Joint effort underway to restore Cascades pools and waterfalls

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At the site of the old South Park Cascades, weeds abound where kids once swam and splashed around. The spring-fed falls and shallow pools, dry for nearly 50 years, have been all but forgotten.

But local foundations and Allegheny County officials have announced a joint effort to restore them.

“This place was pretty special — and was special to many people for many years,” said Andrew Baechle, director of Allegheny County Parks.

Built in 1927 by Paul Riis, who also helped design features at Yellowstone National Park, the Cascades offered a respite from the bustling city and an escape from summer heat. They are tucked away near the heart of South Park, one of Pittsburgh’s oldest parks.

“South Park’s a big part of my growing up,” said David Morehouse, CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose foundation is one of many organizations contributing to the project. “The equivalent of coming from Beechview to South Park was like being in the middle of the wilderness.”

In the early 1970s, the Cascades fell into disrepair and were shut down for health violations.

“It was all overgrown, and people forgot about them,” Mr. Morehouse said.

Mr. Baechle said he came up with the idea to restore the falls 15 years ago when he was exploring the park and stumbled upon the site. But he did not have the funding until private foundations stepped in.

Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, Allegheny County Parks Foundation, the Citrone ThirtyThree Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources joined together to finance the project. The final cost has not been set, but estimates are in the ballpark of $1 million, according to Allegheny County