Mellon Square Park, Central Business District
Is it correct to say that Mellon Square is the “mullet” of Pittsburgh parks? The parking garage is all “business in the front,” while the surprise “party in the back” offers gorgeous landscaping, a playful lighted water fountain, and the elegant visage of the historic William Penn Hotel. It’s a compelling combination, and if you only viewed one side, you might not know the other existed!
Hairstyles aside, it’s a fascinating space that played an important role in downtown Pittsburgh’s early transformation in the 1950s and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s earliest green roofs. The park was a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s first Renaissance, led by Mayor David L. Lawrence, and backed by a $4 million+ gift from the Mellon Family Foundations.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy upgraded Mellon Park in 2014, and with comfortable benches and artful landscaping, it is a sweet oasis surrounded by skyscrapers. Instead of arguing about parks vs. parking, I wonder what communities would look like if more parking garages were built like this one. Instead of one or the other, we could have both.
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