Garland Park, East Liberty: 299 N. St. Clair Street
Due to renovations at Fire Station #8, the Garland Park playground is fenced off, and construction sounds fill the air. Fortunately, the athletic courts are still open, and the walking paths offer a shaded, but still noisy way to cross the neighborhood.
Despite being surrounded by an ever-changing, modernizing landscape, there are still a few touches of the old East Liberty to be had if you raise your gaze: It’s almost impossible to miss the steeple of East Liberty Presbyterian Church. This “Cathedral of Hope” (as it’s called by the congregation) was designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram, and upon its completion in 1935, he was quoted as saying, “Of all the cathedrals and churches I have built, this is my masterpiece. This church has been the most profound spiritual experience of my life.”
Many people have forgotten that the East Liberty of 1935 was a city unto itself: numerous movie theatres and playhouses, restaurants, shops, all sorts of entertainment, and densely populated surrounding neighborhoods laced with multiple streetcar lines. It’s hard to believe there was even more congestion than what we experience in 2026, but it’s true. And it gives me hope that, if Ralph Adams Cram had a life-changing spiritual experience amid the cacophony of urban life, the same might be true for others traveling by.
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