Decades of Piano Concerts Took Place in This Shadyside Home on Amberson Avenue

PHOTOS BY DYLAN GENTHNER, EXPOSURE IT

Since 1885, one Queen Anne Victorian in West Shadyside has stood quietly as the world changed around it. Through a shifting neighborhood, the rise and fall of the steel industry, and decades of less-than-stellar upgrades in other historical homes nearby, 719 Amberson Ave. has been both preserved and lovingly maintained for almost 150 years. 

Pittsburgh Magazine first took readers to this landmark residence in 2018, when Mark Houser wrote about the decades of piano concerts that had occurred in the home. Francis Fairman III, a self-taught pianist and World War II veteran, played the piano nightly for his family from the time they purchased the home until before he died in 2021. 

Prior to that, resident Ethel Spencer regaled readers with tales of growing up in the home in her 1959 book, “The Spencers of Amberson Avenue.” All homes have a story, but this one is a Pittsburgh masterpiece. 

At the time the magazine first spoke with the Fairmans, Francis’ daughter Mimi Fairman was not sure what the future held for her family home. 

“I don’t know if I’ll keep it forever like he has, but everybody loves the house,” she said at the time. “There’s just something about it. Even my daughter says she hopes I don’t sell the house, and she lives in New York.” 

Now, eight years later, Fairman has made the decision to list the home her family has lovingly and carefully preserved for decades. It’s a rare addition to the Pittsburgh housing market, and one that has generated a great deal of interest from local architecture buffs and historians. Designed by renowned architect George Orth, the roofline, facade, and complex masonry are all classic examples of the Queen Anne style. 

“My family has owned the home since 1968, so it has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Fairman. “In fact, it is the only home I have ever known in Pittsburgh.” 

When Fairman and her husband returned to Pittsburgh as adults in 2015, they lived in the third-floor servants quarters. The large home was filled with love and family memories for decades, according to Fairman.

“Many of my earliest memories are connected to walking down the grand staircase during holidays and family celebrations, passing the stained-glass windows as the house filled with music, conversation, and the aromas of a meal being prepared,” she says.”Those architectural details are not just beautiful; they are woven into the story of our family’s life in the home.” 

The three-story home is nearly 5,000 square feet, with eight bedrooms and six bathrooms. While every detail has been impeccably maintained, little has been changed through generations of family life. The light filters through original stained glass windows the same way it has for years, and the original millwork and floors have been kept up with care. It’s like stepping inside a time capsule. 

The spacious kitchen is well-appointed and designed for someone who loves to cook; it appears if it’s always been a part of the house without lacking any convenient upgrade. A large island with a cooktop, double wall ovens, and an oversized paneled refrigerator take advantage of the space. A butler’s pantry provides additional storage, which is needed for the parties that are able to be hosted in the grand dining room. 

“My father was an accomplished pianist, and there was a Steinway concert grand piano in the living room,” says Fairman. “During family gatherings, he would sit down to play while relatives and friends gathered for conversation and a meal served in the stunning dining room.” 

The architectural details continue from room to room, including ornate stone fireplaces to well-preserved wainscoting. Upstairs, the bedrooms each have their own unique touches — there is nothing cookie cutter about the home. Updates, where needed, were carefully blended in with the original details in a way that doesn’t detract from the age and grandeur of the structure. 

Outdoors, a covered patio, larger yard and two-car garage with a brick driveway provide ample space to enjoy the quiet, spacious lots in West Shadyside, a micro neighborhood within the community known for its walkable, tree-lined streets and historical Victorian mansions. 

As with any home of this age, different families will create memories throughout the decades as the property changes hands. 

“To me, the greatest compliment to the home’s history would be for a new family to fall in love with it as we did,” says Fairman. “To celebrate milestones here, welcome friends and neighbors through its doors, and begin writing the next chapter of its story.” 

The family has listed the home with Nevena Carrington of Coldwell Banker Realty for $2.72 million. Carrington says this listing is particularly meaningful to her because it blends her background in art history and expertise in luxury real estate. 

“As one of the finest examples of Queen Anne Victorian architecture in Western Pennsylvania, representing this residence of exceptional craftsmanship and historical significance is a privilege,” says Carrington. “Beyond the home itself, its prime location in West Shadyside, one of Pittsburgh’s most coveted neighborhoods, makes this a rare offering in today’s East End market.” 

Carrington has a long list of features she loves about the home, from the slate mantle fireplaces, hideaway shutters on larger windows and the floor-to-ceiling library. 

“If this were my home, you would find me at the art studio on the second floor or in the dedicated wellness room that has a beautifully preserved vintage world map wall on the third floor … or on the patio of the large private garden,” she says. 

She also loves the sense of history and roots the home has, noting that many neighbors stopped by the first house tour she hosted to share how much they enjoyed hearing Francis Fairman playing the piano each evening. 

Given the architectural significance of the home, Carrington has scheduled another house tour from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on June 18 with architectural historian Justin P. Greenawalt. 

An architectural historian and preservationist, Greenawalt serves on the board of directors for Preservation Pittsburgh. He holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University and specializes in the history and development of Pittsburgh’s greater East End. (To attend the tour, contact Carrington here.)

Fairman knows that many of those who tour the home will fall in love with the architectural details, but she hopes they fall in love with the sense of comfort the home and community hold as well. 

“Like many people who grew up in Pittsburgh in the 1970s and early 1980s, I left the city as a young adult and eventually moved to Paris,” says Fairman. “When I returned years later, I saw Pittsburgh with entirely new eyes. Since coming back in 2015, my French husband and I have come to appreciate how vibrant, beautiful, green and culturally rich the city has become.” 

Fairman says that the home itself reflects what her parents loved about Pittsburgh — the architecture, the strong sense of community and the combination of urban convenience and natural beauty. This home was the perfect place to enjoy all of those things, she says. 

“They especially loved welcoming people into the home and creating a place where family, friends, and neighbors gathered often,” she says.