Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
pittsburgh parks conservancy rebuilding mellon square
DOWNTOWN’S
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IS REBORN
PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY
Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
Working in partnership with government and community organizations, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy improves the quality of life for the people of Pittsburgh by restoring our park system to excellence. Projects and programs are conducted with respect for the environment, historic design and the needs of our diverse region.
“PUTTING THIS PARK BACK TOGETHER IS LIKE RE-ASSEMBLING A FINE SWISS WATCH.” —SUSAN RADEMACHER PARKS CURATOR, PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY
For nearly two decades, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has focused on connecting people to the parks. Parks like Mellon Square are an essential reason Pittsburgh is continually lauded as a most livable city.
Photo Credits: Cover by Ed Dumont/ Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy; Page 2, Watercolor: Bob Bowden/ Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy; Bottom left photo: Ed Dumont/ Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy; Remaining construction photos: John Altdorfer/Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy; Page 3, Historic aerial: Detre Library & Archives, Sen. John Heinz History Center
Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
PRESENT & PAST The reopening of Mellon Square, a masterpiece of Modernist landscape architecture, marks the completion of a restoration plan that honors the designers’ original vision of a refreshing oasis in the heart of the city for downtown workers, residents and visitors. In cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has brought this magnificent space back to life. The renewed Mellon Square features restored fountains, gardens and a new terrace, creating the kind of outdoor experience a celebrated urban corridor deserves.
SQUARE IN THE TRIANGLE Originally dedicated in 1955, Mellon Square was hailed as a masterwork for its beauty and its innovative design created by distinguished landscape architecture firm Simonds & Simonds and prominent architects Mitchell & Ritchey. Mellon Square was the country’s first urban green space designed and constructed in tandem with an underground parking facility. The project was also a forerunner of today’s green roof designs, absorbing water and decreasing polluted runoff. In 2008 the American Planning Association named the Square “one of 10 Great Public Spaces in America,” calling it “one of the country’s most enduring and outstanding places.”
Construction photos, from left: Michael Kraus applies heat and acid to oxidize the bronze; Phil Gruszka, Parks Conservancy project manager, checks concrete forms; Franco Associates Foreman Steve Lucas painstakingly installs a trench drain; Eisler Landscapes installs the green roof tapestry of Sedum plants.
Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE PARK PNC Bank recently revived the splendor of the former Mellon Bank Building on Smithfield Street and Oliver Avenue. The building now serves more than 700 PNC employees. At Sixth Avenue and William Penn Way, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will convert the James H. Reed Building, originally built in 1903, into a new Hotel Monaco. On Smithfield Street, the Henry W. Oliver Building, designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham, will be the site of an Embassy Suites Hotel. Nearby, a mix of parking, garage and retail space is planned for the former Saks Fifth Avenue site. And on Sixth Avenue, PMC Property Group plans to convert part of the Regional Enterprise Tower – once Alcoa’s headquarters – into residential apartments.
“PUBLIC PARKS, LIKE MELLON SQUARE, HELP US TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENTED, CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS TO THE REGION. THEY PROVIDE BREATHING ROOM FOR FRESH THINKING TO FUEL INNOVATION.” —DENNIS YABLONSKY, CEO ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Credit: Pfaffman + Associates/Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
THE NEW MELLON SQUARE: A KEY REGIONAL ASSET
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF MELLON SQUARE Mellon Square was built through the combined political and financial forces of Richard King Mellon, Mayor David Lawrence and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Together, they envisioned a grand public plaza that would spur economic development during Pittsburgh’s post-World War II Renaissance. And it did. The Mellon Square project helped to anchor additional development and attract private investment to downtown, including the construction of new office buildings for U. S. Steel and the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). Upon the project’s completion in 1955, the commercial value of properties near Mellon Square increased nearly ten-fold. Mellon Square was immediately hailed nationally as an architectural masterwork and did much to rebrand Pittsburgh as an emerging modern city. Credit: Detre Library & Archives, Sen. John Heinz History Center
TO SEE A LIST OF THE GENEROUS FUNDERS, TALENTED DESIGNERS AND DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS THAT MADE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE, PLEASE GO TO PITTSBURGHPARKS.ORG.
As was the case during the city’s first Renaissance, Pittsburgh’s most celebrated Modernist landscape is again serving as a catalyst to energize the city’s midtown business district. The Mellon Square restoration project has added significant momentum to an economic revitalization movement that is bringing people back to the Mellon Square neighborhood – and to downtown Pittsburgh as a whole. Mellon Square is at the hub of millions of dollars in new development and renovations planned and under way on Smithfield Street, Oliver and Sixth Avenues and William Penn Way, the streets that form the perimeter of the Square. These include new businesses, hotels, residential housing and retail – all of which will contribute to a more vibrant and attractive midtown district. The Central and Cascade Fountains symbolize the springs and rushing waters of our southwestern Pennsylvania mountains.
A different granite is used on the Terrace to distinguish the new elements from the historic ones.
Credit: John Altdorfer/Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
The signature “rustic terrazzo” paving of marble chips in interlocking triangles was inspired by Piazza San Marco in Venice.
At 3,500 pounds each, the nine colossal bronze basins are the largest ever cast in one solid piece.
A tapestry planting of eight Sedum varieties covers the canopy roof along Smithfield Street to add a touch of green and to conserve water.
Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THIS SPACE
WHAT WILL BLOOM
ORNAMENTAL ONION
SWEET BAY MAGNOLIA
SUNDANCER COREOPSIS
THUMBELINA LAVENDER
KOREAN DOGWOOD
BEARBERRY
Above all, Mellon Square is a place for people – ideal for anything from a book club meeting to a lunch with friends to a special event. If you are planning a performance, a wedding or a corporate event, contact the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy at 412-682-7275.
PERSIAN IRONWOOD
Throughout Mellon Square, trees, shrubs and groundcovers will provide a year-round display of texture, form, color and scent. Rich effects are created by spring bulbs, perennial flowers, 16 different groundcovers, 12 kinds of shrubs and 12 distinct trees. Rooftop conditions, summer heat and winter winds demand hardy plants for a thriving oasis.
LOOKING AHEAD To protect the investment that has been made in restoring Mellon Square, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has established a permanent maintenance and management fund. An operating agreement with the City of Pittsburgh gives the Parks Conservancy a significant role in the stewardship and operation of the space. With this commitment, the beauty of a treasured downtown landscape will be enjoyed by the people of Pittsburgh for years to come.
FEATURES FOUND WITHIN MELLON SQUARE Visitors to Mellon Square will see beauty, plantings, color and movement at every turn: Dancing water displays now animate the grand Central Fountain and its 3,500-pound bronze basins. The Square’s signature terrazzo paving has been restored, and the Cascade Fountain is again spilling its way through basins along Oliver Avenue and Smithfield Street. Illumination – key to Mellon Square’s original design – has been restored, with footlights picking up paving patterns, uplights revealing the sculptural forms of trees and fountain lights adding dazzle to water displays. A new elevated Terrace provides an inviting destination for quiet public programs and private events.
Credit: ©Brady Stewart Studio Inc.
Special Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Section
BNY MELLON PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR THIS SPECIAL SECTION.
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