Mellon Square Recognized by Huffington Post
Writing in today’s issue of The Huffington Post, Charles Birnbaum, president of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, places the restoration of Mellon Square among the most notable landscape architecture development projects of 2014.
Birnbaum states that “modernism got a big boost” as a result of the effort by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the City of Pittsburgh to bring the iconic midtown park back to its original beauty and status as a midtown oasis.The article places Mellon Square in the company of such notable largescale projects as Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park in Queens, and the BeltLine in Atlanta.
The article also provided a shout out to the recently published book, Mellon Square: Discovering a Modern Masterpiece, authored by Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Parks Curator Susan Rademacher. Rich with historic photography, Mellon Square: Discovering a Modern Masterpiece provides an in-depth telling of the story of this noted modern landscape, from its celebrated design and construction as an urban oasis and cornerstone of mid-town revitalization during Pittsburgh’s first Renaissance, through its decline, and on to its nationally celebrated – and recently completed -- restoration.
Mellon Square: Discovering a Modern Masterpiece is available at local booksellers including Mystery Lovers in Oakmont, Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley, Classic Lines in Squirrel Hill, University of Pittsburgh bookstore on Fifth Avenue, and The Carnegie Museum of Art gift shop, as well as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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About Mellon Square
The six-year, $10 million dollar project to restore and maintain Mellon Square was developed by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh, with Heritage Landscapes leading the design team. Principal funders of the construction project include The Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Colcom Foundation, and The Eden Hall Foundation, along with a mix of corporate and private donors. The Pittsburgh Parking Authority, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation also provided critical support in the efforts to revitalize Mellon Square.