A Gift from Henry Clay Frick

A Gift from Henry Clay Frick. Frick Park. , Legend has it that when millionaire industrialist Henry Clay Frick told his 17-year-old daughter, Helen, that she could have anything she wanted for her debutante party in 1908, she asked for a park where the children of Pittsburgh could enjoy nature. Frick was said to have granted her wish, and Frick Park was born. Although we can't be sure this is how the park came to be, Frick Park is a direct result of Henry Clay Frick's gift to the City., When he died in 1919, Frick bequeathed 151 acres south of his Point Breeze mansion, Clayton. To help create the park and assist with its maintenance, he also established a $2 million trust fund. The City began moving in earnest to create the park in 1925, when it acquired 190 additional acres, giving Frick Park a size and scope similar to Schenley and Highland Parks. The park officially opened in 1927., Planning for the park began in the offices of Lowell and Vinal, who developed a preliminary master plan. Upon Mr. Lowell's death, the planning process was transferred to Blum, Weldin and Company. Ultimately, however, it was the firm of Innocenti and Webel, among the most respected landscape architects in the United States, who made the greatest impact. Between 1935 and 1957, the firm designed more trails, planned for structures, and laid out green spaces and plantings. They wanted to keep more active uses, such as athletics, at the edges of the park, and their plan emphasized the natural experience to be found at the heart of the park. They also worked with nationally prominent architect John Russell Pope, who designed the park's distinctive gatehouse entrance structures from 1931-1935., Lawn Bowling , Try your hand at this 13th-century pastime at the nearby Bowling Green, the only public lawn bowling green in Pennsylvania. Opened in 1938 by the City of Pittsburgh, each of the two greens is a 120-foot square of carefully mowed, rolled and gently watered grass that can accommodate seven games at one time. The Frick Park Bowling Club maintains the bowling green and clubhouse. The bowling club offers free lessons to beginners league play and informal bowling. Contact the club at 412-402-8211 or at www.lawnbowlingpittsburgh.org