The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 28 to dedicate the PNC Children’s Plaza in Schenley Plaza, installed in appreciation of PNC’s continued support. In celebration, the Parks Conservancy provided free rides on the PNC Carousel all day.
Sally McCrady, Deputy Executive Director of PNC Grow Up Great
Overhead View of the PNC Children’s Plaza and Carousel
PNC is dedicated to preparing children for the future through Grow Up Great, its $350 million, multi-year initiative that began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. The Children’s Plaza is intended to complement PNC’s program, which has served more than 1.5 million children to date.
Parks Conservancy Senior Vice President Richard Reed with children from the community.
A group of local children attended the event to help us dedicate the garden and amphitheater.
Mark Broadhurst, Director of Concept Development for Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group, which underwrote the cost of the PNC Children’s Plaza
PNC Children’s Plaza Dedication
Parks Conservancy Senior Vice President Richard Reed, PNC General Counsel and Parks Conservancy Board Member Bob Hoyt, Sally McCrady, Deputy Executive Director of PNC Grow Up Great and Mark Broadhurst, Director of Concept Development for Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group cut the PNC Children’s Plaza ribbon.
PNC Children’s Plaza
The PNC Children’s Plaza was designed by landscape architecture firm La Quatra Bonci Associates, the Pittsburgh-based firm that designed Schenley Plaza. The cost was underwritten by Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group, which built and operates The Porch at Schenley and will maintain the gardens in the Children’s Plaza.
PNC Children’s Plaza with The Porch at Schenley and Cathedral of Learning. Beautiful day for a dedication.
Come check out the PNC Children’s Plaza as well as the other great activities available. Ride the carousel, sip on some bubble tea from Asia Tea House, lollygag on the lawn and then top it off with Dinner at The Porch at Schenley. There’s always something to do at Schenley Plaza!
What a lovely little carousel! Our three-year-old daughter had a great time there today. She rode three times, back-to-back, huge smiles the whole while. The animals are very cool, a menagerie that ranges from the traditional to the whimsical. The whirling tea cup adds a great ride-within-a-ride element, too.
Noted one incongruity: this website says, “Visitors of all ages may enjoy its lively colors and old-fashioned pipe organ music” but we found ourselves trying to ignore the piped-in jangle pop today. No need to have ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ and ‘La Vida Loca’ as the soundtrack to this ride.