PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY (Pittsburgh, PA) - Restoration of Schenley Plaza

(Source Organization)

PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY

Pittsburgh, PA

In This Profile: Program Description • Program Goals • Timeframe • Budget • Funding/Support • Results Achieved • Lessons Learned • Ask The Expert • Contact Information

Introduction

As the City of Pittsburgh’s non-profit partner in parks restoration and renewal, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) implements capital and ecological restoration projects in each of the city’s four regional parks: Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley. Founded in 1996, the PPC has raised over $28 million and completed six capital projects in its first ten years, while producing programming, offering educational opportunities and bringing 10,000 volunteer hours a year into the parks.

PPC President and CEO Meg Cheever serves on the board of both the City Parks Alliance and the National Association for Olmsted Parks.

Program Title: Restoration of Schenley Plaza

Program Description

For decades, Schenley Plaza had ceased to be the grand entrance to Pittsburgh’s flagship park and was something far less inviting: an asphalt parking lot. Sold to the City of Pittsburgh in 1891 by Mary Schenley, the area that would eventually be bordered by the Carnegie Library and the University of Pittsburgh was specifically intended for use as a park entrance. Over time, the demands of traffic in Oakland (the third largest business district in Pennsylvania, behind only downtown Philadelphia and downtown Pittsburgh) won out over the many design proposals, and this approximately five-acre parcel of prime real estate began to house cars instead of people.

Schenley Plaza during its use as a parking lot.
Photo courtesy of La Quatra Bonci Associates

Fulfilling Mary Schenley’s stipulations and transforming Schenley Plaza into a green oasis was a lengthy process accomplished only by bringing together stakeholders from the entire community. This included Oakland residents, business leaders, university representatives, students and foundations dedicated to improving the quality of life in Oakland. While the neighborhood is well-known for its business district, it also has a heavy residential component of students, families and young professionals who could benefit from a centrally-located community space.

Organizations such as the Oakland Task Force and the Oakland Investment Committee, which have representatives from Oakland institutions, businesses, public agencies, community groups, foundations and city government, were instrumental in getting the plaza project off the ground. Because these collaborative organizations exist, there was already a means to bring together many of the key stakeholders in the project. In addition, in 2002, public meetings began in which community members were asked what they would like to see in terms of the plaza’s design, programming, and access. This gave groups like university students, who have a major interest in the plaza, an opportunity to have their voices heard from the beginning. The project designers and consultants built their plans for the plaza around these suggestions; in this way, Schenley Plaza truly grew from the needs and desires of the community it serves.

A major community concern in this busy district was the loss of the heavily-used 278-space parking lot. A study of parking patterns in Oakland was undertaken to identify underused parking lots and structures that could absorb the loss of spaces at the plaza. Traffic was also re-routed around the plaza to accommodate new parking meters, bringing the net loss of spaces down to about 80.

With community input and $10 million in funding from statewide to local sources, construction began on the project in 2005. Over 40,000 people visited the plaza during its grand opening weekend in June 2006. Schenley Plaza today features a one-acre Emerald Lawn with moveable tables and chairs, a large seasonal tent for hosting performances and event rentals, free wireless Internet access, round-the-clock security, full-time sanitation, garden areas with rotating plantings, four food kiosks operated by local vendors, and a 17-figure Victorian-style carousel. Native groundcover plants, innovative plantings of genetically diverse London plane trees and an underground irrigation system keep the plaza looking beautiful while contributing to the environmental health of the area.

A true community space, the plaza features rotating groups of local musicians every day at lunchtime, a free outdoor film series and children’s-themed programming on weekends. Nearby cultural organizations, such as the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, also sponsor and present free programming at the plaza.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was granted a 30-year lease on Schenley Plaza by the City of Pittsburgh, and plans are underway to continue making the space an ideal gathering spot for Pittsburgh residents. Future projects include restoring two historic fountains on the property, including one honoring Mary Schenley, and creating programs to make the space viable year-round. Construction will also begin soon on a restaurant that will provide a glass-themed “window on the park” as well as a stage for public performances.

Program goals/issues addressed: The Schenley Plaza project has created an economically and environmentally sustainable green space with activities for people of all ages and backgrounds in the heart of the city’s business and cultural district and has also restored parkland to its intended use.

Timeframe (planning/execution): The Schenley Plaza project was a goal of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy from its inception in 1996, and it was included in the Regional Parks Master Plan published by the PPC and the City of Pittsburgh in 2000. Securing project funding and support took nearly a decade, and ground broke on the site in 2005, with the official opening in June 2006.

Annual program budget: $900,000 annual operating budget, with $50,000 spent on free public programming

Funding sources/partnerships and types of support provided: Funding for Schenley Plaza came from a variety of sources, including state and local government, corporations, foundations and individuals. A key project partner was the Oakland Investment Committee, a group of corporations, foundations and universities with a significant stake in the future of the Oakland neighborhood.

Individual donors have been key to the plaza’s sustainability. From funders who “adopted” a carousel animal for $20,000 each to those who donated $175 to inscribe a nameplate on one of the moveable chairs, community members are able to see their contributions at work. Operating costs for the PNC Carousel are covered for the next 20 years due to the sponsorship of PNC Financial Services and the donors who purchased and named the animals.

As always, the City of Pittsburgh was a major partner in the initiative, with Department of Public Works crews heavily involved in construction and in ongoing maintenance. Substantial construction support was provided by the University of Pittsburgh, whose signature building, the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, directly faces the plaza.

Results achieved/impact: Although the plaza has only been open for six months, preliminary usage figures estimate that the plaza receives over 250,000 visitors per year, many of them students. During the summer months when there are fewer students on campus, about 700 people visit the plaza on an average day; attendance climbs to 900 people a day during the fall semester.

Businesses in the area also report that the plaza is having a positive economic impact by drawing people to Oakland. Plaza users also visit area cultural attractions, use public transit and tell others about their positive experiences.

Schenley Plaza as seen from the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning.
Photo courtesy of Joshua Franzos.

The impact on parking has been minimal; with so few spaces ultimately being lost and the extent to which the community has embraced the space, there has been no real backlash since the plaza opened. Transportation in Oakland is a major issue for the City of Pittsburgh and has been for quite some time, but the city and all its project partners agreed that the plaza would not have a significant negative impact on parking and was a worthwhile investment in the neighborhood’s future.

Lessons learned:

• Involve the public in planning; it was necessary to demonstrate that the loss of parking would not be as dramatic as people initially believed.
• Engage potential funders in the process early on.
• Operating a site with restrooms that need to be cleaned, garbage cans that need to be emptied, and rental clients who need their specifications met is dramatically different from managing the ecological health of a natural area. PPC contracts with a management company to assist with the day-to-day operations of the plaza.
• Appropriately thank and recognize project supporters.

Ask The Expert:

Name: Meg Cheever
Title: President and CEO
E-mail: mcheever@pittsburghparks.org
Date submitted: 11/28/2006 9:57 a.m.

Contact Information:

Organization: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Address: 2000 Technology Drive, Suite 300 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Tel: 412-682-7275
E-mail: info@pittsburghparks.org
Web site: http://www.pittsburghparks.org/

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