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Schenley Park & Nearby Neighborhoods

Trail Logistics

Length and Type of Hike

8.3 miles, loop

Duration

3 1/2 hours, more or less

Trail Condition

Mostly city streets and sidewalks with some dirt or gravel trails and areas of uneven terrain, climbing of steep streets & steps is required.

Altitude

780 feet to 1200 feet; 1180 feet of climbing, total

Ease/Difficulty

Easy/Relaxed. Good walking shoes are acceptable for this hike.

Trailhead

Dippy the Dinosaur in Schenley Plaza on Forbes Avenue in Oakland, at the west end of the Carnegie Museums and across from the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning (UTM 17 05 88 910E 44 77 520N) (NAD 83).

Highlights: Urban Park, City Neighborhoods, Pittsburgh Steps, Views, Historic Cemetery.

Maps

USGS 7½‘ Pittsburgh East; Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Map of Schenley Park and Its Attractions

Delorme Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer

Page 71, Zone A-6

Facilities

Restrooms and/or refreshments are available at the Schenley Park Visitors Center, Calvary Cemetery Information Center, and at various gas stations, pubs and restaurants along the way.

Pets

Pets must be kept on a leash at all times.

Emergencies

In case of emergency, dial 911.

Credits

Hike route by John Arrigo. Narrative by John Arrigo and Leah Widmer. Photos by Sam Beyene. Thanks to Rick Sandford for suggesting this hike.

Trail Narrative/Description

Our hike begins in Oakland at Schenley Plaza with its many historic monuments and gilded-age era buildings, takes us through Schenley Park, down into Junction Hollow and the Saline Valley, under the Parkway East, up a long flight of steps in Greenfield, through Calvary Cemetery in Hazelwood with views of the Monongahela River Valley and Homestead, along many quiet residential streets, over the top of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, and finally, through Panther Hollow back to Oakland. So put on some comfortable walking shoes and enjoy this excellent urban hike that proves you don’t need to travel far from home to have a great outdoor experience.

The end of the 19th century was a time of great prosperity in Pittsburgh. The abundant natural resources of the region, major advances in manufacturing technologies, great demand for materials to fuel the expansion of the United States and cheap labor from European immigrants combined to turn Pittsburgh into an industrial powerhouse. By the end of the 19th century, Pittsburgh was a world leader in the production of steel, coal, glass, oil and gas, aluminum, heavy equipment, electrical equipment, commercially produced food, transportation and of course, smog. The men who led Pittsburgh’s industrial expansion were unconstrained by income taxes and business ethics and amassed tremendous fortunes. In the 1890’s, these men, lead by Andrew Carnegie, began to make sizable contributions toward the development of Pittsburgh’s cultural life.

In 1890, Andrew Carnegie offered the city a million dollars for construction of a public library in Oakland. Carnegie had great hopes for Pittsburgh to be culturally competitive with cities like New York and even London. He soon developed plans for the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Art and the Carnegie Technical Schools, now Carnegie Mellon University. When all his cultural projects were completed, Carnegie’s donations reached a staggering $36,000,000. To learn more about the Carnegie Museums and Library, visit www.CarnegieMuseums.org.

Carnegie had an interest in prehistoric times and devoted great effort to the collection of dinosaurs. The dinosaur, affectionately known as Dippy, that marks the starting point of our hike, is a replica of the Diplodocus carnegii discovered in Wyoming in 1899 by Carnegie paleontologists.

Schenley Plaza near Dippy is surrounded by monuments to famous Pittsburghers. Adjacent to Dippy is the memorial statue of Stephen C. Foster who was born in Pittsburgh in 1826. Stephen Foster is known for his popular, old-timey songs like Oh! Susannah and My Old Kentucky Home. The Stephen Foster statue is the work of sculptor Giuseppe Moretti.

Across Forbes Avenue is the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. The 42-story Gothic structure built in 1926 contains common rooms, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, laboratories and libraries. The twenty-six nationality classrooms in the Cathedral of Learning represent the many ethnic groups that labored in Pittsburgh’s industry. The Cathedral of Learning is worth a visit, and if you have time after the hike, take the elevators or climb the steps to the top for a great view of the city.

