Ament House, 1204 Hulton Road, Oakmont

Hi! Sorry ... it's been awhile!

I'm really excited that since my last update, several people have reached out to me with questions, comments, and additional information for my blog. I'm so happy that fans of Frederick Scheibler have been finding their way here. This always felt like such a solitary hobby, until people like you spoke up. Thank you so much for the comments and messages. Please continue to chime in to let me know you're out there!

It's been a while since I've worked on this blog. I'm sad to say that I got discouraged when I had some run-ins with residents who weren't pleased about my visits or comments. I also had a career change, got engaged, and today, I bought a house! Some of those updates are on my other blog, MissAdventures in Pittsburgh. 

But, tonight I was inspired to go digging online. And … jackpot! I found some gorgeous photos of 1204 Hulton Road in Oakmont. I am absolutely in love, and you will be too. (I got a familiar thrill as soon as I saw exposed i-beams! Look for them below, in the kitchen!)

According to Martin Aurand's The Progressive Architecture of Frederick G. Scheibler, Scheibler designed this masterpiece for Silas M. Ament, proprietor of a Wilkinsburg insurance business, in 1907. Aurand writes about the prominent roof and gallery than runs "through the house to connect the front entry and a three-bay rear porch on the garden facade. 

My favorite shot! Wow!

He also writes that later owners, Charles and Marie Blue, added another wing and a garage. The added-on wing houses a single oval-shaped bedroom, which you can see here. Aurand writes that the exterior additions follow Scheibler's original detailing to the letter. But as for the bedroom, he says, "The story is that the Blues had this wing built by an Italian craftsman after a trip to Europe. The bedroom's rather florid classical decor is assuredly not in Scheibler's palette."  

I think the extensive gardens make this house really exciting! It's set on a 3/4 acre lot near Oakmont County Club. It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. 

Check out the absolutely stunning interior and exterior grounds. I'm tagging this entry by the dates Aurand provides for initial design (1907) and additions (1911 and 1940). 

And P.S. I'd like to offer a heartfelt thank you to Martin Aurand, if you've ever seen this blog, for so generously allowing me to quote from your book in nearly every entry. I hope this has not bothered you.

Enjoy … !

I would love to know where these wonderful statues came from!

C'mon inside ….

So much great light! This amazing arches!

P.S. Porter says Hi.

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! 

Linwood Apartments, 6801 McPherson Boulevard

It's a beautiful day for a dog walk! And, I had to restrain myself from putting an exclamation point in the title of this post. Porter and I visited the! Linwood! Apartments! One of my favorites, since they are so similar to my apartment building, the Old Heidelberg.

The Linwood Apartments were designed at the same time as the very-similar Whitehall Apartments, which we looked at here. Like the Old Heidelberg, it has a T-shaped design but only 6 units. Aurand's book tells me that the maid's quarters differ from those of the Old Heidelberg. Like the Old Heidelberg, the individual apartment entry doors have art glass windows and the interiors have wood trim, window seats and build-in cupboards.

I absolutely love them.

Click to enlarge this! 

Can you spot Porter the Beagle in this photo?

A pergola joins the two sides of the Linnwood Apartments.

Entry, today.

An older photo in Martin Aurand's book shows a stained glass motif in the front door and domed lamps flanking the entry.

Today, you can see stained glass windows on the second floor balconies, just like the Old Heidelberg and Whitehall Apartments. Photos in Aurand's book show gorgeous French doors, which must have come out. (I feel so late to the party.) These tapered wood posts are straight out of the Old Heidelberg. 

A peek inside a dining room. Look at the ceiling!

The realtor who sold the building (for $465,000) in 2013 writes:

"Each front to back unit is 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and has 2 ornate fireplaces, 1 with a brass hood/marble surround and the other with tile.  All floors are hardwood.  Lots of beautiful woodwork.  In the main hall, skylights shine light down through stained glass.  Each apartment door features a detailed stained art glass panel. 

Pergola is located at the front of the building.  Each unit has a front porch almost big enough to be a bedroom, with the the top two floors’ porches being enclosed.  The roof is clay tile.  The foundation features massive blocks of sandstone and enormous I-beams built to last.  The exterior walls are very thick brick with stucco overtop."

Porter is irrationally happy to see me again. 

Exciting update! September 17, 2014: I found interior shots! It looks almost JUST like the Heidelberg.

See what I mean? It's gorgeous!

View from the dining room, through the foyer and into the living room, with balcony yonder.

Living room

The tile on the lower right of this photo shows that this is the spot in the dining room where the Old Heidelberg has a window seat. I'm not sure whether a window seat was removed from or never existed here. I noticed the outlet, of which the Heidelberg has very few!

So lovely! This is where the Old Heidelberg has French doors. 

Stained glass windows in the main bedroom

Update! April 27, 2015The Linwood Apartments are for sale again, at an asking price of $720,000. The listing offers some more interior shots.