baker Way.”
William Baker’s story is Pittsburgh’s story — the story of a man who came from the South, built something from nothing, and chose to stay when others left. The street sign at Hamilton and Albion is more than an honor. It is a reminder that community is built one corned beef sandwich, one repaired bicycle, one first job at a time. Baker’s Dairy is still open. The legacy is still alive.