Westinghouse Park in Pittsburgh designated as nationally recognized arboretum
Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse Park, located on the former estate of George Westinghouse, was designated as a nationally recognized certified arboretum.
The park in North Point Breeze was awarded a Level I accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum for achieving and maintaining nationally-recognized standards for arboreta. The park is now included in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.
“The certification requires that there is a concerted effort to maintain and manage the trees on the site and we’re looking forward to working on getting the trees healthier and happier,” said Lisa Ceoffee, Pittsburgh’s City Forester.
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) October 6, 2021
To commemorate the designation — and to celebrate what would have been Westinghouse’s 175th birthday — Mayor Bill Peduto joined other local leaders and advocates for the park on Wednesday afternoon. They honored Westinghouse’s life, as well as the park’s new recognition.
“It has such a wonderful history here,” Peduto said, standing in the park.
Now, he said, it is a “special part of nature” and a place for communities to come together.
Pittsburgh’s first arboretum was designated in Mellon Park, making Westinghouse Park its second.
“It’s a museum of trees,” Peduto said. “It’s a place where you can come, not only to see the beauty of our natural habitat, but to learn about it even further and to be able to ensure that it’s enhanced, not just for the next generation, but for the generations that will follow that.”
Peduto said he’s hopeful other parks in the city will also become arboretums.
City Councilman Ricky Burgess spoke during the ceremony, noting that he grew up near the park and still lives in the area. He and his sons learned to ride bikes in the park, he and he wrote many of his early sermons sitting in the park.
He said he hoped to soon install a new shelter at the park to “celebrate how great this park is.”
The park was once Westinghouse’s estate, referred to as “Solitude,” said David Bear, who represented the Westinghouse Park 2nd Century Coalition. The estate became a public park bearing Westinghouse’s name after the death of Westinghouse and its wife.
Westinghouse founded over 60 companies and earned more than 360 patents. His railroad air brake system revolutionized the railroad industry, offering engineers a quick and reliable way to stop trains.
Westinghouse Park is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The community has recently completed community engagement and planning for park restoration, maintenance and improvements in preparation for developing a master plan for the park with the Department of City Planning next year.
The Forestry Division placed temporary informational banners on trees throughout the park to encourage the community to learn more about the park’s native trees. A community celebration is slated for Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will include a 5K community run, tree pickup sponsored by Tree Pittsburgh and a video about Westinghouse.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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