{"id":199256,"date":"2026-05-21T21:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/199256\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:22:08","slug":"one-of-pittsburghs-oldest-parks-is-getting-a-modern-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/199256\/","title":{"rendered":"One of Pittsburgh\u2019s Oldest Parks Is Getting a Modern Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mckinley<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO VIA PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY<\/p>\n

One of Pittsburgh\u2019s oldest parks is getting a facelift that city officials say is long overdue.<\/p>\n

The City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy announced the McKinley Park Community Grove Project \u2014 a major investment to restore and reimagine a historic gathering space that serves the city\u2019s Hilltop neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Located in the Chicken Hill section of McKinley Park, just below Michigan Street, the Community Grove will revitalize a site once home to a beloved, resident-built baseball field, honoring its legacy while creating new opportunities for recreation, education and community use, officials say.<\/p>\n

The Community Grove is designed to serve as a flexible space for youth programming, nature-based education and cultural expression, including opportunities to showcase local art and community history. The redesign will also strengthen connections throughout the park by improving trail access and overall design.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Key features include:\u00a0<\/p>\n

A 20-foot hexagonal shade pavilion with a surrounding seat wall for gatherings\u00a0\u00a0
\nOpen lawn space for recreation and community use\u00a0\u00a0
\nA dedicated outdoor learning area for education and small-group programming\u00a0\u00a0
\nImproved trail connections, stairs, and pathways to enhance accessibility\u00a0\u00a0
\nStormwater and drainage improvements to reduce erosion and improve usability\u00a0
\nExpanded ecological restoration areas with opportunities for environmental education\u00a0\u00a0
\nPicnic tables and informal seating integrated throughout the space\u00a0\u00a0
\nPreservation of historic baseball backstop posts as a tribute to the site\u2019s past, with potential for a future community-led art installation\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Serving the Hilltop neighborhoods of Beltzhoover, Allentown, Knoxville, Bon Air and surrounding communities, McKinley Park has long been an essential green space. The 79-acre area boasts historic trees, basketball courts, playgrounds, a skatepark and woodland trails; it was founded in 1898 as Maple Park, but was renamed in 1902 after the assassination of President William McKinley the previous year. Over the years, residents of Knoxville and Beltzhoover have also known the park as Butcher\u2019s Grove and Ritter\u2019s Hollow.<\/p>\n

The Community Grove marks the next phase in the park\u2019s ongoing revitalization, and the next chapter in the community\u2019s history books.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Community Grove reflects the heart of this neighborhood\u2014its history, resilience, and vision for the future,\u201d Catherine Qureshi, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, says in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked side by side with park neighbors to shape a space that truly belongs to them. That\u2019s what makes this project so meaningful: it\u2019s not just happening in the community \u2014 it\u2019s being built with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developed in close collaboration with residents and community partners \u2014 including the Beltzhoover Consensus Group, Knoxville Community Council, Voices Against Violence and Hilltop Alliance \u2014 city officials say the project reflects a shared vision for a welcoming, nature-based space designed for gathering, play and learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Community Grove is a great project that has brought together local residents and partners to invest in the revitalization of McKinley Park,\u201d says Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor. \u201cThe idea that has come together through the community will create a vibrant new space within this park that will offer new opportunities for recreation and programming for youth and families throughout the local neighborhoods and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project, which is expected to begin construction in fall 2026, represents a total investment of approximately $660,000 \u2014 including $464,000 for construction and $196,000 for design and management \u2014 and is funded in part by the City of Pittsburgh Parks Tax Trust Fund, along with support from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Pennsylvania American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been working with Hilltop neighborhood leaders for several years and have been so impressed with their commitment and what they\u2019re accomplishing,\u201d David Roger, president of Henry L. Hillman Foundation, says in a statement. \u201cWhen we were approached by the partnership led by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to create the new Community Grove in McKinley Park, we were pleased to be able to help the neighborhoods realize another part of their vision. It\u2019s the type of effort that makes Pittsburgh such a special place.\u201d\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO VIA PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY One of Pittsburgh\u2019s oldest parks is getting a facelift that city officials say…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[88318,56287,86771,88319,73,75,74,58347],"class_list":["post-199256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-chicken-hill","tag-hilltop","tag-mckinley-park","tag-mckinley-park-community-grove-project","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-parks-conservancy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}