Construction of Mellon Square Park and Garage

1954/1955

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Construction of Mellon Square Park and Garage
  • Title
  • Construction of Mellon Square Park and Garage
  • Creator
  • Paul Slantis
  • Identifier
  • MSP285.B014.F10.I01
  • Source Identifier
  • MSP285.B014.F10.I01
  • Description
  • On April 22, 1949, The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Sarah Mellon Scaife, and Richard King Mellon Foundation announced a gift to the City of Pittsburgh of $4 million (later boosted to $4.3 million) to build Mellon Square. On September 28, 1953, at 12:15 p.m. ground was broken on the 1.37-acre square designed by architects Mitchell and Ritchey of Pittsburgh. Enough material was hauled out of the square to fill the equivalent of 540 boxcars and enough concrete was poured into the hole to pack 90 boxcars solid. More than 1,250 tons of reinforcing steel was used. Braces kept streets (Smithfield Street at lower left) from possible cave-ins. The total cost of the Mellon Square project was $7.8 million. Mellon Square was dedicated on October 18, 1955.
  • Genre
  • photographs
  • Subject
  • Mellon Square (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    Construction workers--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
    Downtown (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • Source
  • Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs, 1892-1981, MSP 285, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
  • Contributor
  • Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
  • Collection
  • Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs
  • Rights Information
  • Copyright Not Evaluated. The copyright and related rights status of this Item has not been evaluated. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
    http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/