The name change remains on Bing Maps.
Josiah Martin | A&E Editor
03/14/19
Blue Slide Park, the section of Frick Park made famous by Mac Miller’s studio debut album of the same name, had briefly appeared on Apple Maps as “Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park” and Google Maps as “Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Playground” earlier this week. The change has been reversed on these services, but as of press time, Miller’s name is still retained on Bing Maps.
The name change was not official, and was not announced as such by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy or any other city office. Despite this, the name change as it appeared in the navigational apps was picked up by national news outlets such as Uproxx and Complex.
The Pittsburgh Commission on Naming Public Properties maintains a rule stating that “naming or renaming a public property or facility for an individual person can only be recommended and approved if that person has been deceased for at least three (3) years.” This would bar any official name change of the park until Sept. 2021.
Miller passed away on Sept. 7, 2018 from an apparent drug overdose. He was born Malcolm James McCormick on Jan. 19, 1992. Miller had grown up in Pittsburgh and attended Taylor Allderdice High School. The album Blue Slide Park was a tribute to the playground, and several tracks served as tributes to Pittsburgh landmarks, namely “English Lane,” “Party on Fifth Ave.” and “Frick Park Market.”
A vigil was held on Sept. 11 for Miller at the playground, whose namesake slide received a fresh coat of its signature blue paint that day. Fans placed candles and artwork for the late rapper near the landmark as a tribute.
