Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy plans $300K in improvements at Mellon Park

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will use a $300,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to make improvements at Mellon Park in the city’s Point Breeze and Shadyside neighborhoods.

The Mellon Park Action Plan finalized last September with community input detailed a desire to better connect the 33-acre park’s two halves and slow drivers passing through the park. The park is divided by busy Fifth Avenue.

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy officials said they will improve entrances and install signage throughout the park in an effort to make it more welcoming and accessible for visitors.

“As we developed the Action Plan, we listened to the concerns of all users of Mellon Park,” conservancy CEO Catherine Qureshi said. “We heard it was crucial to connect and unify both sides of the park, which is where we will prioritize our next investment in this well-loved public green space.”

Richard King Mellon and his sister Sarah Mellon Scaife gifted Mellon Park to Pittsburgh in 1942. The Richard King Mellon Foundation has since continued investing in the park, with recent contributions helping to develop the Mellon Park Action Plan and assisting with the restoration of the Walled Garden in the park’s southern section.

“Mellon Park is a community treasure and this generous contribution from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will help it to remain a beautiful and welcoming space for all our neighbors,” Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Shadyside, said.

Other improvements include new benches and trash cans, officials said.

“When we invest into improving our parks, it’s one of the many ways we can help make our city feel safe and more welcome for everyone,” Mayor Ed Gainey said. “This project will bring together communities and help end the divide that keeps neighborhoods apart.”

This comes as the Parks Conservancy recently completed work to renovate pathways surrounding the Walled Garden and is working to restore historic plinths and urns at the site.