Opposite the entrance to the Carnegie Library, we pass a monument to Christopher L. Magee by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Magee, along with William Flynn, were the bosses of the Pittsburgh political machine in the 1890’s. Magee and Flynn did not just dominate but literally owned Pittsburgh politics and were masters of graft and corruption. Today, Magee’s monument seems a little forlorn and somewhat forgotten.

Pittsburgh of the 19th and early 20th centuries was a smoky old town. The beautiful London Planetrees in Schenley Plaza with their green bark and the Ginkgo trees near Phipps Conservatory were planted for their tolerance to pollution. Soot covered black was the color of most Pittsburgh buildings. Many buildings, such as the Carnegie Museums, have been cleaned in recent years to remove the soot and restore their appearance.

The next monument on our hike is the Mary Croghan Schenley Memorial Fountain called “A Song to Nature,” erected in 1918. In 1889, Edwin M. Bigelow, the Director of the Department of Public Works in Pittsburgh, convinced landed heiress Mary Schenley to donate 300 acres and sell another 150 acres to the city of Pittsburgh for a park. Today, Schenley Park is Pittsburgh’s flagship park with playgrounds, a swimming pool, paths for running and walking, an ice skating rink, baseball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields and an 18-hole golf course. The park itself was modeled after New York City’s Central Park and was landscaped by William Falconer. A monument to Edward Bigelow by sculptor Giuseppe Moretti stands on an island in the middle of Frank Curto Drive between Phipps Conservatory and Flagstaff Hill.

A competition was held for the design of the Mary Schenley Fountain. The bronze figures of Pan, the Spirit of Harmony and the four turtles were designed by the winner of the competition, sculptor Victor Brenner, who also designed the Lincoln penny. The statue stands in front of the Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Building. Henry Frick is known for the fortunes he made in the coke and steel industry and for his role as chairman of Carnegie Steel Company in putting down the 1892 Homestead strike. He is also known for his love of the arts which he passed on to his daughter Helen. The Fine Arts Building was paid for by Helen Frick in honor of her father. The building is part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Fine Arts Department which was founded by Helen in 1928 and is open to the public. Frick’s Pittsburgh mansion, Clayton, located in Point Breeze, and the Frick Art and Car and Carriage Museums are also open to the public. For more information on Clayton and the Frick museums, visit www.FrickArt.org.

The Mary Schenley Fountain and the Schenley Plaza parking lot are built on what was once a ravine called St. Pierre Ravine that ran from the end of Bigelow Boulevard to Junction Hollow. The Ravine was filled in 1915 with dirt from Grant’s Hill in downtown in a project called “removal of the hump.” The stone arch Bellefield Bridge across St. Pierre Ravine was unceremoniously buried in the project and now lies quietly under the Mary Schenley Fountain. The Schenley Plaza was originally to be a grand entrance to Schenley Park but the entrance was never fully developed and the Plaza has been a parking lot since 1921. A makeover of the Plaza is scheduled to begin in Spring 2004 to convert the parking lot into a public space.

Schenley Plaza provided parking for Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909 to 1970. The Pirates won the 1909 World Series in Forbes Field by beating the Detroit Tigers. Forbes Field was torn down in 1971 and is now the location of the University of Pittsburgh’s Posvar Hall. Only a remnant of the brick center-field wall remains; home plate is embedded in glass in the floor of Posvar Hall.

Down Schenley Drive and across the Schenley Bridge is Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. When the Conservatory opened in December 1893, it was the largest Victorian glass house of its time. The Conservatory was built for the city with monies donated by industrialist Henry Phipps. The Conservatory boasts beautiful outdoor gardens, and many indoor garden rooms: the Palm Court, the Serpentine Room, the Tropical Fruit and Spice room and many more. Phipps Conservatory remains one of the largest glass conservatories in the nation and a popular place for weddings. For more information on Phipps Conservatory, visit www.Phipps.Conservatory.org.

Pittsburgh is a hilly city. Since industry occupied any flat land, usually along the rivers, housing was relegated to the hills. An important part of Pittsburgh’s transportation system was a vast network of steps that allowed workers to descend from home to mill. Our hike takes us up one such flight of steps that leads from the Saline Valley to the top of Greenfield Hill. These steps appear on city maps as Anthony Street; the steps even have a street sign!

