Point State Park
Point State Park (PSP) is a 36-acre state park and National Historic Landmark located at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. It is ideally located to serve as the centerpiece of Three Rivers Park. Originally legislated as a “passive park,” PSP was never designed to serve as a venue for major events. However, in the past several decades it has become the city’s primary outdoor event space, hosting thousands of people at a time, which has resulted in considerable wear and tear. A significant percentage of its estimated 1.8 million visitors come to the park for these major city events. At other times, the park is underused due to the absence of a variety of amenities. Problems in the park include outdated utilities, deteriorating infrastructure and landscaping, damaged pavement and walkways, lack of ADA and bicycle access and minimal riverfront connections.
To save the park from further deterioration and restore it as a historic site and recreational hub, Riverlife and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development formed the Point State Park Planning Committee in 2001. After two years of planning and over forty public meetings and workshops, the Planning Committee released a master plan that features general and aesthetic improvements. These improvements expand access and increase connections to the water while better accommodating special events, streamlining park maintenance, and introducing artistic and historical interpretation installations. Plans are underway to establish PSP as the enduring icon of the Pittsburgh region to the world, the centerpiece of Three Rivers Park and a spectacular public gathering place that is attractive, inviting, safe, enjoyable and user-friendly to residents and tourists.