Photos: The Second Renaissance Of Pittsburgh’s Public Parks

At the turn of the twentieth century, Pittsburgh's parks were the envy of the world.

As a result of a booming economy, the result of the Industrial Revolution, the city had the resources to develop and maintain a number of large parks, plus more than 100 smaller parks scattered around the city.

But by the 1950s, many of the city's finest parks had fallen into disrepair.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, created by Meg Cheever in 1996, has brought about a renaissance for area parks, raising nearly $110 million from outside sources and completing 17 major capital projects. The city's four largest parks qualify for funding from the Regional Asset District, but restoring other parks was done completely with private funding... see the article and photos here