Tonight, we headed into Wilkinsburg, which is just brimming with Scheibler buildings.
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| Porter hitches a ride. |
The Singer Place row houses (or "group cottages," as Scheibler called them) sit perched on a grassy hill.
These 19 homes were designed in 1914. They have lovely windowed sun porches and make great use of the yard. In his book Life and Architecture in Pittsburgh, James Van D. Trump writes that Frederick Scheibler had "an almost unearthly sense of the connection between the house and the land." He writes of these homes:
"The long terraces of row houses in the 1300 block of Singer Place are good examples of the designer's middle period- beautifully simple, they seem like strata of brick and glass emerging from the wooded hillside."
Each pair of homes also has its own tile on the front.
Frederick G. Scheibler was among the progressive architects of his time who sought to improve living for the working and middle class.
Just another reason why I love him!
My family lived at 1338 Singer Place from 1962-1969. I have very fond memories of this Wilkinsburg neighborhood. The wooden stairways coming up from the street seen today replaced the winding concrete stairways of yesteryear. Many of the mature trees sheltering the terrace are gone too.
ReplyDeleteHello! I just walked by these today and immediately thought they were Scheibler's! The tile gave it away, along withh the ground-hugging-ness. Seeing your blog answers my question. They seem vacant now. The roofs of a pair of them towards the middle of the row the middle is covered in green moss and caved in. It's really sad to see this condition, and wonder if the owners have fallen on hard times. Do you know what small rectangles on the foundation or basement wall might have been for? Perhaps those were once windows that let in light to the basement? They are now painted over. On my next walk, now that I know they are vacant, I will walk closer. Helen
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for contributing, Helen! You have a good eye!
DeleteThey didn't appear vacant when I drove past them several years ago. That's a shame they're falling apart.
Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to your question. I do wonder if they used to be windows.
Thanks again!