Edward Manning Bigelow was born in Pittsburgh on November 6, 1850. A
Presbyterian, he attended the
University of Pittsburgh (then known as the
Western University of Pennsylvania) as a
civil engineering student. to connect the parks. Others include the Boulevard of the Allies, Beechwood, and Washington Boulevard. His visions for park development made him unpopular with those who wanted to use the land for more building development, although he eventually triumphed. He also developed the water and sewer systems in Pittsburgh.
Barry Hannegan, director of historic landscape preservation for the
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, said in 2000 that "He (Bigelow) brought to Pittsburgh what we would now call state-of- the-art landscape architecture and horticulture" and "We owe him a lot. He was the first truly great planner in Pittsburgh." Bigelow died on December 6, 1916, before taking the position of Public Works director for a fourth time. He was interred in
Homewood Cemetery. On December 20, 1916, Grant Boulevard was posthumously named
Bigelow Boulevard in memory of him. ==References==