Hartwood Acres Sculpture Garden set to open July 10
A years-long Allegheny County project to refurbish and centralize sculptures that dot the landscape at Hartwood Acres is set to be unveiled in July.
A formal ribbon-cutting is set for July 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. with county officials and those from Allegheny County Parks Foundation, the project partner.
In total, a dozen large-scale pieces of art first gifted to the park in the mid-1980s were refreshed and will grace the 629-acre property, along with one new piece designed by Wilkinsburg artist Dee Briggs.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during the June 2021 groundbreaking that the project would give the public a better opportunity to engage with the art than ever before.
Work is expected to total $4.7 million and was assisted by a $1 million Regional Asset District grant. According to the Parks Foundation website, conservation of the art was necessary.
Parks Foundation officials previously touted the sculpture garden as its largest project ever undertaken in partnership with the county.
A Sewickley conservator preserved some of the pieces, transforming Hartwood Acres into an outdoor studio.
For example, the aluminum panels of “North Light” by sculptor David von Schlegell, and which measure 19 square-feet, were refurbished on site.
Sculptures will be displayed on new concrete foundations and will be linked in a way that guides visitors from one to the next.
Work also included revamping the landscape near the park’s historic Tudor mansion, once owned by John and Mary Lawrence.
The couple used the campus as their country estate until selling it to the county in 1969. Its stables, English gardens and Tudor mansion are well-visited by people from around the region, as are the 30 miles of walking trails and concert amphitheater.
The project also includes handicapped-accessible walkways, LED lighting, reconfigured driveways and native landscaping.
Other funding for the project came from the Fox Chapel Garden Club, The Garden Club of Allegheny County and the Hillman Foundation, among others.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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