Lake Elizabeth

Allegheny Commons
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Designed by Simonds & Simonds

Intro

“All landscape design is an abstract or idealized imitation of nature.”
- John O. Simonds (June 1967)

Reborn as a part of Pittsburgh’s 1967 urban renewal project, John Ormsbee Simonds’ Lake Elizabeth sits within the city’s oldest mapped parkland, Allegheny Commons, and signifies the place of Modernism on the 200-year-long timeline of that landscape.

Today, a master plan for Allegheny Commons will help renew its signature features, including Lake Elizabeth, which have suffered from neglect and accrued deferred maintenance. Representing a century of landscape design, the master plan aims to reveal and educate the import of design elements from the recent past such as Lake Elizabeth, allowing them to take their place alongside their picturesque ancestors.

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Photo © Heather F. Wetzel

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education partners

Additional Sponsors

American Society of Landscape Architects’ Indiana, Pennsylvania/Delaware, Minnesota, Northern California, Texas, Upstate New York, and Washington Chapters • Astorino • Charles Butt • Design Within Reach • Topher Delaney • Sandy Donnell & Justin Faggioli • Fathom • Tom Fox • Hillman Foundation • Indianapolis Museum of Art • Lorraine Osmundson • Richard T. Murphy • National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northeast, Southwest, and Western Offices- with funds from the Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation of New York, Dodge Jones Foundation Intervention Fund, and Eastern Massachusetts Preservation Fund • James Richards • Seibert & Rice • Diana & Bruce Shuman • Ann Stack • SWA Group • TBG Partners • Michal and Jeffrey William Tincup • Unilock Inc. • The Woltz Charitable Trust


Lake Elizabeth Allegheny Commons Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Designed by Simonds & Simonds Intro history threat help learn “All landscape design is an abstract or idealized imitation of nature.” - John O. Simonds (June 1967) Reborn as a part of Pittsburgh’s 1967 urban renewal project, John Ormsbee Simonds’ Lake Elizabeth sits within the city’s oldest mapped parkland, Allegheny Commons, and signifies the place of Modernism on the 200-year-long timeline of that landscape. Today, a master plan for Allegheny Commons will help renew its signature features, including Lake Elizabeth, which have suffered from neglect and accrued deferred maintenance. Representing a century of landscape design, the master plan aims to reveal and educate the import of design elements from the recent past such as Lake Elizabeth, allowing them to take their place alongside their picturesque ancestors. more... Photo © Heather F. Wetzel	Boston City Hall Plaza Boston, Massachusetts Estates Drive Reservoir Oakland, California Heritage Plaza Heritage Park Fort Worth, Texas Kaiser Roof Garden Kaiser Center Oakland, California Lake Elizabeth Allegheny Commons Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Manhattan Square Park Rochester, New York Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Kent, Washington Miller Garden Columbus, Indiana El Monte Hato Rey, Puerto Rico Pacific Science Center Courtyard Seattle, Washington Parkmerced San Francisco, California Peavey Plaza Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota Home \| Map \| Exhibit \| Artists \| Press
education partners Additional Sponsors American Society of Landscape Architects’ Indiana, Pennsylvania/Delaware, Minnesota, Northern California, Texas, Upstate New York, and Washington Chapters • Astorino • Charles Butt • Design Within Reach • Topher Delaney • Sandy Donnell & Justin Faggioli • Fathom • Tom Fox • Hillman Foundation • Indianapolis Museum of Art • Lorraine Osmundson • Richard T. Murphy • National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northeast, Southwest, and Western Offices- with funds from the Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation of New York, Dodge Jones Foundation Intervention Fund, and Eastern Massachusetts Preservation Fund • James Richards • Seibert & Rice • Diana & Bruce Shuman • Ann Stack • SWA Group • TBG Partners • Michal and Jeffrey William Tincup • Unilock Inc. • The Woltz Charitable Trust

Lake Elizabeth

Allegheny Commons Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Designed by Simonds & Simonds

Allegheny Commons
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania