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This is the story of a thoroughly modern dilemma that was solved by a building erected in 1901 along the banks of the Allegheny River. More than a full century later, the Armstrong Cork Factory in the Strip District is bustling with life and assorted pursuits of happiness. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”32″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] The massive …

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Homes

Jewel in the Crown

by Marylynn Uricchio

A casual inventory of the materials Philip Elias used for the interior of his 1920 home sounds like an exhibit in the hall of minerals. Semi-precious stones including tiger’s eye, lapis, charoite and sodalite mingle with Paridisio, Empress Green and Rojo marble as accents amid pale squares of Portugese limestone. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”29″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] …

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Homes

Into the Woods

by Marylynn Uricchio

One of the many paths through Frick Park wanders past the house, which sits on the crest of a hill overlooking acres of woodland. Each time he passed it, the current owner would tell his wife that if it ever came on the market, he would buy it. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”38″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] In fact, …

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Homes

Updating a Brandon Smith

by Marylynn Uricchio

Following in the footsteps of Brandon Smith would be a daunting task for most architects. He left his imprint throughout the region, designing in his lifetime (1889-1962) many Western Pennsylvania landmarks. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”13″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] While best known for institutions such as the Edgeworth Club, Fox Chapel Golf Club and Shady Side Academy, Smith …

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Homes

A Cottage Charmer

by Marylynn Uricchio

The before pictures of the house in Fox Chapel would send a chill through the heart of even the most accomplished renovator. An 1870s cottage married to a 1950s ranch created a charmless union, to say the least. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”20″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] “I walked in, saw the living room and said, ‘We’ll take it,’” …

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Homes

A Country Idyll

by Marylynn Uricchio

Rough-hewn stone, wood and copper are traditional materials for a country house, though the only thing country about the residence designed by Roger Ferri some 20 years ago is its location. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”16″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] It sits by a stream tucked away from interruption in a quiet part of Western Pennsylvania, and little about …

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Homes

Lofty Ideas

by Marylynn Uricchio

Their Shadyside home was one of the city’s finest, sequestered at the end of a leafy cul-de-sac. The grounds included a stone courtyard, large pool and formal rose garden that Tim and Audrey Hillman Fisher often used for the many benefits and parties they hosted. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”5″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] So invariably, the first question …

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Homes

Modern English

by Marylynn Uricchio

From the outside, the stone and shingle cottage could easily be perched along a bucolic lane in the Cotswolds instead of a quiet road in Fox Chapel. That’s what makes the inside all the more remarkable. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”9″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] Eschewing the more traditional approach suggested by such architecture, designer Kathleen Clements devised a …

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Homes

Secretary’s Treasure

by Marylynn Uricchio

When Paul O’Neill was appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 2001, he planned to secure a pied-á-terre in Washington, retain his main residence in Pittsburgh and, with his wife, Nancy, vacation at their Maryland beach house. But finding an acceptable home in the capital proved to be somewhat difficult. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”10″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] A …

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