Later on our hike, we pass through Calvary Cemetery located on Hazelwood Avenue in Greenfield which is run by the Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. This burial ground boasts ornately sculpted monuments and fantastic views of the Monongahela River Valley. One of the monuments, which adorns the grave of Salvatore Catanzaro, was awarded first prize at the worlds fair in San Francisco before it was purchased by Salvatore’s son and moved to Calvary Cemetery in 1916. The monument was created by Italian sculptor Raffaelo Romanelli and depicts Christ standing on the step of a Pagan temple. The statue is of marble and is now badly deteriorated. As well as famous sculptures, the graves of famous Pittsburgh politicians can be found here. Calvary cemetery is the final resting place of David Leo Lawrence who was Mayor of Pittsburgh in 1954 and Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959-1963, and Richard S. Caliguiri who was the Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1977-1988.

Calvary Cemetery offers a panoramic view of the Mon Valley and of the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead. The Waterfront was once the location of the Carnegie Steel Company’s Homestead Works where in 1892, the Homestead strike pitted steel workers and their families against Pinkerton guards hired by Carnegie chairman Henry Clay Frick to put down the strike. The strike ultimately failed, setting back the labor movement in the steel industry by decades, but the violence drew the American public’s attention to the serious economic, social and ethical issues of the industrial age. The Homestead Works closed in 1986.

Imagine the view of the Mon Valley from Calvary Cemetery some 100 years ago. Pittsburgh was not a pretty place: smoke and fire filled the sky, the rivers were polluted, streets were congested, often unpaved, and weaved drunkenly with a willful lack of planning. Pittsburgh was known as “Hell with the lid off.” The streets haven’t changed much, but the air is now clear and the rivers clean and the neat neighborhoods show the pride that Pittsburghers have in their city. Standing here, looking into the beautiful Mon Valley, surrounded by the graves of people that helped make this a great city, it’s hard not to feel a link to the past and excitement for the future of Pittsburgh in the 21st century.

After leaving Calvary Cemetery, we walk along the pleasant streets of Squirrel Hill which developed as a streetcar suburb in the early 1900’s. Squirrel Hill is now known for its quiet neighborhoods, excellent shopping district and many fine restaurants. It’s a perfect place to stop during our hike for lunch or for coffee and a snack.

The next leg of our hike takes us through Schenley Park and Panther Hollow with its beautiful stone arch bridges. Some of the bridges are marked “WPA 1939.” The Works Progress Administration, or WPA, was a depression era employment relief program created as part of the New Deal to put the unemployed back to work in jobs which would serve the public good. The WPA, along with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), was responsible for construction of many of the roads, buildings and bridges in Pennsylvania’s parks. Near the end of our hike, we climb a last flight of steps to the Schenley Park Visitor Center. The Visitor Center was originally a park pavilion and later a nature center. Today, the newly renovated Visitor Center offers a coffee bar, gift shop and restrooms.

Pittsburgh is a diverse city full of history and culture. If you would like to learn more about Pittsburgh’s history, neighborhoods, people, or rivers, stop at the Carnegie Library or visit the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center on Smallman Street in the Strip, www.PghHistory.org. For more information about Pittsburgh Parks, contact the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, www.PittsburghParks.org.

