Hartwood Acres Park
Encyclopedia
County park
A county park is a park managed by a county. In the United States, county parks are lower in hierarchy than state parks. In the United Kingdom, similar parks for recreation are named country parks....
in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Hartwood is considered the crown jewel of the county's 12000 acres (4,856.2 ha) network of nine distinct parks.
Established in 1969, its special feature is one of the largest and most spectacular country estates in the region. Hartwood consists of a stately Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
mansion (erected in 1929), public gardens, a cottage, a stable complex, and a gate lodge (erected in 1927). The mansion, designed by Alfred Hopkins
Alfred Hopkins
S. Alfred Hopkins was an American architect, an "estate architect" who specialized in country houses and especially in model farms in an invented "vernacular" style suited to the American elite...
for John and Mary Flinn Lawrence, houses a collection of original English and American antiques.
Hartwood is sited 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh on largely forested land in both Hampton
Hampton Township, Pennsylvania
Hampton Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,363 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hampton Township is located at ....
and Indiana
Indiana Township, Pennsylvania
Indiana Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The population was 7,253 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
townships. The park also offers a large-stage concert area for music and summer theater and 30 miles (48.3 km) of trails—horse riding, walking, hiking, biking, and cross country skiing. Hartwood is especially popular during the holidays because of its annual "Festival of Lights," a large outdoor light display.
History
Mary Flinn Lawrence, a Pittsburgh philanthropist, created Hartwood with money she inherited from her father, William FlinnWilliam Flinn
William Flinn was a powerful political boss and construction magnate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Along with Christopher Magee , his political partner, the two ran the Republican Party machine that controlled the city for the final twenty years of the 19th century.-Early life:He...
. In the 1920s, she and her husband John Lawrence asked architect Alfred Hopkins to borrow design elements from a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
the Lawrences had seen in Broadway, Oxfordshire, England. The result was a stately 31-room slate-roofed stone house constructed around a great hall.
Mary transformed the grounds of her estate into an equestrian arts showcase, building riding trails that extend for miles, show rings, steeplechase layouts, and ivy-covered stables. The stalls of the stables are made of varnished oak.
The Allegheny Parks Commission bought 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land and riding trails from the Lawrences in 1969. Mary's death on October 29, 1974 permitted her Hartwood estate to open to the general public.
Usage in popular culture
A large segment of the 1996 TV film The Christmas TreeThe Christmas Tree (film)
The Christmas Tree is a 1996 ABC made-for-TV film, and the television directorial debut of Sally Fields.-Synopsis:A story about a forming friendship between an elderly nun, Sister Anthon , and New York's Rockefeller Center's head gardener Richard Reilly , who wants to fell a tree she's been growing...
, directed by Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
, was filmed at Hartwood.
Some scenes in the 2006 film 10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf is a 2006 film about the Mafia directed by Robert Moresco. It is based on a true story of a mob war in South Philadelphia. The film stars James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro and features appearances by Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, Lesley Ann Warren, Tommy Lee,...
were filmed in the Hartwood Mansion's great hall.
The pilot episode for the cancelled Twentieth Century Fox Television adaptation of Joe Hill
Joe Hill
Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle , and also known as Joseph Hillström was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World...
's Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
-winning graphic novel, Locke & Key
Locke & Key
Locke & Key is a comic book series written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez and published by IDW Publishing.- Publication history :...
, was filmed at the Hartwood Mansion in early 2011.
Sculpture
Eleven large, outdoor sculptures by nationally-known artists co-exist with visitors to the park as part of the permanent collection.- Coronet, 1978, Lila Katzen
- Monumental Holistic Image IV, 1980, Betty Gold
- Ring Series #5, 1983, Fletcher Benton
- Cloudt, 1982, Ron Bennett
- Stretch, 1980-81, Charles GinneverCharles GinneverCharles Ginnever is an American sculptor. He was born in San Mateo, California, in 1931. In 1957, he received his BA from the San Francisco Art Institute and received his MFA from Cornell University in 1959. He started working with canvas and steel scraps painted with bright patterns...
- Hence, 1977, Clement MeadmoreClement MeadmoreClement Meadmore was an Australian-American sculptor known for massive outdoor steel sculptures.-Biography:...
- Manly, 1980, Lyman KippLyman KippLyman Kipp is a sculptor and painter who creates pieces that are composed of strong vertical and horizontal objects and are often painted in bold primary colors recalling arrangements by De Stijl Constructivists...
- Large Escargot, 1982, David HayesDavid Hayes (sculptor)-Life:David Hayes received an A.B. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1953, and a M.F.A. degree from Indiana University in 1955 where he studied with David Smith....
- Mobius Trip X, 1966–83, Peter Forakis
- Large Snail, 1965, Tillie Speyer
- Hidden in the Obvious, Stanley Boyd Spotts
- Totem, Lamina, Limbus, 1979, Jack Youngerman