RIVERVIEW PARK — Last year, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the City of Pittsburgh completed a long-awaited rehabilitation of the Valley Refuge Shelter, a major landmark in Riverview Park. Now, they’re receiving some major recognition for their work.
The renovation project will receive a Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award from Preservation Pennsylvania, an organization that assists with various historic preservation projects across the state, at an award ceremony on Sept. 16 in York, Pennsylvania. Specifically, the City and Conservancy will receive a Construction Award for Rehabilitation, “recognizing exemplary work to preserve Pennsylvania’s historic places while adapting them to serve communities for generations to come,” according to a press release from the City.
“As I understand it, the state preservation awards are not handed out easily,” said Brandon Riley, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Community Projects and Engagement Director.
“We’re really proud and excited that the Valley Refuge Shelter was selected,” he said later.
First built in the late 1930s, the shelter was in need of some major renovations after decades of use. The structure’s roof and flagstone flooring had deteriorated, and its restrooms were not Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
The renovations were launched and completed last year, with the shelter having its first major event only a few weeks after reopening with the 2025 Reggae at Riverview music festival on Aug. 2, 2025.
Erin Tobin, the Conservancy’s Outreach Coordinator, said the renovations were a careful act of both preserving the historic look of the shelter, and updating it for modern use and convenience.
“It’s a cool thing to be able to balance all of those different needs and to honor the history of such a cool place in Riverview Park,” she said.
While the City and the Conservancy are receiving the award, Riley said many different organizations were involved in getting the work done. Besides those two, Friends of Riverview Park, the Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, state funding agencies and private foundations all played a part in both paying for and ensuring the project was completed.
“If everyone chips in something, you can get a lot more done,” he said. The rehabilitation used funding from the City of Pittsburgh’s Parks Tax Fund, as well as a Keystone Historic Preservation Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and private support.
Despite the major accomplishment, the Conservancy is not resting on its laurels. Tobin said the organization will soon begin work on a renovation of Watson’s Cabin in Riverview Park. The cabin is the former home of Samuel Watson, the farmer who sold the land to create the park, and was used as a shelter until it was largely destroyed in a fire.
For more information about that upcoming project, visit engage.pittsburghpa.gov/watsons-cabin.
The City and Conservancy are one of 21 recipients who will be recognized at the awards ceremony.
