Singer Mansion - Wilkinsburg (Tioga, Homewood: chapel, house, neighborhood)

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by charisb

I laughed about the two bathrooms too.
Although that was progressive then, now people want at least one bathroom per bedroom.
And some of my friends with kids act like their children would suffer terribly if they had to share a bedroom. My parents thought it was character building.
I loved looking at the plans. What exactly is a breakfast room? I assume it is for less formal meals but I couldn't find much about it, even using the Googles.
I love the way old houses tell us about the social history of a place and time.

My cousins grandmother had a breakfast room off of her kitchen. The home was built in 1900 and this room was a informal dining area adjacent to the kitchen. It led to a small patio through french doors. Since the kitchen was so small, this area was needed. I liked the fact that the room was surrounded by leaded glass windows. It was a beautiful sun lit room.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by PennHillsNative80

These maps are awesome! It looks like "Singer Place" street was originally called Allison Street.

I'm reading things online that parts of the movie "The Spiral Staircase" was filmed there in the 1940's. Does anybody know if that is true?

I am glad that the property is being maintained and not left to rot away, but am sad to see the state of neglect that it's in.

IMDB has that the movie was filmed on a soundstage using the sets from another movie, Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons.

[Uptown kid]

Singer Place is not located in Homewood. The section in the City is a part of East Hills. In 2014 a body of a missing young teen was found in an vacant house & the part in Wilkinsburg has shootings from time to time. That being said its good that some houses like the one on this thread are preserved.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

Singer Place is not located in Homewood. The section in the City is a part of East Hills. In 2014 a body of a missing young teen was found in an vacant house & the part in Wilkinsburg has shootings from time to time. That being said its good that some houses like the one on this thread are preserved.

Thats not entirely true. Singer Place and Nimic Place were never considered East Hills. Never. Not until the city added the new descriptive street signs did this area become East Hills. Singer and Nimic was never part of the Taylor Allderdice feeder. Better yet, ask someone from Nimic, Singer, Tokay, or Brycline Street where they reside. All will say Homewood Brushton.

[Uptown kid]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

Thats not entirely true. Singer Place and Nimic Place were never considered East Hills. Never. Not until the city added the new descriptive street signs did this area become East Hills. Singer and Nimic was never part of the Taylor Allderdice feeder. Better yet, ask someone from Nimic, Singer, Tokay, or Brycline Street where they reside. All will say Homewood Brushton.

In terms of the streets the non project streets in East Hills dont ride with Homewood South. Oakwood is the boundary but its with Homewood South.
Seagirt St/Bricelyn St/Singer Place ride with Park Hill Street & the "projects" Maple Ridge Apts/Bracey Drive/Wilner Drive/East Hills Drive aka St. Louis Drive.
Singer Place in the borough of Wilkinsburg rides with Wood Street/Elm St/Mill Street & such. These are in the Uptop-Uptown border.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

In terms of the streets the non project streets in East Hills dont ride with Homewood South. Oakwood is the boundary but its with Homewood South.
Seagirt St/Bricelyn St/Singer Place ride with Park Hill Street & the "projects" Maple Ridge Apts/Bracey Drive/Wilner Drive/East Hills Drive aka St. Louis Drive.
Singer Place in the borough of Wilkinsburg rides with Wood Street/Elm St/Mill Street & such. These are in the Uptop-Uptown border.

I grew up in this area. I am oblivious to all the gang affliations. When I was younger gang activity was limited to Wilner and East Hills Drive. The differences between Bracey and Parkhill Drives was staggering. Most of us who grew up outside of the East Hills Dr. and Wilner section of East Hills became productive adults. Most of the people " down bottom" were involved in all types of illicit activities including murder. Our parents are not cut from the same cloth.

[NYCTelevisionWriter]

Originally Posted by PennHillsNative80

I just found this website on the Singer Mansion in Wilkinsburg. It has the floor plans, and a couple of pictures of the inside from the 1960's. What a cool house!! Does anybody know what's going on with it these days? I read in a PHLF newsletter that it is going to be restored by new owners, but also read that the property is caught in some type of legal limbo with estates, etc.

John F. Singer House Mansion, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Thank you very much for sharing this, PennHillsNative!!

A couple of observations:

-- In terms of number of rooms, this "mansion" really was no bigger than many of the new homes sprouting up like mushrooms in suburban developments all over Pittsburgh (and other cities).

-- The SCALE of the rooms, however, is much, much more grand than anything being built today.

-- And don't even get me started on the woodwork, glasswork, iron work, and other trim. It's sad what passes for "high end" finishes in this day and age anymore.

-- EVERY room had a fireplace!! (Of course they had to; the house likely had no furnace.)

-- As previously mentioned, only two bathrooms for a six bedroom house (NO bathroom for the first-floor guestroom, and not even a powder room on the first floor for guests).

-- NO CLOSETS in any of the bedrooms! I suppose everyone was still using armoires and dressers back then.

-- GIANT pantry -- with a window! I grew up in a house with such a pantry; the room had a window, floor to ceiling cabinets, and room for my Mom's desk, a deacon's bench, and a small table. It's a bit sad today how a tiny closet now passes for a "pantry".

-- If you look at the floor plans closely, you'll see that this house was built for servants, almost Downton Abbey-style. The "breakfast room" was most likely the staff lounge/dining area. The kitchen/breakfast room/pantry were nicely segregated from the "family" rooms, even to the point that the staff had its own back hallway -- behind doors, presumably -- linking the kitchen to the guest room to the library. The back stairway was also presumably behind closed doors, for staff use only; you can tell how much steeper and narrow it is from the "family's" grand staircase. Ironic -- and deathly hazardous, in those days -- given the long skirts the female servants wore, very rarely going up or down those steep staircases without a heavy load (trays, linens, laundry, etc.).

[Uptown kid]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I grew up in this area. I am oblivious to all the gang affliations. When I was younger gang activity was limited to Wilner and East Hills Drive. The differences between Bracey and Parkhill Drives was staggering. Most of us who grew up outside of the East Hills Dr. and Wilner section of East Hills became productive adults. Most of the people " down bottom" were involved in all types of illicit activities including murder. Our parents are not cut from the same cloth.

Interesting never would have guessed Bracey started 'off cut from a different cloth'. So back in the day those streets were like: South Stanton Heights, Upper Lincoln's Broadcrest Drive, Sugar Top & East Hills' Crestline Drive areas are today.
For what its worth I would never group Park Hill Drive & Bricelyn/Seagirt/Singer Place in the same boat as Wilner/East Hills Drive(s). Tho Bracey Drive & the 1800 Maple Ridge Apts ever since the 90's its been just as bad later two.

[wpipkins2]

section 8 killed mapleridge in the early 90s.

[doo dah]

Today, I learned that the Singer Mansion is the home of the First Spiritualist Church, and is now called Mallenwood Manor. Also, may be an AirBnB location?