Thomas Armstrong Statue and Allegheny Commons Park
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The park's Lake Elizabeth with Pittsburgh's skyline in the background.
Created in 1889, this statue honors labor leader Thomas Armstrong. The monument resided in West Park until 1969 when it was hit be an automobile. The statue was repaired and moved to this location in 1975
The old Northeast fountain.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The park got its start as a 102-acre common grazing area in 1783 and the west commons was developed in the 1820s and contained the Western Penitentiary and a theological seminary. It also served as a camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. The park was then created from a desire to create “breathing spaces” for the citizens of Allegheny City, now known as Pittsburgh’s Northside. The park's size and shape have been altered over the years, especially during the urban renewal projects of the 1960s, but the park’s original intent has endured. It still offers Pittsburghers a bucolic place to enjoy nature, wander its tree-lined paths and a temporary respite from city life.
The park is home to the National Aviary, playing fields, a small lake, tennis courts, playgrounds and ornamental flower beds. Various memorials dot its landscape to include the Hampton Battery Memorial, the USS Maine Memorial, the George Washington Memorial, and the Stephen Foster Memorial. The park contains over 1,000 trees comprised of almost 100 species, such as American sycamore, gingko, northern red oak, London planetree, and cucumber magnolia.
The park recently underwent a planned $17 million restoration effort (cost over-runs place that figure closer to $25 million) which began back in 2002. Part of that effort involves the $2.5 million design and reconstruction of the park’s northeast fountain and surrounding gardens. The park is roughly bounded by North Ave, Cedar Ave, Stockton St, and Ridge and Brighton Avenues.
Sources
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Allegheny Commons Park." United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. 2009. Accessed December 15, 2016. http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/Allegheny_Commons_Combined_NRHP.pdf
Nelson-Jones, Diana. "Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to help restore Allegheny Commons on North Side." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 31, 2015. http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/03/31/Pittsburgh-Parks-Conservancy-add-Allegheny-Commons...
"The History of Allegheny Commons." Allegheny Commons.org. Accessed December 15, 2016. http://www.alleghenycommons.org/history.html
Richards, Miles S. "Thomas Armstrong: A Forgotten Advocate of Labor." Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, vol. 67, no. 4 (October 1984) 348 369.