One of Pittsburgh's oldest parks is about to get a significant new chapter. The City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy have announced the McKinley Park Community Grove Project, a $660,000 initiative that will restore and reimagine a beloved gathering site in the heart of the Hilltop neighborhoods, transforming it into a flexible, year-round destination for families, youth programs, and community life.
The project focuses on the Chicken Hill section of McKinley Park, just below Michigan Street, where a beloved resident-built baseball field once drew generations of neighborhood kids. The new Community Grove honors that legacy while building something new: a designed outdoor space purpose-built for gatherings, nature-based learning, and cultural expression in communities that have long championed their park as a civic anchor.
Designed With the Community, Not Just For It
What sets the Community Grove apart from a standard park renovation is the depth of resident involvement in its design. The project was developed in close collaboration with community organizations including the Beltzhoover Consensus Group, Knoxville Community Council, Voices Against Violence, and Hilltop Alliance. Their fingerprints are on every element of the plan, from the placement of trails to the integration of community history and local art into the site's design language.
The physical design is thoughtfully layered. At the heart of the site will be a 20-foot hexagonal shade pavilion surrounded by a built-in seat wall, providing a focal point for gatherings of all sizes. An open lawn will offer flexible recreational space, while a dedicated outdoor learning area will support youth programming, environmental education, and small-group activities. Improved trail connections, new stairs, and accessible pathways will tie the grove more seamlessly into the broader park system. Stormwater and drainage improvements will address longstanding erosion issues, and ecological restoration areas will expand opportunities for environmental stewardship alongside regular park use.
Perhaps most meaningfully, the original backstop posts from the old baseball field will be preserved on site, honoring the generations who played there. A future community-led art installation is planned around the posts, ensuring that the historic character of Chicken Hill remains visible within the transformed landscape.
A Park With Deep Roots
McKinley Park has served the Hilltop for more than 125 years. Founded in 1898 as Maple Park, it was renamed in 1902 in memory of President William McKinley, assassinated the previous year. Over the generations, residents of Knoxville and Beltzhoover have also known it by more personal names—Butcher's Grove, Ritter's Hollow—each reflecting the layers of memory embedded in its 79 acres of trails, basketball courts, playgrounds, a skatepark, and woodland.
The Community Grove marks the next phase in a broader ongoing revitalization of the park and the surrounding Hilltop neighborhoods. Funding for the project comes from the City of Pittsburgh Parks Tax Trust Fund, alongside support from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Pennsylvania American Water, and the American Water Charitable Foundation.
"We have been working with Hilltop neighborhood leaders for several years and have been so impressed with their commitment and what they're accomplishing," said David Roger, president of the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. "It's the type of effort that makes Pittsburgh such a special place."
What It Means for Pittsburgh
The Community Grove is a reminder that Pittsburgh's civic investment doesn't stop at the edge of its highest-profile development corridors. The Hilltop neighborhoods—Beltzhoover, Allentown, Knoxville, Bon Air—have long been defined by a strong sense of place and community self-determination, and this project reflects that identity. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, with completion targeted before winter. When it opens, the Community Grove will offer something that no tech hub or mixed-use tower can replicate: a place where neighbors gather under trees, kids learn in the open air, and a city's oldest park writes its newest chapter.