| Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy completed the restoration of the Schenley Park Visitor Center in 2002. Over a hundred years old, the Visitor Center is one of the few remaining buildings from the park's original creation. It was used as a tool shed, home of the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, and a nature museum with snakes of all sizes. The building fell into disrepair in the 1980s and was boarded up until 2001. PPC restored the historic building’s masonry, windows, and roof. The interior was redesigned to house a café and gift shop. Many of the materials used in the restoration were salvaged from the original building and a majority of the new materials were supplied by local vendors. The Visitor Center also has many state-of-the-art green features, such as a natural ventilation and light system to minimize energy consumption. The sinks in the café and restrooms are low-flow, the toilets have low water usage fixtures, and the café uses recycled paper products and environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
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