Photo © Eric W. Miller

 

The greatest threat to Lake Elizabeth, as identified in the master plan, stems from “age, abuse, benign neglect and deferred maintenance.”

 

Threat

Since its completion it has been embellished, drained, used for storage of scrap metal, reconfigured, rebuilt, and repaired. Well-intentioned repairs have been made for decades without regard to the original design intent. Today, concrete spalling is evident throughout the lake. While this does not present a structural problem, it threatens the Modernist design intent of the water feature’s carefully articulated edge. The same holds true for the bridges which, though structurally sound, are marked with exposed steel rebar and similar degradation. The pump pit for the lake has been welded shut and rendered useless, leaving no re-circulation system, and the mechanical system is in need of extensive repair. The lake’s two drain systems have been covered with a generic steel mesh. Because the City of Pittsburgh, the lake’s owner, is in financial distress, funding for the Lake’s repair and preservation must come from other sources.

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