The City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy opened the McKinley Park Community Grove, a new gathering space in the Chicken Hill section of McKinley Park. The nearly $700,000 project transforms a site that once held a resident-built baseball field into a nature-based community space designed for recreation, education, and community connection.
The Community Grove includes a 20-foot hexagonal shade pavilion and seat wall for gatherings, open lawn space, a dedicated outdoor learning area, improved trail connections and stairs, stormwater and drainage improvements, expanded ecological restoration areas, and preserved historic baseball backstop posts honoring the site's past.
The project was developed in close collaboration with residents and community partners including the Beltzhoover Consensus Group, Knoxville Community Council, Voices Against Violence, and Hilltop Alliance. It serves the Hilltop neighborhoods of Beltzhoover, Allentown, Knoxville, Bon Air, and surrounding communities, where McKinley Park has long been an essential neighborhood gathering place.
"The new Community Grove honors that history and brings back a natural gathering spot where our community can come together once again," said Bob Charland, a Pittsburgh City Councilman representing District 3.
The project is part of a broader revitalization of McKinley Park following the adoption of the park's master plan in 2016. The city has invested in improvements to approximately 1.5 miles of trails throughout the park. The landscape will continue to evolve, with seasonal growth and blooms expected in spring 2027.
Funding for the project came from the City of Pittsburgh Parks Tax Trust Fund, with additional support from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Pennsylvania American Water, and the American Water Charitable Foundation.