After one of the harshest winters in Pittsburgh history, the city's parks are once again in bloom. The nearly 50 inches of snow have melted, and the muddy ice is turning to lush greenery.
Mellon Park, the 35-acre park that spans Fifth Avenue in Shadyside, is seeing more changes than usual this spring. After undergoing an extensive $500,000 restoration that broke ground in July 2009, Mellon's Walled Garden is almost ready for its official opening.
The garden, which dates back to the 1920s, saw improvements--designed by LaQuatra Bonci landscape architects--to its main entry and seating areas. Eighteen new trees, 174 new shrubs and hundreds of flowers have been planted in the garden, which is often used for wedding events, and a new public artwork has been installed. Many elements of the garden have been in place since the fall, says Susan Rademacher with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, but the garden will remained fenced off until late May so the grasses can fully establish.
The art installation by Brooklyn-based Janet Zweig in memory of Ann Katherine Seamans will include twinkling "stars" imbedded in the lawn in the precise pattern that glowed over Pittsburgh at the time of Seamans' 1979 birth. A "starmap" depicting the constellations will be included on a plaque that's part of a new overlook area. Of the 150 stars, 96 have already been sponsored at $500 each; the rest are still available for sponsorship.
The artwork dedication and the grand opening of the garden are scheduled for June 12.
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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Susan Rademacher, parks curator, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Photograph of Manhattan Blue dwarf iris courtesy of Melissa McMasters, Pittsburgh Park Conservancy