Showcase Projects
While the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is devoted to maintaining and beautifying all the city's parks on a daily basis, several showcase projects have been undertaken to make major improvements and additions. These projects are shining examples of what happens when the entire community comes together to further the Parks Conservancy's mission of restoring and revitalizing our city's green spaces.
Frick Gatehouse
As its first showcase project, the Parks Conservancy restored a 70-year old gatehouse at Reynolds Street using plans from the original architects, John Russell Pope and Innocenti and Webel. The stonework was cleaned, sidewalls rebuilt, and a new clay tile roof and historic lighting were added. The windows were unbricked and fitted with steel and black iron bars to match the originals. New cypress doors, matching the originals, were installed, reusing some of the original hardware. The surrounding landscape was also revitalized including planting many new sugar maples, juneberries, flowering dogwoods, and forsythia bushes.
Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center
Park user surveys have shown that people are more likely to visit a park if there are restrooms, food and drink available for purchase, and a place to find basic park information. With this idea in mind, the Parks Conservancy converted a dilapidated former park shelter into the Schenley Park Visitor Center and Café in 2001. Over a hundred years old, the Visitor Center is one of the few remaining buildings from the park's original creation. It was used as a tool shed, the home of the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, and a nature museum with snakes of all sizes. The building fell into disrepair in the 1980s and was boarded up until the restoration project began.
The Parks Conservancy restored the historic building’s masonry, windows, and roof. The interior was redesigned to house a café and gift shop. Many of the materials used in the restoration were salvaged from the original building and a majority of the new materials were supplied by local vendors. The Visitor Center also has many state-of-the-art green features such as a natural ventilation and light system, low flow faucets, and recycled materials. Today the Visitor Center is a popular gathering place, and its Café offers delicious lunch fare and a great place to relax after a long run in the park.
Of equal importance was the restoration of the building's surrounding landscape. A historic cobblestone path leading from the building to the park was restored, and landscape trees, shrubs, and flowers were added around the building. The slope behind the Café was overgrown with invasive plants, and with the help of many volunteers, the Conservancy removed these harmful species and seeded in a wide variety of native plants. Urban EcoStewards continue to maintain this area.
Highland Park Babbling Brook
The Babbling Brook project arose out of the opportunity to turn a necessary water treatment function into a park amenity. Once a deteriorating set of historic steps, now the Babbling Brook is a beautiful, and functional, attraction.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection passed a law that would have forced the city to cover the park reservoir with a plastic sheath. Instead, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, with strong community support and input, built a state-of-the-art microfiltration plant to clean the water.
After the plant was built, PWSA needed a system to expel and clean the waste water from the plant, but was unable to spend money on “aesthetic” improvements. Instead of building a concrete chute to transport water as originally planned, the PWSA partnered with the Parks Conservancy to go a step further. The Babbling Brook naturally dechlorinates and cleans the waste water by aerating it over rocks, boulders, and organic material. A streamside trail and overlook were also created for park users to enjoy.
Phipps Run Stream Corridor
Phipps Run is the woodland and wetland area that begins at the top of Panther Hollow near Carnegie Mellon University and leads to Panther Hollow Lake, marking the high point of the hollow. Its reestablishment was the essential first step in renewing the ecological health of the entire area.
Years of storm water runoff had eroded Phipps Run’s trails and silted in the stream bed and historic lily pool that existed as the stream actually re-routed itself, flowing over a washed-out trail and a historic bridge from 1939. The first phase of work was to redirect upper Phipps Run to its original stream design, build water basins along its path to control the flow of storm water runoff, and establish a streamside trail to ease access along the run. The Parks Conservancy worked with the City’s Department of Public Works to recreate the stream channel, and volunteers helped reestablish the surrounding wetland by planting thousands of tiarella and heuchera shrubs along the stream and on adjacent hillsides to increase the stability and sustainability of the area.
Highland Park Entry Garden
In 2003, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Highland Park community began the effort to return the Highland Park Entry Garden to its late-19th century grandeur. Over the decades, the garden’s original design was lost, and its fountain had turned into a planting bed. Restoration work included tree and soil removal and replacement, reconstruction of the stone pool border, fountain replacement, renewal of plantings and flower beds, installation of new lighting and benches, and walkway restoration. In 2005, the restoration of the fountain and gardens was completed, returning the space to the neighborhood treasure it was meant to be.
The gardens have since been accented with four 4-foot-tall metal urns donated by Roy and Susie Dorrance in memory of Susie’s mother, Mrs. Emma O. Sharp. The urns recall a feature of the entry garden that is visible in historic photos and postcards and feature rotating plantings.
