The new Perry Street Memorial Garden is now freely open to birds, bees and butterflies, and humans, too. :)

PITTSBURGH, PA – May 2, 2025 – The threat of rain did not stop or dampen the spirits of about 20 Hill District community members and staff from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy as they cut the ribbon and planted a new community flower garden this morning in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.

In development for two years and now open to the public, the Perry Street Memorial Garden is transforming two vacant lots that were previously sites of illegal drug activity and trash dumping into a community greenspace. This space will now feature native flowering trees, pollinator-friendly plants and colorful annual flowers that will provide food and shelter for pollinators. It will also serve as a community space to honor Hill District residents who have passed away from addiction.

Event attendees planted zinnias and petunias in two raised planter beds. They also planted native trees, including eastern redbud, serviceberry and flowering dogwood, throughout the 2,200-square-foot community garden. Additionally, red-twig dogwood, viburnum and northern bayberry shrubs were planted.

Funding for the garden was made possible by a $20,000 Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Lots of Compassion grant. Amazing Grace Inside Outreach, a Hill District community group focused on improving the quality of life in the Hill, also contributed $5,000 to the garden. Emma Lucas-Darby, one of the founding members of the group, shares that the garden will bring renewed hope, healing and calm to this space on Perry Street.

“As concerned residents, we have advocated for change by bringing the beauty of a pollinator garden to this site in hopes of restoring peace and calm to this close-knit neighborhood, which has deep historical, cultural and familial connections,” says Lucas-Darby. “The beauty of the flowering and native plants also shows the community’s concern for the ecosystem.”

As part of its conservation mission, the Conservancy’s community greening program plants and maintains more than 130 community flower gardens across 20 counties in Western and Central Pennsylvania. This new garden marks the Conservancy’s third community garden in the Hill District. Additionally, the Conservancy facilitates hanging flower basket displays each summer along Centre Avenue, thanks to funding from the Hill District Consensus Group.

“The Conservancy is pleased to be one of the 2024 nonprofit recipients of the Lots of Compassion Grant,” says Art DeMeo, the Conservancy’s senior director of community greenspace projects. “Through their generosity and the enthusiasm and dedication of the Hill District community, we are pleased to help transform this important space into another beautiful garden and meaningful connection in the Hill.”

Created in 2023, the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening Lots of Compassion Grant program has helped transform vacant lots into gardens in communities nationwide to support projects that promote compassion and greenspaces.

“At KidsGardening, we believe every child—and every community—deserves access to green spaces where healing, learning, and connection can flourish,” says Em Shipman, executive director of KidsGardening. “The Perry Street Memorial Garden embodies the spirit of the Lots of Compassion program: transforming overlooked spaces into vibrant sanctuaries that support both people and pollinators. We are honored to support this powerful project.”

For more information about the Conservancy’s community gardens and other greening efforts, visit WaterLandLife.org/community-greening. 

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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.

Media Contacts:
Carmen Bray, Senior Director of Communications
412-586-2358 (w)
412-608-3617 (c)
cbray@paconserve.org