Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh's parks. In 1998, the Parks Conservancy signed an official public-private partnership agreement with the City of Pittsburgh to work together for the restoration of the city's four regional parks - Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley. Since then, the Parks Conservancy has raised more than $60 million toward park improvements, and has recently expanded into other city parks as time and resources permit.

Situated in the heart of Oakland, Schenley Park has come to be Pittsburgh's civic park. A daily destination for university students, businesspeople, and outdoor enthusiasts, the park also hosts major annual events such as the Vintage Grand Prix and the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. Created in 1889 with land donated by heiress Mary Schenley, the park now contains 456 acres of trails, woods, and attractions.

Visitors to Schenley Park can spend a morning at the remarkable Phipps Conservatory, enjoy lunch and a concert at the Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center, relax on Flagstaff Hill, play a round at the Bob O'Connor Golf Course, head to the Schenley Oval Sportsplex for ice skating or summer sports, or take a dip in the swimming pool. And of course, the trails offer an escape from the city within seconds.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy restored the Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center in 2001 and operates the space today. In 2005, the Conservancy worked with City of Pittsburgh crews to rehabilitate the Phipps Run stream channel that stretches from behind the Visitor Center down to Panther Hollow Lake. Restoration of the Panther Hollow Valley is continuous, with the ultimate goal of restoring Panther Hollow Lake to a water quality that would once again allow for recreational use.

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