Time Machine in Observatory Hill Hits the Market for the First Time in Over a Century

PHOTOS BY MIKE LEONARDI, CANDIDLY YOURS PHOTOGRAPHY

After five generations of family life, one Observatory Hill home is set to change hands for the very first time. 

“This house was built by my great-great grandfather over a century ago,” says Doug Blair, who spoke to Pittsburgh Magazine on behalf of the family. “The rooms are incredibly spacious for the time, and the details like coffered ceilings, a laundry chute, the kitchen-to-dining room pass-through, and handprinted wallpaper are reminders of the elegance of those earlier days.” 

Blair also highlights the ornate stair rail, mantels, built-in cabinets and dining room window seat as some of 4135 Perrysville Avenue’s most standout markers of bygone craftsmanship. 

Blair’s great-great grandfather was George Stimple, who founded the still-operating Stimple & Ward company.  While the company has since passed out of the family, it is still billed as “America’s oldest electrical coil company” and is a key part of Pittsburgh’s industrial ingenuity. 

While well-maintained, the home has been nearly untouched since it was built. 

“The only update to the home was a complete rewiring in the 1980s and a new metal roof about 10 years ago,” says Blair. “Everything else is original. It’s like a time machine, but one you live in.” 

In a market full of quick flips and a sea of millennial greige, it’s a refreshing addition to the local market — and priced affordably. 

Listed by Lisa Elliott at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices for $200,000, the home sits below the city’s median home value by about $70,000. The next owner may want to make some cosmetic updates for personal taste, but Blair says she hopes a buyer also will appreciate the detail that’s been so carefully left intact.

“If you want to live in a historic home, this is the home for you,” she says. “The room sizes are extremely large, and the character, the original woodwork, the ceilings, the built-ins … the brick overhang from the carriage house garage in the back. The kitchen has a peekaboo window into the dining room.” 

Elliott adds the three-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which measures just over 2,000 square feet, feels larger than it appears on the outside. 

“The room sizes are extremely large,” she says, adding that the built-ins and a cozy window bench in the dining room are among her favorite spots. 

On the main level, the coffered ceilings, detailed woodwork and wall sconces frame an oversized living room that features a decorative fireplace flanked by custom built-in bookshelves; a bright, front-facing sunroom offers large windows, more built-in shelving and a side entrance. 

Upstairs, three large bedrooms each have a fireplace and hardwood floors. There is an additional attic space in the eaves and a functional basement for storage, as well. 

Outside, a nicely sized yard, cozy porch and detached garage round out the property. The home is within walking distance to Riverview Park for jazz, swimming and recreation, as well as conveniently located to both the city and the businesses along McKnight Road; all contribute to what Blair describes as a truly livable home and location. 

While taking pride in the home’s craftsmanship, Blair says he hopes the next owners make core memories there, just like their family did for five generations. 

“It’s perfectly suited for intimate entertaining,” he says. “I can close my eyes and think of the dining room and smell turkey.”