Mary's maternal grandfather, General James O'Hara, bequeathed to her a parcel of land known as the "Mt. Airy Tract." Mary's wealth attracted the attention of several land developers in the Pittsburgh area as well as Edward Bigelow, the Director of the Department of Public Works in Pittsburgh. In 1889, Bigelow learned that the agent of a land developer planned to travel to London to attempt to purchase the land from Mary. Bigelow sent an East Liberty lawyer by train to New York City where he then boarded a steamer bound for England. The lawyer beat the real estate agent by two days. After negotiations with Mary, Bigelow's lawyer entered into an agreement to give of the Mt. Airy Tract to the city of Pittsburgh with an option to purchase more, under the conditions that the park be named after her and never be sold. The city agreed and immediately purchased the additional land. Bigelow began to develop the newly renamed Schenley Park for recreational uses. He hired William Falconer to lead the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens which was built in 1893. In 1895, Andrew Carnegie built the Carnegie Museum and Music Hall, establishing Oakland and Schenley Park as a cultural icon. Forbes Field, the home field of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was adjacent to Schenley Park during its lifespan (1909–1970). Recent developments In 2001, after extensive renovations, the Schenley Park Visitor Center opened in one of the park's original buildings. The building had previously served as a tool shed, the home of the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, and a nature museum, until closing in the late 1980s. In spring 2006, the Schenley Plaza area was converted to its original use as a grand entrance to Schenley Park. Although it was originally designed as a grand entrance, it had been used as a parking lot for many years. The new park area features a carousel and several small food stands. Gallery See also Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh List of Pittsburgh neighborhoods Panther Hollow Bridge Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Neill Log House Notes References Patricia Lowry (2006). Schenley Plaza Dedication: story by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 4, 2006. Ben Muessig (2006). Sk8er (un)appreciation: story by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 17, 2007. External links Schenley Park Map Tour of the Schenley Park's bridges Carnegie Mellon Tartans College cross country courses in the United States Cross country running courses in Pennsylvania Defunct college