The Highland Park Reservoir No. 1 resides in a city park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; which is located in Highland Park. One of the many neighborhoods in the northeastern part of Pittsburgh. It sits on 377 acres of land and is one of two reservoirs on the property, No.1 is an open-air reservoir, and reservoir No.2 is enclosed. The park encompasses reservoir No.1 with a pleather of amenities including Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, walking & biking trails, volleyball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, picnic groves, etc. The reservoir has become an iconic location to the locals for its beautiful atmosphere to exercise or escape the congested city, making it one of the main attractions of the city park.

Construction of reservoir No.1 began in the late 1800s due to the city’s need for a municipal water system and reservoir No.2 followed in the early 1900s. Over the years it has gone under several restoration projects. This restoration project, in particular, was supposed to involve the restoration of areas that were at risk of contaminating the water. After assessing and inspecting the site, it was later decided that there were enough problematic areas. This justified doing a complete removal and replacement of almost 1 mile of the concrete knee wall and complete railing removal for restoration.

Arch Masonry & Restoration was awarded the contract and immediately got to work with such a vast area to cover. We started the project in the Fall of 2019 and completed the project in the Fall of 2020, almost 1 year after the restoration process began. During the restoration process, the open-air reservoir’s water level was maintained. To prevent contamination of the water we had to be very strategic about removing and constructing a new concrete knee wall, so we decided to custom build a platform that went around the whole perimeter of reservoir No.1. This ensured that if anything were to fall, it would be caught before ever getting close to the water. Along with 1 mile of concrete, there were 4,900 lineal feet of railing removed, sent to an off-site location for cleaning, returned, and reinstalled. Throughout the whole process, we are happy to report there were zero incidents and/or injuries on the project. Making reservoir No.1 once again a fully functioning water supply for the city and hot spot for the local outdoor enthusiasts!