Lawn & Ophelia Park, South Oakland: 200 Ophelia Street
While some places in Pittsburgh still look much as they did 100 years ago, others, especially those affected by highway development and expansions in the 1950s, 60s, and beyond, are very different. This green space in South Oakland, known as Ophelia Park, is one of them. Since 2021, it’s been a “beautification site” designed to improve runoff water management. Before that, it was a playground, albeit a soggy one, and its position next to the heavily traveled Forbes Avenue had not been ideal for children for a long time. For neighborhood residents walking to Magee Hospital or other destinations in Oakland, it’s a pleasant enough spot: passing under green, leafy trees before crossing under the highway.
The child who would become Andy Warhol lived in this neighborhood before the highway came and the steel mills left. Were he still alive, there may be a few things he’d recognize, but so much more would be unfamiliar. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” (The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, 1975)
And, in the case of Ophelia Park, that’s absolutely correct.
Love Pittsburgh’s City Steps? Get a Copy of the NEW Book!
City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide explores the history of the steps and the neighborhoods in which they were built. It also includes 13 guided walks and 20+ locations worth visiting—all with detailed descriptions, directions, and resources for creating your own urban hiking adventure. All areas of Pittsburgh are represented: north, south, east, and west. The book is available through all online shops (including our publisher) and local and independent bookstores.