The final phase of the entry garden restoration project will be the installation of decorative trellises, on which vining plants can grow. If you’re interested in contributing funding to this project, please contact the Parks Conservancy at 412-682-7275.
Schenley Plaza
The Parks Conservancy’s largest project to date was the transformation of the 5-acre parcel called Schenley Plaza from a parking lot back into a park entrance. The $10 million effort spanned 10 years and represented a tremendous collaboration between the Conservancy, the Oakland community, corporations, foundations, and government. Schenley Plaza re-opened as a park in June 2006, revitalized as the grand entrance to Schenley Park it was always intended to be. The multifunctional Plaza provides an oasis of relaxation, recreation, food, and entertainment to Pittsburghers of all ages. It offers a one-acre grand lawn, the PNC Carousel, gardens along Forbes Avenue set with Spanish cedar benches, free wireless Internet, clean restrooms, regular free entertainment, and delicious food at four kiosks.
Highland Park Seasonal Pools
In 2006, the Parks Conservancy and the City Department of Public Works began the creation of a wetland habitat along Washington Boulevard in Highland Park. A series of depressions were dug into a former lawn area to form pools that collect storm water from the park's hills. The project has created a habitat that is rare in the parks, removed an area that was difficult for city crews to mow because of frequent flooding, and allowed greater storm water infiltration.
A number of plant and animal species that previously were unseen in the area now call the seasonal pools home. Further enhancing the area's biodiversity is the Parks Conservancy's work to remove invasive species from the adjacent hillside. To fill in the gaps created by this removal, many new trees and shrubs have been planted. Today the seasonal pools provide a beautiful and ecologically sound park feature to a previously bare area.
Riverview Park Chapel Shelter
The Parks Conservancy’s first showcase project in Riverview Park, the restoration of the Riverview Park Chapel Shelter, was completed in June 2008. The building, which had been closed to the public and slated for demolition in 2005, was completely refurbished to make it safe and beautiful for park users to enjoy. Improvements included new flooring, an updated kitchen, handicap-accessible restrooms, the recreation of the historic steeple and dormers, and a return to the historically-inspired design. The landscape was also restored, with a new trail connection, removal of invasive species, and the creation of new garden beds. A collection of lilacs over a century old was uncovered, and the removal of invasive Siberian elm trees has allowed these beautiful plants to flourish once again. The slopes surrounding the building now teem with collections of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
To view a slideshow of the Chapel's transformation, click here.
Mary E. Schenley Memorial Fountain
Created to honor Mary Schenley's gift of land in 1889 to create Schenley Park, the sculpture and fountain called A Song to Nature was described after its dedication in 1918 as "a happy combination of poetry and passion." Sculpted by Victor David Brenner, perhaps best known as the designer of the Lincoln penny, the fountain depicts the figures of Pan the earth god and a nymph, Sweet Harmony, who serenades him. The sculpture was seen at the time of its dedication as illustrative of culture's power to tame nature.
Restoration of the fountain took place in summer 2008. Cracks, staining, plumbing problems, and missing sculptural elements were preventing the fountain from being appreciated as the valuable piece of public art that it is. A respectful analysis of the history and evolution of the landscape led to subtle changes that have a big effect. Enlarged green space around the fountain and nighttime illumination set off the burnished bronze and granite basin. A reduced amount of impervious pavement improves storm water absorption. Intelligently aligned paths enhance the approaches to the Frick Fine Arts Building, while improving ease of access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mellon Park Walled Garden
Originally part of the Richard Beatty Mellon estate, this historic garden eventually became a beloved gathering place for the public. In 2009, the Parks Conservancy began a restoration and improvement project that revitalized the garden's plantings, repaired its infrastructure, and added seating. The restoration honors the memory of Ann Katharine Seamans, who visited the garden often during her life. A new art installation pays tribute to Annie by bringing the pattern of the night sky on the day of her birth into the lawn through fiber optic "stars."
Upcoming Projects
Environmental Center at Frick Park
The Parks Conservancy’s next major project is the re-visioning and restoration of a new Environmental Center at Frick Park. The Center, which burned in 2002, continues to operate out of two small gatehouses at the park entrance, but has no space for indoor programming. The Parks Conservancy has been working with the Center’s dedicated staff, along with community members, foundations, and business planning consultants to plan for a state-of-the-art new Center. A business plan has been drafted, and landscape and programming plans are beginning to take shape. Fundraising for the $10–15 million project is ongoing as we plan for a Center that will become the Pittsburgh hub for environmental education. For more information on this project and how you can help, contact the Parks Conservancy at 412-682-7275.