Herrs Island, also known as Washington's Landing, is an island in the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

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 ...

in the U.S. state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It is officially considered part of the Troy Hill neighborhood.

Rehabilitation

As a result of the industrial activity, Herrs Island was a

brownfield site In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

. By the 1970s, most industrial activity on the island had left. During the 1980s and 1990s, a major redevelopment effort was undertaken after a long study of best uses. The island is now a showcase project of urban redevelopment for the City of Pittsburgh. It is now a mixed-use community, home to

townhomes In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

and

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...

s, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

, the

Three Rivers Rowing Association 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 n ...

, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The northern portion of Herrs Island contains a small park with

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s, a public lawn, and manicured landscapes. A section of the

Three Rivers Heritage Trail The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is an urban rail trail paralleling the riverbanks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County for about , often on both sides of the rivers, and offering views of the city. The trail is promoted and maintained ...

loops around the island, offering a crushed-gravel pedestrian path with several scenic overlooks of the Allegheny River.

Head of the Ohio

Since 1987, the island and piers have hosted the starting point for the annual

Head of the Ohio The Head of the Ohio, also known as HOTO, is a rowing race held on the first full weekend of October of each year on the Ohio River and Allegheny River, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The race is named the "Head" of the Ohio because it is a head ra ...

crew race. The Three Rivers Rowing Association also maintains their

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

s on the island.

References

External links

Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh River islands of Pennsylvania Islands of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States Islands of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Troy Hill (Pittsburgh) {{Pittsburgh-stub