Hike Directions

ITEM	MP	INSTRUCTIONS	UTM (NAD 83)
1	0.00	Start at Dippy the Dinosaur on Forbes Avenue in Oakland at the west end of the Carnegie museums. Walk south through Schenley Plaza passing the Carnegie Library with the inscription over the entrance declaring, “FREE TO THE PEOPLE.” Cross Schenley Drive at the traffic light, turn right and continue to the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain called A Song to Nature by sculptor Victor Brenner. If you have time, visit the Frick Fine Arts Building.	17T	05 88 910E 44 77 520N
2	0.13	From the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, return the way you came, pass the traffic light and continue east on Schenley Drive. Pass the Frick Fine Arts Building and the Spanish American War Memorial called The Hiker by sculptor Allen C. Newman.	17T	05 88 870E 44 77 380N
3	0.30	Cross the Schenley Bridge over Junction Hollow. Notice the “Cloud Factory,” Carnegie Mellon University and Flagstaff Hill on your left. Stop for a moment to admire the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain erected by the Son’s of Columbus of America in 1958. The Columbus statue is by sculptor Frank Vittor. Pass in front of the Phipps Conservatory and if it’s open, take a quick tour of the Outdoor Gardens. For refreshments, cross Panther Hollow Road to the Schenley Park Visitor’s Center.	17T	05 89 080E 44 77 280N
4	0.55	From it’s intersection with Frank Curto Drive, follow Panther Hollow Road past the Phipps Water Garden with its statue of Neptune. Stop to say hello to the statue of Bobby Burns by sculptor J. M. Rhind: Wee, sleekit, cowrin', tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi' bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee, Wi' murd'ring pattle! - To A Mouse, 1786 Admire the Phipps Hall of Botany and if it’s open, step into the lobby to see the portrait of Henry Phipps. Note the difference between the cleaned bricks of the Hall of Botany and the adjacent brick wall with its patina of Pittsburgh Black.	17T	05 89 330E 44 76 992N
5	0.65	Cross Panther Hollow Bridge with its four bronze panthers by sculptor Giuseppe Moretti. Look over the railing and admire Panther Hollow Lake where 90 years ago you could rent a boat and paddle away the afternoon. At the end of the bridge, turn right, pass the playground on your left and then turn left onto the connector to the Schenley Park Bridle Trail.	17T	05 89 156E 44 76 604N
6	0.95	Pass under the Charles Anderson Bridge which carries the Boulevard of the Allies over Junction Hollow and bear right at the Y, continuing on the Bridle Trail.	17T	05 89 144E 44 76 520N
7	1.3	You will cross two stone bridges on the Bridle Trail. Thirty-eight paces past the second stone bridge, turn right on a dirt path that leads down into Junction Hollow and the Saline Valley. The path splits into several spurs near the bottom of the hill. Follow any of the downhill spurs toward the railroad tracks. Bear to the left and continue downhill, paralleling the railroad tracks, to the concrete barriers at Boundary Street.	17T	05 89 170E 44 76 153N
8	1.5	Turn left on Boundary Street, cross under the Parkway East Bridge, pass St. Joachim Church, and turn left on Saline Street. You are now at the lowest elevation on the hike at 780 feet.	17T	05 89 121E 44 75 901N
9	1.6	Continue on Saline Street to St. John Chrysostom Russian/Greek Church. This distinctive church with the twin green onion domes can be seen from the Parkway East about one mile west of the Squirrel Hill tunnels.	17T	05 89 171E 44 75 707N
10	1.8	At St. John’s Church, turn right onto Anthony Street and climb the steps with the green handrail. Like many Pittsburgh steps, Anthony Street is shown on Pittsburgh maps as a regular street. At the top of the steps, you will be behind the Greenfield School. Turn around for a view of the Parkway East, Oakland, and Schenley Park.	17T	05 89 485E 44 75 782N
11	2.0	Continue around the school and bear right on Raft Street to Lydia Street. Cross Lydia and continue straight on Alger Street. Turn right on Winterburn Avenue, cross Greenfield Avenue and continue to Minnesota Street.	17T	05 89 681E 44 75 609N
12	2.3	Turn left on Minnesota Street, pass Exposition Way, and continue around the bend to the right. At the end of the street, continue straight, past Blanton Street to the steps with the green handrail on your left.	17T	05 89 957E 44 75 520N
13	2.4	At the bottom of the steps, turn right on Greenfield Avenue.	17T	05 90 068E 44 75 414N
14	2.7	Continue on Greenfield Avenue until you reach Beehner Road. Turn right on Beehner Road then left on Deely Street. Continue up the hill to the height of the land. At Frank Street, turn around and enjoy the view of downtown Pittsburgh.	17T	05 90 400E 44 75 398N
