Swisshelm Playground, Swisshelm Park: Nightingale Way
Swisshelm Park is in the far southeastern corner of Pittsburgh. Because it’s somewhat geographically isolated, many forget that it’s one of the City’s 90 neighborhoods (or confuse it with nearby Swissvale, which is a separate municipality).
Most of Swisshelm Park is surrounded by Frick Park, Nine Mile Run, and the freight rail lines bordering the Monongahela River. For decades, a major concern for residents was the 10-story slag heap in the neighborhood’s northwestern corner. That land had been purchased in 1923 by Duquesne Steel Works, and routine dumping of slag, a glass-like material left over after metals are extracted from ore, continued until 1972. Nine Mile Run, which bisects the area, became known as “stink creek” and was polluted beyond belief.
But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. Starting in 2001, the Nine Mile Run watershed became the largest urban stream restoration in the United States, carried out by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Considered one of the most successful restorations in the country, Nine Mile Run now supports dozens of fish species and hosts the occasional beaver or muskrat. Along its banks, wetlands now provide vital habitat for migratory birds, snapping turtles, and spring peepers.
From the Nine Mile Run Trail parking lot on Commercial Street, it’s a 10-minute walk (or even shorter bike ride) to the Swisshelm Park Playground. It’s a small, well-tended neighborhood space with play equipment, athletic courts (which double as an informal chalk-drawing gallery), benches, and picnic tables. A lot has changed in this neighborhood since the turn of the twenty-first century, and that’s a very good thing. But don’t be fooled by the street’s name: Commercial is almost 100% residential. If you’re looking for refreshments to enjoy at the park, you’ll need to go further afield!
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