Nelson Mandela Peace Park, Garfield: 5162 Broad Street
The Nelson Mandela Peace Park in Garfield is a small neighborhood playground with a handful of spray-park features, trees, and benches, but it’s also a quietly unassuming memorial.
On the surface, its name honors Nelson Mandela, the world-renowned anti-apartheid activist, Nobel Prize winner, and the first Black president of South Africa. Mandela’s 1991 visit to Pittsburgh was widely covered and celebrated.
But this space also recognizes longtime neighborhood advocate Aggie Brose. Aggie, who passed away in 2019, was a tireless and vocal supporter of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, decriminalizing marijuana, and expanding access to housing and economic opportunities. When Garfield’s only grocery store closed in 2014, she fought hard to attract another. If you’ve ever shopped at Aldi on Penn Avenue, you have Aggie to thank.
Depending on the time of year, there may also be lovingly made remembrance cards placed along the fence for Naytel Pack. A neighborhood resident, he was killed near the park in 2014 in retribution for testifying in a homicide case.
Most people enjoy parks without giving much thought to the names on a statue, park bench, or an old photograph taped to a ribbon and tied to a fence post. But something special happens when you take a moment and imagine these people and their lives. That connection, however brief and fluttering, quietly and unassumingly infiltrates the present and follows along as you step into the future.
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.