Thomas Rodd was born in London, England, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 5, and he served as an officer in the Navy during the American Civil War.

[2] Shortly afterwards he eventually joined the Pennsylvania Railroad Company where he would be appointed to chief engineer for all lines west of Pittsburgh in 1889.

[12] The houses in the constructed neighborhood served as mainly rental properties owned by the Rodd family until the 1950s when the individual homes were sold.

The houses continue to serve residential functions and the Roslyn Place neighborhood was nominated in October 2017 to become a City Historic District by Preservation Pittsburgh.

The neighborhood's design and planning approach is widely recognized, most notably by acclaimed urban planner Allan Jacobs.