Historic Riverview Park shelter to receive much-needed repairs

A Riverview Park historic structure will be repaired through a collaboration of private and public partners that provided grant funding and in-kind work to make it a reality.

Valley Refuge Shelter, constructed in 1939 by the National Youth Association, an arm of the Works Progress Administration, will receive much-needed upgrades through the $240,000 project. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy said it is one of the most-used shelters in the city’s park system. Renovations occurred there in the 1960s, according to the conservancy website.

A formal announcement will take place on Tuesday at the park, according to conservancy leaders. Design is underway, which will implement targeted strategic repairs and upgrades that improve user experience and ensure the long-term functionality of the shelter space and its uses, according to the conservancy website.

A $110,00 allocation from the city’s Pittsburgh Parks Tax fund will cover costs in part, and the conservancy received a $50,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission earlier this year.  The city’s Department of Public Works will provide in-kind support.

Scheduled speakers at Tuesday’s announcement include Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy President and CEO Catherine Qureshi; state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline; state Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Brighton Heights; Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission grant manager Karen Arnold; and Friends of Riverview Park representative Ray Meyer.

Planning began in 2020 as part of the Grand Avenue entrance revitalization effort, according to the conservancy. Jessie Demoise, conservancy associate project manager, said the important project involved key stakeholders in the design and planning stage, including the city’s Department of Public Works and the Friends of Riverview Park.  The project’s scope grew somewhat to include ensuing ADA compliance with bathrooms there, for example.

Other components include upgrades to the lighting, plumbing and electrical systems; a new drinking fountain; repairs to the roof and historic masonry on and around the structure; and work on the flagstone paving around the shelter.

The park and shelter were added to the National Register of Historic Sites in March 2021, and that designation guides how some of the work can be done — for example, the flagstone paving. “Some of what we need to do is to maintain the integrity of that structure,” Demoise explained, which can result in some higher material costs. Efforts are underway to add both to the city’s list of historic sites.

The conservancy points to the in-kind work the city’s DPW, one of its closest collaborators on a day-to-day basis, will do as a project bonus. That includes new ironwork, installing some decorative touches at the fireplaces and the grills, Demoise said.

Demoise said the conservancy is working with Pieper O’Brien Herr, a Pittsburgh architectural firm. Bids will go out once all the design is done and all drawings are reviewed by the city. Before that happens, the design will be finalized and then approved, with a target date in January to select a contractor. Construction is expected to begin in March and continue through June.

The Keystone Historic Preservation Construction grant the conservancy received recognized the historical value of the project and community need. Arnold noted that 10 letters accompanied the application, all reiterating how much the community not only appreciates the park but also the shelter. “Their enthusiasm, and the application which was very well planned, could identify what the needs were for the property and how they could demonstrate that the project would complement the historical qualities of that shelter so that it would still have its historic attributes of the shelter when it is done,” she said.

Arnold said what makes Riverview Park and this shelter so important is all the little features it has developed since its construction. “The park wouldn’t look like it is with those things gone,” she explained. “It wouldn’t help the stewards of these places who keep these places going.”

Meyer is one of those stewards, and he considers the park and its shelter a hidden jewel. “People on the North Side know about it, but others don’t. It has 200-plus acres of all this natural park, plus the observatory. That is the only reason some people know about it.”

Many summer FOR events, activities and meetings take place at Valley Refuge Shelter, which sits off Grand Avenue, the longtime Brighton Heights resident noted. The repairs are needed badly, he stressed, and he thanked Gainey and Wilson for working with the group in initial meetings. After that group representatives attended planning sessions and worked with its conservancy representative, assistant director of community engagement Ellen Tobin, to convey comments and suggestions aimed at retaining the shelter’s historic value.

Reggae at Riverview, one of FOR’s most well-attended events, is held annually at the shelter, he said.

Meyer said he’s happy to see another project scratched off the to-do list, as the park needs to turn its attention to others, such as clearing landslides, fixing wastewater runoffs, redoing a park entrance, and rebuilding the Watson Cabin damaged in a fire some years back. He said the group is particularly pleased about the Davis Avenue bridge replacement project that will link Brighton Heights and Riverview Park again. Completion on the city’s $6.2 million project is expected to finish this fall, according to the Northside Chronicle.

Now retired from his position as Alcosan’s head of purchasing, which enables him to attend the group’s meetings and participate more often, Meyer said the FOR has many great volunteers who work on the park in many ways, including monthly trash pickups and trail cleanup. And the nonprofit group, a project of the Northside Leadership Conference, will continue to advocate for the park and add more options for residents. One suggestion he has is offering more overnight camping opportunities for groups and residents.

The group has been working on a Grand Avenue Revisioning for Riverview Park with the conservancy since 2023, according to its website. A final presentation report in August noted that the engagement and planning process has concluded.

“This vision, informed by extensive community engagement and expert guidance, promises to enhance the park’s natural beauty while improving functionality and accessibility. The commitment from the city of Pittsburgh to relocate the Division 1 depot has paved the way for a transformed space that aligns with the community’s desires and needs, fostering a more welcoming and enjoyable environment for all park visitors,” it stated.