Secret Pittsburgh

An entrance sign for Mellon Green. It states that hours of operation and where the list of rules can be found. Photo by Elizabeth Madison
An entrance sign for Mellon Green. It states that hours of operation and where the list of rules can be found. Photo by Elizabeth Madison

Mellon Green

Address: 501 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219

Hours: Dawn to Dusk unless otherwise posted

Admission: Free

Transportation: Bus, car (street parking, bike, and walking

Access: Wide ramps, outdoors 

 

Mellon Green is a green space in downtown Pittsburgh. Surrounded by Grant Street, Ross Street, Oliver Avenue, and Sixth Avenue, the privately owned-public space provides a tranquil, open area in the center of the city. With a fountain in the center and benches creating an outer circle around it, Mellon Green is a popular place for business men and women to get some air and eat lunch. During the non-winter months, there are beautiful, colorful flowers along with the shrubbery and the fountain consisting of five tall rock pillars has water flowing from the top of the pillars to the base below.

Currently, there is not a significant amount of publicly available information about Mellon Green, nor are there any websites for the space. The only presence of this space online focuses on the Occupy movement in Pittsburgh, which took place at Mellon Green. During the fall of 2011, protesters took over this space, and they stayed until their eviction in early 2012. The information on the movement in Pittsburgh is also limited, with the majority of coverage coming from local news outlets. Because of Mellon Green’s lack of an online presence, those who don’t frequently visit downtown Pittsburgh might not even know it’s there. For tourists looking up information on places to visit during their stay, they might be less likely to encounter Mellon Green due to the space not having an official website and its lack of mention on other well-known visitor websites. In contrast, other green spaces near or in downtown Pittsburgh, such as Point State Park or Mellon Square, have information that’s easily available to the public including websites and books. Mellon Green can often be confused for Mellon Square because of the close proximity to each other and the fact that Mellon Square’s vast amount of readily available information can mask the limited information on Mellon Green.

Mellon Green’s lack of information makes the space “secret” in itself. For anyone walking downtown who happens to come across the space, it is certainly a pleasant surprise.