Schenley Plaza will feature sit-down restaurant

Even though it’s less than two years old, Schenley Plaza will soon be seeing even more… Even though it’s less than two years old, Schenley Plaza will soon be seeing even more updates.

City Council voted yesterday 8 to 1 to build an Atria’s Restaurant and Tavern in the currently fenced off section of the plaza across from Hillman Library.

Councilman Bill Peduto, who represents District 8, which includes parts of West and North Oakland, was one of the members who voted yes.

“It’s always been part of the plan to have an anchor restaurant,” Dan Gilman, Peduto’s chief of staff, said. “Atria’s will be a great establishment for the East End. The park wouldn’t be able to continue without the success of the restaurant.”

Schenley Plaza is currently home to a pavilion-style tent, a carousel, food vendors, cafe tables and a large grassy area where students frequently congregate.

All of this will remain in the plaza when the restaurant moves in, including the food vendors.

The original plan for the plaza was to replicate Bryant Park in New York City, said Reynolds Clark, vice chancellor of community initiatives and chief of staff in the Office of the Chancellor and vice chair of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy board of directors.

Once the parks conservancy realized that a restaurant in the plaza – like in Bryant Park – would be feasible, different restaurants began to express their interest. Clark said Atria’s will commence construction as early as this fall.

There are currently eight other Atria’s locations in Pittsburgh – the primary location is in Mt. Lebanon. Clark said the new building will be a two-story restaurant made mostly of steel and glass in a very “open-air” style.

Clark also said the reason City Council voted on the proposal was that the city has to approve leasing the land since they originally approved leasing the land to the parks conservancy.

Councilman Jim Motznik was the only member to vote no yesterday.

“I’ve had some calls from people expressing their opinion on this, and one lady said they turned Schenley Park into a hot dog stand and that’s how I feel,” he said. “That’s not the intent.”

Motznik feels this renovation to the plaza will contradict what Mary Schenley wanted when she made provisions for the area in her will.

The will states that the area should be “for the use of the people of Pittsburgh and the public as a public park and for the use and purpose of establishing on said ground a public park and place of free attractive and healthful resort and open air recreation for the people of Pittsburgh and the public.”

However, the city agreement with the parks conservancy states that the park may be used for “services including but not limited to the provision of social and food services, gardens, restrooms, open space for programming, seating and lounging.”

The agreement goes on to say that the parks conservancy “shall use the premises at all times in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in the pertinent documents conveying the Schenley Park property to the city, from Mary Schenley, including all pertinent deeds and Ms. Schenley’s will.”

Motznik feels that building a restaurant contradicts this.

“I think that the parks throughout the city of Pittsburgh need to remain parks – open green space that the public can come and enjoy free of charge and I don’t think putting a restaurant there agrees with that,” he said.

His Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Daly, who graduated from Pitt just last year, agrees.

“We’re supporting local vendors,” he said. “But I use the analogy that it would be like putting an Eat n’ Park plopped right down in the center of the green area at Soldiers and Sailors. It’s a similar type of “hang out” for students in nicer weather to go out and read and throw the football around.”

But other council members don’t see an enormous conflict.

“The park does not have to be just grassy areas,” Gilman said. “The plaza with the restaurant will create a gateway into Schenley Park and that really is a part of Mary Schenley’s vision.”