Meado'cots: 425 - 447 Rosedale Street and 7817 - 1823 Madiera Street, group cottages

Visiting the Meado'cots, which are nestled in the neighborhood of Homewood, took me out of my comfort zone today!  This article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette references both Homewood's historic architecture and its history of violence.

So, when I first found Scheibler's Meado'cots in Homewood, it was dark outside, so I stayed in my car.  They're amazing, though, and they're also on the historic landmark registry, so I was dying to explore them.

So this morning at 6am, I enlisted my most fearless friend and headed over.

Ken, maybe hamming it up just a little.

I knew to take Ken seriously when, after a few minutes, he cheerfully urged me to hurry, and to try not to draw too much attention to myself.

I hurried and snapped my photos while Ken gallantly explained to an angry resident that I was only interested in "Frederick G. Scheibler, the architect."

Okay!

Back to the Meado'cots. They are amazing. Scheibler originally designed 20 cottages in 1912. Sixteen were built. This schematic plan is from (where else?!) Martin Aurand's book:

I actually managed to stumble into them the first time by complete accident while I was coming home from the Singer Place rowhouses. I recognized the Meado'cots instantly by two signature Scheibler elements: the corner windows and diagonal doors. It was them! The Meado'cots!!!

The Beacon Street houses, designed in the same year (1912) also have the diagonally-placed doors. See?

And, in another signature move, Scheibler makes great use of the outside, with a winding walkway through a sprawling yard.

The cluster seems, like the Old Heidelberg, both meticulously planned and delightfully random. Aurand writes about the "freedom of composition" here.

This photo didn't turn out very well but I include it to show you how walls join each group of cottages. 

However, the Meado'cots are not looking well these days. Another Scheibler fan  told me that the Meado'cots are being restored.

Ken with Meado'cots trash heap.

Aurand writes that Scheibler designed Meado'cots for middle class tenants. The fact that he created such aesthetically pleasing group homes (they may even have originally had tennis courts!) with the economy in mind made him truly progressive and even unique in America.

Once again, I'd love to see inside these homes... but this time, I'm pretty sure I never will!

So long, Meado'cots!

P.S. You can see even more photos over here! 

7506, 7508 and 7510 Trevanion Avenue houses

Get ready for a motherlode! We're about to look at three of the beautiful homes that made me fall in love with Frederick Scheibler in the first place.

But this morning, my Beagle seemed extra tired. Porter came to me with a lot of health problems, so when he drags himself along, I take it seriously. I decided to turn today's dogwalk into a joyride.

I love my little Beag.

Beauty overload! I knew this gorgeous trio was made of Scheibler homes the first time I visited the annual Regent Square Yard Sales.



These homes were built during a time when the middle class was growing and Pittsburgh's East End was quickly filling with houses that were designed for economy over aesthetics. Many of the same basic designs were being used over and over again. Scheibler's houses, though, stood out.

Working chronologically, here is the Miller House: 7506 Trevanion Avenue, built in 1905. I love how it juts off unexpectedly, with stained glass and a corner of windowed walls. (I wish I was a famous Scheibler scholar so owners would invite me inside.) The Miller House is on the Historic Landmark registry.

7506, taken from in front of 7508

Right next door, you'll find 7508 Trevanion Avenue, built a little later: 1922-1923.

7508 and 7506.

Check out the stained glass in 7508, below. It is almost the same as the piece in 425 South Braddock Avenue. See? Click here!

But now for my personal favorite: The very romantic Hellmund House, 7510 Trevanion, built in 1915. This might be my second favorite Scheibler building of all time, falling short only to the Old Heidelberg. I would desperately love to see inside it.

I love the surprising shape. The front door isn't stuck on the front of the house; it's tucked into a little cutaway. There are arches, geometric shapes, stone mosaics, leaded and art glass, stone walkways, French doors leading onto a balcony, surprising angles, a chimney and a patio. The driveway dips into a lower level garage (also by Scheibler).

In The Progressive Architecture of Frederick G. Scheibler, Martin Aurand says that the house has an "obsession with corners," since the main entry opens at a corner of the house and every room is entered at a corner.

He also writes that "The rooms abound with built-in cabinets, fireplaces with inset tiles, and an array of custom-designed lamps ranging from a bejeweled urn to a futuristic recessed ceiling fixture. This abundance of inventive detail turns the house into a jewel box."

Speaking of jewel box, look how the upper and lower roof are connected by a triangular spandrel, accented with dots of colored tiles. And, Scheibler returns to the stucco.

I can't imagine calling this beautiful place home. 

According to Aurand, the Hellmunds chose Scheibler as their architect because they lived in the (now-shabby) Meado'cots. Rudolph E. Hellmund was a prestigious engineer and inventor who spent his leisure time gardening. He and his wife had a love affair with their house, calling it by the affectionate German diminutive, their Hausen. 

Here is the floor plan, courtesy of Martin Aurand. Click to enlarge it.

One last thing. Looks like I missed my chance to tour these houses during a Regent Square house tour in 1997!