THE EXTERIOR OF CLAYTON, THE HENRY CLAY FRICK MANSION IN POINT BREEZE, IS BEING RESTORED. | PHOTO BY SETH CULP-RESSLER, THE FRICK PITTSBURGH

It may come as a surprise, but The Frick Pittsburgh‘s Clayton Mansion has only just now been officially recognized as historic.

The former home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick – now a museum offering insights into the Gilded Age – was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May. It joins more than 100,000 other noteworthy sites on the list after meeting key criteria for historical significance and age.

Along with the new accreditation, The Frick Pittsburgh announced in a release that the mansion is undergoing a makeover as they begin a $10 million preservation project. Through this effort, Clayton’s exterior will be restored and repainted to mirror a more historically accurate version of the iconic mansion.

Originally built in 1870 in Point Breeze, the property has undergone several renovations over time. After the Frick family moved into the home in 1883, they expanded it into a 23-room mansion in the early 1890s. The restoration of the house into a museum began after Helen Clay Frick, Henry’s daughter, died in 1984.

WORKERS ARE RESTORING THE EXTERIOR OF THE FRICK MANSION TO ITS ORIGINAL GLORY. | PHOTO BY SETH CULP-RESSLER, THE FRICK PITTSBURGH

“Preserving Clayton is crucial to our organization’s future, allowing our visitors to continue learning and appreciating the important role that Frick and Gilded Age Pittsburgh played during the industrialization of America,” Dawn R. Breeze, the museum’s chief curator and director of collections, said in a release.

Visitors are invited to view the house throughout the preservation with limited-run restoration tours launching Saturday, June 21. The specialty tour offers a glimpse into the evolution of the mansion and the details of the preservation while the 60-minute experience guides visitors through the first and second floors of the house.

The tours, priced at $20 for non-members and $15 for members, will contribute to a fundraising campaign focused on the conservation of the mansion for future generations. They will run on Fridays and Saturdays in addition to The Frick’s regularly offered “Gilded, Not Golden” tours.

Following the ongoing preservation efforts focusing on the exterior of the building, The Frick Pittsburgh said that they hope to eventually repair Clayton’s interior, specifically focusing on improving the lighting and restoring the blue bedroom on the second floor.

WORK IS UNDERWAY ON A $10 MILLION RESTORATION OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE CLAYTON MANSION. | PHOTO BY SETH CULP-RESSLER, THE FRICK PITTSBURGH

Clayton stands as the last intact Gilded Age mansion on Millionaire’s Row, which housed other familiar Pittsburgh names like George Westinghouse, Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon.

Beyond Clayton, The Frick Pittsburgh invites guests to visit other parts of the property including the Car and Carriage Museum and the free “Catching Sunbeams from the Porch Swing of Wisteria Castle” exhibit open through October in the greenhouse.