Ariel-Foundation Park is an excellent example of creative reuse of a closed industrial site. In 1898 a steel mill was built on the location using beams and tresses from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The steel mill failed and buildings were bought by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in 1907. The glass factory, which used the abundant local natural gas and silica sand, was much more successful, operating until 1976.
Creating the park from the ruins of the glass plant took years of negotiations to buy the land, get donations, draw up plans, demolish the unsafe structures, and clean up the site. A day long grand opening in 2015 attracted 10,00 people.
Two buildings, the carpenter shop and the clock house, were renovated and are available for events. A large factory building has been converted to an open-air community event center that can also be rented. The 280' smokestack built in 1951 has a spiral staircase around the outside that goes to an observation deck. Paved paths wind through the park past ponds, interpretive signs, and sculptures created from discarded beams and chunks of glass.
86 acres of the former Goodwin Sand and Gravel Company was purchased which increased the park to 250 acres. The quarries are now scenic lakes used for fishing and kayaking. Paved and dirt paths circle the lakes.
The paved paths are accessible, but a few sections are steep. Most wheelchair users will need assistance. The quarry area is accessed by a steep road. Walking/rolling down the road can be avoided by parking in one of the lower parking lots.
The upper lots are large enough for any vehicle. RVs will fit in the lower lots if parked across the spaces. Park 40.38219, -82.49505
What a beautiful park they made from an industrial site.
ReplyDeleteMore states should invest to do that.