Allegheny Commons Steering Committee

The Allegheny Commons Steering Committee formed in early 2000 to work on a master planning process for Allegheny Commons. The Allegheny Commons Master Plan was completed late 2002, and received a City of Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission Award. This 2002 park master plan and its implementation become part of the continuum for Allegheny Commons.

The Committee is currently working with the City to plan and implement a pilot project that will highlight the overall recommendations of the park's master plan. The Committee is committed to projects that will combine restoration of what remains from a series of master plans with active spaces for present day activities.

The following text from the Allegheny Commons Visitors Guide, an initial project by the Garden Club of Allegheny County to gain awareness for the park:

The History of Allegheny Commons
Pittsburgh's oldest park, Allegheny Commons, dates to 1867 when it was designed to provide “breathing places' for the citizens of what was then the sooty city of Allegheny. The name derives from its previous use as public grazing land, or "common". The creation of the park reflected the 19th century movement to beautify American cities and improve urban living conditions. Well-known predecessors were New York's Central Park and Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The New York firm of Mitchell & Grant designed the plan for Allegheny Commons, which included lawns and tree-lined paths, fountains and benches, a picturesque lake, monuments, and ornamental flowerbeds. It took eight years to execute and incorporated over forty varieties of trees, thirty varieties of shrubs, and tens of thousands of bulbs. When Allegheny was annexed to Pittsburgh in 1907, the park was renamed West Park and enhanced with a brick boathouse, a bandstand, and several new monuments. By the 1930s deterioration led to a major improvement plan, but the lake area was completely filled in sometime during the 1940s. The lake we see today is a result of urban redevelopment in the late 1960s.

The Park Today
A massive urban redevelopment project in the 1960s demolished the core of historic Allegheny City, leaving only the Commons and its surrounding neighborhoods to evoke the area's past. The neighborhoods of Allegheny West, Manchester, Mexican War Streets, Central Northside, and East Allegheny are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park's original design is still visible in its north and east sections, where symmetrical paths flank the center walk. Grand trees from the park's earliest years are planted throughout. Allegheny Commons is a City Historic District. The park's 80 acres provide a variety of thriving recreational and cultural opportunities, among them the National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, and the annual Pittsburgh Children's Festival.

Please call Donna 412-231-4714 x20 for your copy of the Allegheny Commons Visitor Guide.