Lewis Playground.Renew.Refresh.Rebuild

Hazelwood, Pittsburgh

Sal Aquilina

In collaboration with:

The Hazelwood Community

The Pennsylvania State University

LArch414: Pittsburgh Studio

Professor Ken Tamminga

Fall 2013

Hazelwood Neighborhood

History

1768Stanwix Treaty;

Pittsburgh Founded

30,000 BCFirst humanssettle in N. America

10,000-16,000 BC Native Americans

migrate to western Pennsylvania

(Shawnee Tribes)

1669 French explorer/trader Robert de La Salle is first European to survey the area

1700s Area settled by primarily Dutch

1753-1754 British build Fort Prince George, but are forced to retreat by French

1758 French abandon Fort Bridgewater; British build Fort Pitt

Late 1700s Boat building for settlers

entering the Ohio country becomes one of the area’s

earliest industries

1787 Pittsburgh Academy (later the University of Pittsburgh) chartered

1815 Pittsburgh produces significant quantities of iron, brass, tin and glass products

1816 Pittsburgh becomes a city

1830s Many Welsh

people from the steelworks of

Merthyr migrate to Pittsburgh

after riot

1857 Pittsburgh’s 1,000 factories are consum-ing 22,000,000 bushels of coal yearly

1859Coke-fire smelting introduced

1860s American Civil War boosts city’s economy

1875 Andrew Carnegie founds Edgar Thomson Steel Works

1901 U.S. Steel Corporation formed; Pittsburgh produces between a third and a half of the nation’s steel

1940s Pittsburgh produces 95 million tons of steel for World War II

1950s Pittsburgh launches a clean air and civic revitalization project known as the “Renaissance”

1977“Renaissance II” begins with an increased focus on cultural and neigh-borhood development

Early 1980sSteel and electronics industries implode creating large scale mill and plant closures with massive layoffs

1990’s - Currenteconomic base shifts to education, tourism, healthcare/medicine and computer technology

Mid 1880’s Several prominent families (Bennett’s and Golvash’s) move to the area1784

John Woods is the first settler to Hazelwood; builds an estate called Hazel Hill;Scotch officially settled the area ( Scotch Bottom)

1850 Wiley family cleared

and farmed land from Tecumseh Street to

Glenwood Bridge

1853 American Iron Company (Later J&L) Founded

1860 B&O Railroad built;Immigrant influx to Hazelwood

1861 Eliza Plant built as a part of J&L Steel

1868Hazelwood Christian Church

1869 Hazelwood Presbyterian Church;Hazelwood is annexed to the city of Pittsburgh

1870 St. Stephens Roman Catholic Church

1884 J & L opens Hazelwood Plant;adds 54 beehive ovens near Long-worth Street

1906World’s largest collection of beehive coke ovens at Eliza Furnance

1974LTV buys J&L Steel

1981LTV plant closes

2002Almono purchases Hazelwood site

1960’sHazelwood’s peak;200+ businesses

1870 - 1910Pittsburgh’s peak;Pop. grows from 86,076 to 533,905

Late 1990’sHazelwood Intiative defeates attempt to

reopen LTV plant

1892Homestead Strike

*Timeline completed by members of LArch 414 Pittsburgh Studio

Lewis Playground

Existing Conditions

Currently, Lewis Playground is in a state of disrepair. There are issues with storm-water management, failing infrastructure, old equipment, and a lack of support fa-cilities for the playground. The retaining walls surrounding the playground are be-ginning to crack and separate from one another. Before anything in the park can be accomplished, these issues need to be addressed. Equipment, such as the swing sets and jungle gym also need to be up-

dated. Cracked asphalt and worn out play surfacing warrant attention also, with the best option to replace completely. The basketball courts are in good shape, but lack enough seating. There are not bath-rooms or water fountains on site, making the users of the park leave if they need to use the facilities. There are also incidents of illicit activity in the playground. This could be partly due to the lack of lighting throughout the playground.

Sport Play

Active Play

Future ALMONO SitePlayground Entrance

Site Analysis

ALMONOLewis PlaygroundYMCA2nd Ave

Lewis Playground is located on 2nd Ave. in Hazelwood. Directly across the street is the planned site for ALMONO. Opposite of ALMONO is the Hazelwood YMCA. Currently, the only entranc-es are on the roads traveling East-West with little connection to its surroundings.

