Point State Park Renovation

To be completed 2011

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  Point State Park is a 36-acre state park and National Historic Landmark at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers. Renovation of the park, which began in 2007, is the largest park project in Pennsylvania Commonwealth history.

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  As Downtown Pittsburgh’s primary outdoor event space, Point State Park needed a major renovation to deal with wear-and-tear.

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  Ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly refurbished City Side Lawn in Point State Park, 2008

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  Since the renovation of Point State Park’s City Side Lawn, foot traffic through the Park has tripled. This grand outdoor space continues to serve Downtown residents and visitors looking for relaxation and recreation.

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Overview

Point State Park is a 36-acre state park and National Historic Landmark located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh and Three Rivers Park. Originally legislated as a “passive park” and never designed to serve as a venue for major events, over the past several decades Point State Park has become the Pittsburgh’s primary outdoor event space, hosting thousands of people at a time and causing considerable wear and tear. 

A significant percentage of its estimated 1.8 million visitors come to the Park for major city events. At other times, the park has been underused because of the absence of a variety of every-day amenities.  A completed restoration and renovation of the park was needed.

Since 2007, Riverlife has been carrying out a community-initiated master plan that features general and aesthetic renovations and improvements to the Park.  These improvements are expanding access, increasing connections to the water, streamlining park maintenance, and incorporating historical interpretation, all while better accommodating special events.

Project Partners

Governor Edward G. Rendell
Riverlife
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Allegheny Conference on Community Development

Process

As the largest public park project ever undertaken by the State of Pennsylvania, Riverlife needed to successfully partner with DCNR and others to renovate the park as quickly and efficiently as possible, while maintaining a high standard of construction.  Riverlife has worked with dozens of stakeholders and partners; coordinated complex design, construction, and event schedules; and overseen all aspects of this restoration.  With the completion of the city side lawn and the woodlands, the project is nearly half finished, substantially ahead of schedule, and on budget.