Monday, August 2, 2010

Favorite Houses

Do you have a house, maybe from your past, that haunts your memory? For me it's this French styled mansion in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Amberson Avenue, probably from the 19-teens. While visiting this past weekend, I had to drive past to 'check up' on it.
I used to attend the church across the street and one of my favorite parts of Sundays was walking past this house. Glad to know it's still looking good!
Pictures taken with my new Droid incredible. Not 'incredible' photos but surprisingly good for a camera phone!

20 comments:

Mel said...

Lovely. I don't remember it, but I'm sure I must have passed by it a time or three when I lived in Pgh.

I love the house my grandmother grew up in. It's a three-story, early Arts and Crafts 'cottage" on the harbor in Winter Harbor, ME, with a large stone fireplace & chimney and a wraparound porch. It belongs to my great-aunt, who used it as a summer home until her husband died. Now it sits empty, and I wish I could live in it and give it the love it needs.

Martha said...

Lovely house --

And yes, I have houses that I covet -- sort of a collection, actually, from the different places where we lived --

Abby said...

There is an old, fading, relic of a house that I use to pass by as a child and envision renovating it to it's fully glory. Now when I'm home, I drive completely out of my way to go visit it. Still there, still faded. I guess it's waiting for me.

Hows the droid? Should I have phone-envy?

pve design said...

Yes, I do have a home and everyone knows that I would say,"When I grow up, I will live in that house." Now tell me does that home have 3 chimneys?
pve

The Down East Dilettante said...

Oh yes, I have a few favorite houses...but only a couple hundred...there is a brick late Federal in our town--set in a field overlooking the harbor, behind a long allee of cedar trees. The landscaping is gentle and old fashioned. An owner who had lived in France for years bought it and restored it from near ruin. Inside and out, her French years show, the trim being brown, shaded to the brick, in instead of the usual white or buff, and the shutters are a french green....inside, pale rooms with deep windows with louvered shutters, beautiful fireplaces, a drawing with three exposures and harbor light coming through hand blow window panes....yum.

One cannot help but notice, btw, the compositional similarities of the Amberson Ave. house to the Paul Cret house in Kalorama that you love--

columnist said...

It is a beauty, in the Queen Anne style.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Mel, it's across from shadyside presbyterian church on amberson avenue. It has a lot of showy neighbors -I tend to like more quiet background buildings, admittedly.

Martha, birds of a feather!

Semigloss, The phone is ok -not as good as the iphone but the camera is 'supposedly' better. I have yet to be convinced. But overall I like the incredible!

PVE, yes, 3 chimneys! It should come with a label 'this house is bigger than it appears'! It stretches far back on a deep city lot. Most of the houses in that neighborhood have a LOT of chimneys / fireplaces. Old houses.

La Dolfina said...

Keep it in your heart, you never know!
My Mom loved a house she walked by on her way to school every day and one day my father bought it for her :)
Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Down East, like you I have 100s of favorites but a few stand out in my memory. You're so right, the porportions are very similar to the Paul Cret house! I actually was making the comparisions in my mind as I uploaded the photos from my phone!
From walking past at night,I know this house has a suitably drop dead elegant interior - including soft green boiseries in a small library directly to the right of the front door! Yes, I'm a stalker.
The house you mention sounds LOVELY!

Kwana said...

This is beautiful. There are a few in my old town that I still love.

Hill Country House Girl said...

Yes, I do have several favorites from growing up in Dallas. They were designed by two of my favorite architects from Texas. You have inspired me to take photos next time I do my drive bys - which of course I always do when I go back to visit.

Interestingly, I recently found out that an old friend and her husband had bought one of my favorites.....and I have to admit feeling a bit jealous!

Freddy Victoria said...

Beautiful house! It's always fun to "pick" houses that I would love to live in - not sure I will ever stop. Most recently, I fell for a few in downtown Richmond VA while visiting family there. Thanks for posting these great pic's!

The Murphys said...

It's beautiful! I also have a few favorites in my home town that I "check up" on when I'm in town. I'm always glad when I still love them as much as I always do : ) Have a lovely day! -Amber

Yuri-Alex Niso said...

I don't have a particular childhood house, but when I was in high school as soon as I got my car, I would drive through Alpine, NJ, an area so rich Google Maps dare not catalogue all of it. I would buy a box of twelve glazed from Dunkin Donuts and drive slowly past each one imagining that I lived there. It took me until halfway through July before I realized the connection between that experience and my blog...

Will @ Bright.Bazaar said...

This is a stunner. For me, it's got to be my Gran's cottage in the middle of the British Countryside...thatched roof, uneven floors, surrounded by fields. Such a wonderful place!

Kathy said...

I have a few favs in my town, large and small. I lay claim to them whenever I'm with my friends by saying "That's MY dream retirement house." We go back and forth, making renovation / restoration plans. I'm always checking up on them, and cringe when someone "less worthy" moves in and "ruins them" !!!

Karena said...

Oh yes Stefan more than one! Yours is fabulous, love the design.

Karena
Art by Karena

Ms. Pearl said...

What a gorgeous place. I have tons of faves in the D.C. area.

Great camera pics!

James said...

Amazing house. Thanks for sharing.

Ashley said...

What a wonderful house! It is so inspiring.