Allegheny Commons Partnership Announcement to Unveil Details About New Park Projects
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Allegheny Commons Initiative, and North Side Leadership Conference invite the public to attend the 2:00 PM Monday, March 30, 2015 announcement of a new partnership that will bring new energy to projects in Pittsburgh's most historic park. The event will take place at the George Washington statue in Allegheny Commons Park, with parking available at the National Aviary. The unveiling of a major fountain restoration and North Commons phase will be among the project announcements.
Speakers and guests scheduled to take part include Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, long-time Allegheny Commons advocate Patricia Rooney, City of Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation Director Jim Griffin, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy founder and CEO Meg Cheever, Distrcit 1 Councilwoman Darlene Harris, Allegheny Commons Initiative chari John Francona, The Buhl Foundation Vice-President Diana Bucco, and Northside Leadership Conference Board President LaShawn Burton-Faul.
A special avain appearance to commemorate the partnership announcement will take place compliments of the National Aviary.
Inclement weather location is the National Aviary.
###
About the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh's historic city parks. A nonprofit organization, the Parks Conservancy works closely with the City of Pittsburgh under an official public-private partnership agreement to restore and improve the city’s park system to its full potential. Originally including Highland, Schenley, Frick, and Riverview Parks, the scope of the Park Conservancy’s work now includes a focus on community parks including Allegheny Commons, Arsenal Park, Cliffside Park, McKinley Park, and Mellon Park. To date, the Parks Conservancy has raised $84 million toward park improvements. The Parks Conservancy works with thousands of volunteers annually, stewards over 1,700 acres, and has completed 14 capital projects.
About Allegheny Commons
Allegheny Commons is Pittsburgh's oldest park, dating to 1867 when it was designed to provide "breathing places" for the citizens of what was then the City of Allegheny. It was designed as a Victorian landscape for strolling, graced with fountains, monuments, and elaborate flower beds. In the 1930's, with federal resources from the Civil Works Administration, modifications were made to the path system, plantings, and other details throughout the Commons, with an emphasis on new play areas.
In the late 1960's, a park plan by renowned landscape architecture firm Simonds & Simonds proposed numerous adventuresome changes. While few of these projects came to realization, one notable one that did was the distinctly modern Lake Elizabeth.
Today, the park's layout, large trees, and may public sculptures define it as historic, while its green space, fresh air, and recreational opportunities keep it vital. Its linear, pedestrian-oriented character is well-suited to serving the extraordinarily diverse mix of neighborhoods, institutions, public attractions, and businesses that surround it today. Allegheny Commons was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The Master Plan for the Allegheny Commons, completed in 2002 by the Allegheny Commons Initiative, aims to protect the historic integrity of this important open space, while recognizing the evolution of its design and uses.
For additional historic background on Allegheny Commons, click here.