Panther Hollow Lake is a human-made lake in

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 ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Pennsylvania. Panther Hollow Lake at sunset

Watershed

The lake serves as a

catch basin A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, U.S. and Canada), surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain (Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surface ...

for the Panther Hollow Watershed, which includes sections of Schenley Park and

Squirrel Hill Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...

. It receives storm drainage from the watershed, which it sends to the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-cen ...

via the Four Mile Run. Two streams, Phipps Run and Panther Hollow Run, flow through Schenley Park, feeding the lake.

History

Before the park

Before Schenley Park was built and Squirrel Hill was heavily settled, there were several tributaries throughout the park and Squirrel Hill which formed a part of the watershed. Today, the streams in Squirrel Hill are buried, and feed the city sewer system instead of the lake.

Construction

The lake was originally constructed in 1892 as part of the early development of Schenley Park. At this time it was about long and wide. The lake was a popular gathering place which was used for rowing in summer and ice skating in winter. However, by 1907 it had filled with so much sediment that it was only deep in most places. Around the same time, Schenley Park was undergoing a new round of improvements, such as the construction of Schenley Oval and the Tufa Bridges. In 1909, the lake was expanded and rebuilt with a concrete lining and a new boathouse was added.

Decline and first renovation

Over the years, sediment and silt built up in the lake, raising the bottom of the lake bed significantly. A major renovation was ordered in 1957 by then‑mayor

David L. Lawrence David Leo Lawrence (June 18, 1889 – November 21, 1966) was an American politician who served as the 37th governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. The first Catholic elected as governor, Lawrence is the only mayor of Pittsburgh to have ...

, in which the lake was drained completely, the walls of the lake re-constructed, and the lake re-filled with small shrubs. However, after a two-year period of shrubs, water was returned into the lake.

Popular activities

Originally, there was a boathouse located on the lake, which provided patrons with a pastime. Ice skating was also popular on the lake up until the 1970s.

Second decline and second renovation

After many years of neglect, the boathouse was demolished in 1979, and the lake gradually fell out of use with the general public. The lake sediment began to pile up again, rendering the majority of the lake less than deep. Currently, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has adopted a plan to bring the lake back to its original splendor, including a full restoration of the lake, a rehabilitation of the watershed, and a reconstruction of the boathouse.

External links

Panther Hollow Watershed
a
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

References

Reservoirs in Pennsylvania Schenley Park Bodies of water of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania {{pittsburgh-geo-stub