Ugly houses (Pittsburgh, Washington, Bradford: loft, subdivisions, live)

[Squeamish]

Funny this thread is entitled "ugly houses" because the houses in the pictures are pretty much my favorite houses ever. It's hard to explain why, but I LOVE them. They're one of the many reasons I come from MN to visit Pittsburgh at least once a year, often more. My latest trip was last weekend.

Here are some pics I posted a few years back:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...-houses-4.html

Vinial St, at the beginning of Spring Garden, is of particular note. Sixth picture in my first post with pics. I love it how the houses are pretty much identical but not quite and the decorations at the top of the second floor.

They're building more of these houses on Federal St. hill. Some of them are nearing completion and looking great as far as new construction goes.

[PreservationPioneer]

I love the old houses, too, Squeamish. You're not alone!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Squeamish

Funny this thread is entitled "ugly houses" because the houses in the pictures are pretty much my favorite houses ever. It's hard to explain why, but I LOVE them.

Same here. I also love the tall thin houses the OP talked about. Just filled with character.

[Clark Park]

I own a 1890's Victorian "Twin" (i.e. a semi-detached townhouse) here in West Philadelphia. There are a lot of houses like this in Philly, they almost always have porches. Are there houses like these in Pittsburgh?

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I own a 1890's Victorian "Twin" (i.e. a semi-detached townhouse) here in West Philadelphia. There are a lot of houses like this in Philly, they almost always have porches. Are there houses like these in Pittsburgh?

Twins, or duplexes, as they are commonly called here, are fairly common, though not on the level of Philly. Most have porches, but rarely are they as ornate as what you find in Philly. (The terminology differences between cities is crazy. In Cleveland, a duplex is a house with a flat on each floor. Here those are commonly called "up and downs", and while not rare, they are not nearly as common as they are in the "Lake Cities") Many twins have porches, but there are many from the 1800's that are stoop fronted.

This is probably the most ornate group of twins left in the city. They are from the 1880's.


This is a stoop fronted pair from the 1800's. Variations of this can be found in most of the 19th Century neighborhoods.


Housing here is very varied. There is no dominant type like the row is in Philly. Here there are large numbers of rowhouses, brick detached with porches, wooden detached with porches, detached and semi-detached stoop fronts, and even a fair amount of plexes. Like Philly, walkups are not that common.

[BrianTH]

In the building eras before WWII, people would be building houses off a common plan, but using local skilled workers (often immigrants) who would add their own touches in terms of trim, brickwork, and so forth.

[SorryIMovedBack]

That Formstone sure looks loads better than Insul-brick or aluminum siding, lol!. But the owners of the frame homes probably felt a lot warmer in the winter after covering up the wood siding. The old masonry houses tend to be pretty comfortable provided they have good windows. The winter winds seemed to blow through the frame homes.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

Twins, or duplexes, as they are commonly called here, are fairly common, though not on the level of Philly. Most have porches, but rarely are they as ornate as what you find in Philly.

Some of the "Twins" here in Philadelphia are indeed very ornate ... especially the ones built at the very end of the Victorian era, late 1890's and first couple of years of the 20th Century. It was the last gasp of "Victorian Opulence." These large "Twins" are just a block and a half away from my own house. In recent years they are fetching crazy prices (for Philly) because they usually have original stained glass windows, fireplaces, pocket doors, etc.

[SorryIMovedBack]

^^ Gorgeous! You certainly can't afford to build what you can buy. There is nothing like an old house, except an old house. That's why I advocate taking better care of them, and not stripping the historical detail, like so much of Pittsburgh region did.

[Citypoot]

To take away some of the "ugly" archetecture in Pittsburgh though would be to create the bland homogenaeity found in many new cities where every block you drive down looks give or take like the last block you drove down.

In Pittsburgh you've got those tacky 1940 tall narrow houses with the horrendous faux-brick asphault siding, or bricks that are of colors almost designed to depress and scream "we're poor and mean!", yes yes, very true.

But it also has some of the most stately victorians you'll find anywhere in the U.S. in places like Squirrell Hill and Point Breeze, or just mindblowing mansions in Fox Chapel and Sewickley Heights, or mansions of yesteryear in Castle Shannon, or really mod-quarky archetecture in a suburb like Bradfordwoods, or McMansion subdivisions in Wexford and Murrysville and Moon Township. Or almost adorably working class neighborhoods in Morningside, or chic urban vistas on Mt.Washington, or yuppie exclusivity on Washington's Landing, or straight-up ghetto hellscapes of Rankin and Hazelwood, etc etc.

In a nutshell, you could get in a car at Point State Park, you could tell me what type of archetecture and what type of roughness or fanciness you seek, and within 15 minutes no matter what you say, I could provide you the world you sought.

Not many cities in America have SO much archetectural diversity in such a confined area. Part of that is the puke-tastic ugliness of working class 1940's home...but always remember, all that is, is one chapter in a continuing story of 21st, 20th, 19th, and even 18th century archetecture that makes Pittsburgh and its surrounding area a goldmine for archetectural aficianados.