15	2.8	Turn right on Frank Street and stop just past the first driveway on the right for another fine view of downtown. Continue on Frank Street to Hazelwood Avenue. Note the retaining wall on the left just before Hazelwood Avenue. What is special about this retaining wall?	17T	05 90 460E 44 75 318N
16	3.0	Turn left on Hazelwood Avenue then right into the west entrance of Calvary Cemetery. Once in Calvary Cemetery, pass the cemetery office on the right and head toward the water tower.	17T	05 90 515E 44 74 906N
Note: The following directions will guide you through the cemetery using names engraved on monuments. The monuments listed appear close to where you will need to change direction.
17	3.2	At Kemp-Robbins, bear right up the hill.	17T	05 90 473E 44 74 580N
18	3.3	At McTighe, turn left. Note the tree trunk monument for Treacy on the left. At Printy, look back for a view of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.	17T	05 90 490E 44 74 480N
19	3.5	At Patterson, turn right toward the canon. Note the GAR monument near the canon. The GAR, or Grand Army of the Republic, was an organization of veterans of the Civil War. At Cullinan, turn left. Not far, on the left, you will see the Catanzaro monument with the statue “Christ” by Raffaelo Romanelli. Pass the infants cemetery on the right, and continue around the hill toward the radio towers.	17T	05 90 770E 44 74 376N
20	3.8	Pass the Priests’ Monument on the left and the radio towers on the right. At Bucci, continue straight. You are now at the highest elevation on the hike at 1210 feet.	17T	05 90 728E 44 74 067N
21	3.9	At Malone, turn right. At Siano, note the view of the Mon Valley and the Waterfront in Homestead.	17T	05 90 952E 44 74 181N
22	4.0	Bear left at Kapinus. Turn left at Goda and left again at Coda. Note the Squirrel Hill slagheap in the distance on the right. At Prologo, bear right.	17T	05 91 112E 44 74 129N
23	4.4	At Barbara, continue straight down the hill. At Fries, again continue straight down the hill. Just past the mausoleum, turn right to exit through the gatehouse at the cemetery’s east entrance and back to Hazelwood Avenue.	17T	05 90 900E 44 74 348N
24	4.9	Cross Hazelwood Avenue and then turn right, cross Murray Avenue then cross Beechwood Boulevard at the traffic light. Be careful crossing at this busy intersection. Continue one block on Hazelwood Avenue and turn left on Saline Street. At Federal Hill Street, note the small cemetery on the left. Just past Landview Road, note the dragonfly on the right.	17T	05 90 851E 44 74 905N
25	5.3	From Saline Street, turn right on Lilac Street, passing the John Minadeo Elementary School. Turn left on Shady Avenue, cross Monitor Street and continue up the hill.	17T	05 91 088E 44 75 277N
26	5.7	At the top of the hill on Shady Avenue, turn left on Morrowfield Avenue; you are now directly over the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. At the intersection with Murray Avenue, note that you’re above the west entrance to the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Turn right on Murray Avenue.	17T	05 91 341E 44 75 741N
28	6.0	Cross Forward Avenue then cross Murray Avenue and continue up Pocusset Street, crossing Wightman then Phillips. Where the sidewalk ends, walk around the shrubbery and turn right at the barricade across an old road.	17T	05 91 317E 44 76 041N
29	6.6	Follow the old road up the hill. At the intersection with Prospect Drive, cross the street and follow a dirt path through the woods and down grassy Prospect Hill to the traffic light.	17T	05 90 490E 44 76 065N
30	7.0	Cross Greenfield Road then Panther Hollow Road and continue on the paved path down into Panther Hollow. At the Y, bear right and cross the first stone bridge, looping around and continuing on the path through Panther Hollow. This path is called the Lower Panther Hollow Trail on the Schenley Park Map.	17T	05 90 203E 44 76 362N
31	7.7	Just after crossing the fourth bridge, turn right up the steps to the Schenley Park Visitor’s Center.	17T	05 99 389E 44 76 916N
32	7.8	Cross Panther Hollow Road to the Phipps Conservatory and retrace your steps back to Dippy. On the way, be sure to stop and thank the statue of Edward M. Bigelow on the island in Frank Curto Drive for his efforts to provide this great park to the City of Pittsburgh.	17T	05 89 359E 44 76 969N
33	8.3	Arrive back at Dippy.	17T	05 88 910E 44 77 520N

A London Plane-Tree

GREEN is the plane-tree in the square,

The other trees are brown;

They droop and pine for country air;

The plane-tree loves the town.

Here from my garret-pane, I mark

The plane-tree bud and blow,

Shed her recuperative bark,

And spread her shade below.

Among her branches, in and out,

The city breezes play;

The dun fog wraps her round about;

Above, the smoke curls gray.

Others the country take for choice,

And hold the town in scorn;

But she has listened to the voice

On city breezes borne.

- Amy Levy (1861–89)

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- JMA R12/11/2007/1