History
The site of Schenley Plaza had been a deep gully called St. Pierre's Ravine, which connected to Junction Hollow. The ravine separated the new Carnegie Institute (1895) from the even newer Forbes Field (1909–1970). Linking these two civic institutions was a stone arch bridge: Bellefield Bridge. It carried Bigelow Boulevard toward Schenley Park.
Sentiment arose that Bellefield Bridge was not a sufficiently impressive park entrance. Also in 1911 a place was being sought for a monument to Mary Schenley, patroness of the park. The idea grew that a great public square, both for the memorial and the park entrance, was needed.
A national competition elicited 45 proposals for the site, and in June 1915, judges selected the plan of Horace Wells Sellers and H. Bartol Register, both of Philadelphia.
Between 1913 and 1914 St. Pierre's Ravine was filled in. The fill has been popularly said to be earth removed from Downtown's infamous "Hump" on Grant Street, but the supporting historical information for this story is disputed. The Bellefield Bridge remains buried here and supports some of the weight of the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain on the plaza.
In 1949 Schenley Plaza was converted into a parking lot to accommodate both university students and fans at Forbes Field, then home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers, which stood on the west side of the plaza.
Read more about this topic: Schenley Plaza
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