Mellon Park
Mellon Park is a park in the Shadyside and Point Breeze neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, straddling both sides of Fifth Avenue, from approximately Shady Avenue to Penn Avenue, the western corner abutting Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building. The park is home to the Walled Garden, and holds events throughout the year. It is also home to several recreational facilities. A number of public buses serve the area.
The park is on the list of landmarks recognized by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF).
History
The park was established in 1943, on the grounds of the former estate of Richard B. Mellon. His was the largest mansion in Pittsburgh. The mansion was raised by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, Pa under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. These brave men then built the monumental Mount St. Peter Church in New Kensington which still stands and functions to this day from the materials of the Mellon Mansion. The gardens were originally designed in 1912 by Alden and Harlow. Several other architects added their own touch to the landscape including the Olmsted Brothers and some seventeen years after the garden began, Vitale and Geiffert. After Mellon's sixty-room home was brought down during World War II, most of the garden still remained and was transformed to and from a City park, into today's Mellon Park. Within the park resides the Phipps Garden Center and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.[1]
The Walled Garden
The Walled Garden is surrounded by brick and limestone walls, and one Gothic wall. The fourth wall of the garden was Mellon's mansion before its destruction during the 1940s. A fountain sits between the garden and the rest of the park. It was Vitale and Geiffert who were behind the planning of this garden. The Mellon Park Project wanted to create a memorial in memory of Ann Katherine Seamans who came to the Walled Garden over and over after her first visit in kindergarten. Janet Zweig, an artist chosen by the project team, turned the floor of the garden into an exact replica of the sky in Pittsburgh the day Ann was born.[2] There are 150 stars and each is a light in the ground and includes an inscription about it. It is possible to sponsor a star and make a donation.[3] LaQuatra Bonci Associates was responsible for the planning and supervising of the garden's redemption. The park was reopened on June 12, 2010.[4]
A Fair in the Park
Any form of event can potentially take place in Mellon Park by permission from the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works.[5] One event that has taken place annually since 1969 is A Fair in the Park put on by the Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh in the month of September. This is a contemporary craft festival with a small concert. There is an area just for children. No admission fee is charged.[6]
Mellon Park Tennis Center
The Mellon Park Tennis Center functions all year. They offer classes for younger children ages 4–7, and other age groups up to adults.[7] Along with the tennis courts, Mellon Park also holds a playground, basketball courts, and baseball fields.[8]
References
- ↑ History. Pittsburghparks.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ Mellon Park Project. Pittsburghparks.org (2010-06-12). Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ https://www.pittsburghparks.org/publicart
- ↑ Mellon Park Project. Pittsburghparks.org (2010-06-12). Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ Mellon Park Events. Pittsburghparks.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ A Fair in the Park. A Fair in the Park. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ Mellon Tennis Center. City.pittsburgh.pa.us. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
- ↑ Post-Gazette NOW – Events. Post-gazette.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-29.
External links
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Coordinates: 40°27′7.47″N 79°55′4.99″W / 40.4520750°N 79.9180528°W
