Frank S. Curto (1898 or 1899 – February 23, 1971) was the chief

horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

for the Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation. Curto received his Master of Science degree in ornamental horticulture from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. His career with the city's bureau of Parks and Recreation began in 1946 and ended in 1970 after a decade as foreman of Phipps Conservatory, where he directed the popular Fall Flower Shows for 23 years. Throughout his life, Curto was active in several gardening societies. He was a member of the

American Rhododendron Society The American Rhododendron Society (ARS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage interest in, and disseminate information about, the genus ''Rhododendron''. Members' experience ranges from novice to expert. The society provides a ...

and was active within its Great Lakes Chapter. He was also served as secretary-treasurer of the Pennsylvania Nurserymen's Association and as president of Pittsburgh Florists and Gardeners Club. He was a Director of the Men's Garden Club of America and won the association's Johnny Appleseed Award in 1969. The Society of American Florists bestowed him with the Sylvan Award in 1970.

Legacy

Frank Curto Park, in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania, was named for him, as he was the city's

for many years. Also, in Allegheny County, in the neighborhood of

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, a bridge on Forbes Avenue traversing

Panther Hollow Panther Hollow is a small, somewhat isolated neighborhood at the bottom of Joncaire Street in Junction Hollow that runs along Boundary Street and is located in the Central Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood was settle ...

bears his name: the Frank Curto Bridge. A street in Pittsburgh, near the

Phipps Conservatory Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden set in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a City of Pittsburgh historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The gardens wer ...

Schenley Park Schenley Park () is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. In 2011, th ...

, is also named after him: Frank Curto Drive.

Frank Curto Park

Frank Curto Park is a sculpture-filled city park in

, Pennsylvania, between Downtown and

Polish Hill Polish Hill ( pl, Polskie Wzgórze) is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Primarily a residential area, it is home to Pittsburgh's Immaculate Heart of Mary church. History Large numbers of Polish immigrants settled the neighborhood after ...

, alongside Bigelow Boulevard. The park contains a collection of works by contemporary

urban art Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

ists and a flock of wild turkeys which began to occupy the park and surrounding hillside. It was named for Frank Curto, one of the city's longtime

s. His career with the city's bureau of Parks and Recreation began in 1946 and ended in 1970 after a decade as foreman of

. In 1977, a large yellow metal abstract sculpture by John Henry, entitled ''Pittsburgh,'' was installed. In 1999, Stephanie Flom, a research fellow in

Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People * Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name * Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie *Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polyt ...

's STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, embarked on an art garden project, the Persephone Project, whose purpose was "to connect the public to art and the environment by promoting gardening as a contemporary art medium and recognizing

gardeners A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplem ...

as artists." Pittsburgh's mayor at the time, Tom Murphy, suggested Frank Curto Park, which was widely considered an unused resource. In 2002, Philadelphia environmental artist

Lily Yeh Lily Yeh (born 1941, Guizhou, China) is an artist whose work has taken her to communities throughout the world. She grew up in Taiwan and moved to the United States in 1963 to attend the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts. ...

installed a circular garden, made entirely from plants donated by local communities. In the center of the circle stands ''Goddesses Adorned''; three sculptures nearly twelve feet tall, designed by Yeh and crafted by Westmoreland County tree carver Joe King. Black enamel designs, developed at a local community workshop which Yeh conducted and painted by volunteers, adorn the statues. In May 2005,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

sculptor Gail Simpson built her ''Broken Hardscape'' sculpture on the old exposed roadbed beside the main park's cinder walking path, using a pattern of hollow logs and plants that suggest the original paved road. The installation was commissioned by

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

's STUDIO for Creative Inquiry's Persephone Project. That same summer, about 100 yards away from Yeh's work,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

sculptor Dan Ladd installed a

living sculpture Living sculpture is any type of sculpture that is created with living, growing grasses, vines, plants or trees. It can be functional and/or ornamental. There are several different types of living sculpture techniques, including topiary (prune plant ...

consisting of three pairs of 14-foot

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

trees, which he

grafted Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

into

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es, framing different views of the city. Frank Curto Park became the central venue for what is now known as the ArtGardens of Pittsburgh; a citywide undertaking of community-based art gardens populated with works by local artists. Sculptor Paul Bowden, who lives in Polish Hill, was chosen to install a garden there. Jorge Myers, who grew up in Hill District, was chosen to design and install another garden there. Each garden was filled with plants donated by the local communities. Flom called them "Magic Penny Gardens," after a folk song by Malvina Reynolds entitled "Magic Penny," dealing with both love and pennies, and the idea that the more one gives away, the more one receives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curto, Frank Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United States Botanical gardens in Pennsylvania Art museums and galleries in Pennsylvania Contemporary art galleries in the United States American gardeners American horticulturists 1971 deaths Year of birth uncertain