PITTSBURGH, PA (May 1, 2021) The City of Pittsburgh cut the ribbon today at Liberty Green park, the city’s newest super-playground and largest play area for multiple age groups. The $6.5 million park development project is located on 3.2 acres of park space in the Larimer neighborhood.
Construction began on the park in 2019 after an extensive multi-year community-led process. The Larimer community has long advocated for a system of recreation and open spaces that reflect the community’s commitment to green sustainable development and investment for current and future families. The park is surrounded by mixed-income housing recently developed as part of Choice Neighborhood Initiative in the Larimer and East Liberty neighborhoods.
The features in the park reflect community values and include:
- 14,500 square feet of play space for age groups spanning from toddlers to pre-teens along a feature plaza, assembly space, open lawn, play mounds and playground equipment, including wheelchair accessible equipment
- Innovative green infrastructure stormwater management designed to manage approximately 4 million gallons of water from the park and surrounding streets annually
- 82 newly planted trees
- The River Roots community-driven art component that includes an elders’ circle and story stone engraving, chadar ceramic well quilt, sound sculptures and clay water creatures designed by neighborhood children and brought to life by artist and sculptor Alisha Wormsley. Installation of River Roots is anticipated to finish by fall 2021.
Mayor William Peduto joined the Larimer Consensus Group, Kingsley Association, East Liberty Development, Inc., Cornerstone Village residents and additional community members to celebrate the opening of the park. The project was a collaboration of several partners including City Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Housing Authority, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, Wallace, Roberts and Todd LLC, Evolve EA, Tedesco Construction Company and Alisha Wormsley. Additional funders include the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ArtPlace America, Colcom Foundation, Heinz Endowments, McCune Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Additional information about the project and its history are available on the URA’s website.
