In the two years since Hot Property launched, we’ve featured more than 100 houses, from big to small, from the historical to the contemporary, for sale in Pittsburgh — as well as the stories of the people who owned and loved these properties. 

When it comes to architecture, history and family ties, Pittsburgh has an embarrassment of riches, which is what helps make these spaces so interesting. 

Among the most riveting is the very first home featured in Hot Property, Baywood — the lavish, historical Highland Park property also known as “King’s Estate.” 

Built for Alexander King, grandfather of Richard King Mellon, the Second Empire-style, 22-room mansion was saved from ruin by Dr. Frank Brown and his wife, Maura, who painstakingly restored it back to its former glory through their 26 years of ownership. 

In 2021, the couple put the mansion — set on a private, 1.8-acre parcel surrounded by parkland — on the market for $3.48 million. 

The house still is not sold. 

Now listed for $2.98 million, the home’s price reduction is not a reflection of the home’s value, says Mark Jennings, listing agent for Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty. The Browns have continued to care for and maintain the residence, including a recent repaint of the exterior. 

Because Baywood is such a unique home, it also needs a very specific buyer. Jennings says that as much as some potential buyers love the estate, they find it hard to imagine themselves living there.

“Buyers are always asking if someone is actually living in the home,” he says. “I tell them ‘Yes, Dr. Brown and his wife raised their family in that home and have been living there for 30 years.’”

He adds the slate of potential buyers for the estate has been wide.  

“Back in November, we listed the home on Circa Old Houses,” he says. “I have had several inquiries from all over the country; buyers are attracted to the fact that this is a historically significant house that is completely turnkey.”

Jennings says the couple has reached out to several local foundations about buying the estate and turning it into a display house that’s open to the public, similar to Clayton, the family home of Henry Clay Frick in Point Breeze. 

“We are still in that process of inquiry,” he says. 

Recently, several local homeowners who care about the conservation of notable city properties have been networking to make sure the house is purchased and preserved, Jennings says. And believe it or not, several buyers are considering Baywood as a second home.

“Buyers from out of town are considering the property because of its uniqueness, of the access to the city’s ‘Meds, Eds and Tech,’” Jennings says. “Add the Cultural District, and it is a very attractive purchase; they are looking to have it as a summer home. It’s tremendous.”

For more on Baywood’s history, including its renovation, visit the original story here.