Shadyside Survivors

After more than 125 years, this 19th century classic still holds court on Ellsworth Avenue.

As shady as Shadyside appears today,  it was an even more sylvan setting in the 1850s. The area contained farms and  large estates of the wealthy sons and daughters of Pittsburgh pioneers, whose names pepper street maps.

The arrival of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1860 and the streetcars that followed made commuting to downtown easy and made Shadyside an even more attractive place to live. The improved transportation  led to a building boom that created many of the buildings and streets we have today.

However, a few places remain to remind us of that earlier time.

Above is 4841 Ellsworth Avenue, which was part of the Aiken estate in 1870. In his book “Pittsburgh: A New Portrait,” Franklin Toker wrote the house probably was built circa 1860. Online sources give the date of construction as 1875.

Toker calls the style “Italian bracketed,” and it was popularized in a book of country houses in 1850. That means it was created by a builder and not an architect.

One of its best features is a verandah that wraps around three sides. The original 10 acres that surrounded the house was cut down to about two, but there’s still room for tennis courts and a pool.

Above: The present owners of this 1870s cottage on St. James Street are having some exterior work done to ensure it will survive into the 21st century. Right: A better look at the Gothic Revival details that make this cottage so pleasing to the eye.

Another remnant that has defied the odds is the above 1870s Gothic Revival cottage that stands on St. James Street, near Westminster Place. Here’s hoping those undertaking the present renovations will retain the period details as they also work to ensure the cottage’s survival.

Around the corner on Westminster Place is a more grand cottage that appears to have been built a little later than the previous entry. It also has retained many of its original details, including the trefoil design near the eaves on the right side of the house. It has a metal fence on two sides, but I can’t tell if it’s original or a reproduction.

The owners deserve plenty of credit for maintaining the historic details of the three homes in an era when it certainly isn’t inexpensive to do so. Those of us who pass by are well served by the obvious passion they have for these Shadyside survivors.