Mellon Square: Discovering a Modern Masterpiece

by Susan Rademacher, Charles Birnbaum (Editor)

Overview

The second volume in our Modern Landscapes series examines the evolution of Pittsburgh's first modern garden plaza. Completed in 1955 from a design by the acclaimed landscape design firm Simonds & Simonds and architects Mitchell & Ritchey, Mellon Square functioned as an urban oasis that provided downtown office workers a much-needed respite from the city's infamous smoke pollution. Now, more than six decades later, Mellon Square has has undergone a major restoration led by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, and lead designer Patricia O Donnell of Heritage Landscapes that has restored this urban garden and spurred major revitalization in downtown Pittsburgh. Featuring new photography and archival material, Mellon Square is the only book to showcase the development of this iconic urban landscape.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616891336
Publisher:	Princeton Architectural Press
Publication date:	11/18/2014
Series:	Modern Landscapes: Transition & Transformation Series
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Susan M. Rademacher is parks curator for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, preserving, enhancing, and promoting the cultural significance of parks through master planning and project design. Previously, she was president of the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy and assistant director of Louisville Metro Parks. Her published books include Bold Romantic Gardens; Outdoor Living Spaces; and Garden Design: History, Principles, Elements, Practice. A former editor in chief of Landscape Architecture magazine, she was also a founding editor of Garden Design magazine. Rademacher was a Loeb Fellow of Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and is a graduate of Miami University.

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR is the Founder and President of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). He has authored and edited numerous publications, including Shaping the American Landscape (2009), Design with Culture: Claiming America's Landscape Heritage (Press 2005), and Pioneers of American Landscape Design (2000), among others.

Table of Contents

Polishing the Jewel Charles A. Birnbaum 7

An Ascendant Urban Space Restored Patricia M. O'Donnell 10

Telling the Story of a Master Work Susan M. Rademacher 12

The Simonds Way Richard C. Bell 15

Chapter 1 Designing Experiences 18

Chapter 2 The Genesis of Mellon Square: Design for a New Era 32

Chapter 3 Concepts and Ideas for Mellon Square, 1949-1955 56

Chapter 4 Elevating the Square: Platform, Trees, and Water 80

Chapter 5 Lifecycles 94

Chapter 6 The Future of Mellon Square 116

John O. Simonds: Philosopher, Author, Educator Barry W. Starke 141

Notes 145

Appendix; Plant Lists: 1955, 1989, 2013 152

Selected Bibliography 157

Image Credits 160