Community Interaction

There were three formal trips to Hazelwood during the semester, plus additional trips taken for site analysis and to talk to more community members. The rst trip introduced the studio to the community mem-bers and we got an overall idea of the different sites and issues in Hazelwood. During a community charette in the Hazelwood Car Barn in October, community members and students came together to talk about ideas and what could be done to improve the Hazelwood Neigh-borhood. I spoke speci cally to Elizabeth Chambers, Mildred Williams, and Juanita Godfrey in depth about the issues of Lewis Playground and what it needed to be a more successful space. Some of the major ele-ments the community members wanted were more lights, bathrooms, water drinking fountain, trees for shade, food, a water feature, and additional seating. Overall, the community members decided that they wanted a safe place for kids to play and stay out of trouble.

321

Goals and Concept

Play is essential to cognitive development and healthy growth for children and teens alike. It allows for opportu-nities to be both active and creative. When given a safe and secure space, a child can use their imagination to facilitate active play. The redesign of Lewis Playground gives Hazelwood a fresh space for all ages to enjoy play.

·Provide the residents of Hazelwood with an energizing space for all ages.

·Repair and update Lewis Playground. ·Utilize a combination of free-play and static spaces to encourage physical activity and creativity.

Precedents

Cumberland Park, Nashville Tn Pirrama Park, Sydney Box Hill Playground, Melbourne

Safe a

nd

Secure E

nvir

on

ment

Active recreatio

n

Oppo

rtu

in

ities

Im

ag

ina

tio

n

Play

Renew

Combined Basket-ball/Volleyball Court

Jungle Gym Area

DEK Hockey Arena

Hazelwood YMCA

Rock Wall

Renew

A great change can occur when you put a face lift on a park. This playground option renews the existing Lewis Playground, attempting to be aseconomically responsible as possible. The retaining walls and ground surface has been repaired. New equipment is brought in and storage and restrooms ful ll the needs of the park. A small building is put into the plan to give space for vending, bathrooms, and storage for the basketball, volleyball, tennis, and dek hockey courts. Renewing and repair-ing Lewis Playground will provide an urban recreational space that the Hazelwood residents can be proud of.

Refresh

Combined Basket-ball/Volleyball Court

Jungle Gym Area

Relaxating area

Free Play Mound

New Entrance

Hazelwood YMCA

Rock Wall

Refresh

This option shows the playground if the Dek Hockey arena was moved to the ALMONO site. There is much more room for activ-ities and free-play. A rock climbing wall, 8 foot rubber mound, and slide going from the sidewalk to the playground make this an active and unique public space. This repairs the playground and adds refreshing elements that transform the playground entirely. New entrances will pull people into the park. Tradition-al playground features are built into the playground creatively to bring a unique experience for the youth of Hazelwood. This safe but adventurous playground will provide the community with a playground that no one in Pittsburgh has seen before.

Refresh

Rebuild

Combined Basket-ball/Volleyball Court

Dek Hockey Arena

Urban Plaza

Jungle Gym and Sand Box

Free Play “Rolling Hills”

Splash Park

Hazelwood YMCA

Greenwall

Rebuild

This option rebuilds Lewis Playground into a space that is al-most unrecognizable. It creates a terraced playground for the community. While losing one basketball court, the park gains enough space for a sunken urban tree grove, keeping the space open, and still making it more intimate. The terrace area gives space underneath for bathrooms and storage. On the upper terrace, the rolling hills area provides the users with opportu-nities for both active and passive recreation. It is left open to the user for its use and is meant to expand the imagination. A spray park gives the community a much needed water feature to cool down Hazelwood residents in the hot Summer months. Plenty of seating is provided for spectators of both sporting facilities and the playground above. A green wall softens the space while still allowing the urban feeling to remain.

Rebuild

Materials and Equipment

Play Surface: Surface AmericaPlaybound Pour in Place Rubber

Jungle GymNexus Velocity System

Flex Court AthleticsBasketball Hoops and Volleyball Nets

H.U.M.A.N.Healthy Vending Machines

City GreenBrandmeier Greenwall 60 Series

MetoliusScrew-on Climbing wall holds

Community ReactionThe nal trip to Hazelwood the studio presented our work. After showing my three new design options for Lewis Playground, it was evident that an overwhelming majority of Hazelwood res-idents preferred the “Rebuild” option for the playground. They felt that it provided nice views and playful activities while still allowing for small spaces to relax. The amount of trees and vegetation also made them like it more. They liked that it kept the Dek hockey arena that they worked hard to get in their com-munity.

Hazelwood Community

Thank you for your support