Hazelwood Green, the decades-in-the-making redevelopment of the massive (and massively polluted) former LTV Steel site, is beginning to look like a destination spot.
An important public-facing component — the $9 million Plaza at Hazelwood Green — will have its official opening celebration on Saturday, May 8.
It’s just two acres out of the vast 178-acre Hazelwood Green site but is designed with the public in mind as a space for relaxation, recreation and events.
The plaza sits in the shadow of the giant Mill 19 building, which is currently being redeveloped into solar-powered high-tech office and lab space. Plans for more office space, housing and further connections to the Hazelwood neighborhood and the Monongahela River are in the works.
The centerpiece of the plaza is the water feature constructed from 16,000 square feet of granite slabs. A gentle skim of water will flow over them.
“The water feature is incredibly unique,” says Todd Stern, managing director with U3 Advisors, which is working with Almono LP, the developer. “We’re always searching for the right term and have not really found it — but I think it’s graceful, it’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s contemplative.”
Visitors can’t miss the 15-foot winged presence of a giant barn swallow, a sculpture fabricated by Braddock artist Eddie Opat and the Industrial Arts Workshop. There are also decorative tree grates –with images of leaves and nuts from the hazel tree — made of raw steel that will rust naturally. They are designed by Pittsburgh-based artist Carin Mincemoyer and fabricated by Technique Architectural Products. Custom benches were designed by Brian Peters of Pittsburgh-based Building Bytes.
Click here to read the full article by Michael Machosky for NEXT Pittsburgh.