Mellon Park Master Plan

The Mellon Park Preservation and Management Plan was undertaken in 1999 when recent vandalism had raised an alarm and the former estate landscape showed serious decline. Produced by Heritage Landscapes and published in 2001, the planning process recommended a detailed rehabilitation treatment that responded to daily and event uses. The presence of Phipps Garden Center and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Mellon Park, degraded conditions, park user needs, maintenance issues, and local foundation interest all directed attention to landscape renewal. Phased recapture addressed circulation, perimeter control, tree care, and specific garden areas. An important component of the planning project was a park management structure and strategy investigation.

An implementation strategy for Mellon Park arose with a partnership between the city and local foundations to renew specific park features. This public-private cooperative effort has resulted to date in two implementation projects. Both projects divided responsibilities to coordinate public-funded work by the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works and City on-call contractors and private-funded work by ironwork and stonework fabricators and installers. Projects addressing the perimeter fence, paths, Renaissance Garden limestone balustrades, steps and sandstone paving have been completed. The historic integrity of the park has been the primary focus in every plan.