Among Pennsylvania’s many “firsts” is Pittsburgh’s Mellon Square – the first modern garden plaza built over a parking garage and a forerunner of green roofs.  This significant landscape, originally designed by the distinguished landscape architecture firm Simonds & Simonds and architects Mitchell & Ritchey, has brought liveliness and beauty to downtown Pittsburgh for 50 years.   The Square is located within the Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and is eligible for individual listing as a resource of national importance. 

Mellon Square remains an active space but shows serious signs of deterioration.  In 2009, with funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Bank of New York Mellon, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, a local nonprofit, completed a restoration and management plan with a team led by Patricia O’Donnell of Heritage Landscapes.  The Parks Conservancy was formed in 1996 to improve the quality of life for the people of Pittsburgh by permanently restoring the park system to excellence in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh.  The organization has completed nine capital projects in Pittsburgh city parks and raised almost $50 million since its inception.

The Parks Conservancy will begin restoration of Mellon Square by implementing a plan that will re-establish the park’s historic character and improve the visitor experience.   Fundraising and restoration are now underway and expected to continue into 2012.  Once the restoration is complete, the City’s Department of Public Works will supply basic maintenance, with the Parks Conservancy providing enhanced services, such as periodic cleaning and sealing of the unique “Venetian Terrazzo” pavement.  The Parks Conservancy and the City of Pittsburgh will jointly program the space with concerts and other activities.

Mellon Square’s revitalization will be carried out in several phases.  With a goal to restore the design intent of landscape architect John O. Simonds and architect Dahlen K. Ritchey in their 1955 original masterwork, the restoration plan incorporates modern construction techniques to solve problems that the Square faced for decades.  It will also create a new terrace on the current roof overlooking Smithfield Street, based on early design sketches by Simonds and Ritchey.

Because of Mellon Square’s intricate design, overseeing its maintenance requires a careful eye for detail.  Phase 1 of the Parks Conservancy’s restoration project will focus improvements in the area from the top of the two staircases down to Smithfield Street, including the fountain cascade.

It remains a popular space during daytime hours in spite of its current condition and needed repairs.  The coming improvements will allow Mellon Square to become even more valuable as a place of escape in the bustling downtown for decades to come.

* Project Credits
Heritage Landscapes, Preservation Landscape Architects & Planners, with Robert Silman Associates, Grenald Waldron Associates, LaQuatra Bonci Associates, MTR Landscape Architects, Neil Silberman, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and EDP Landscape Architects