Abrams House (Pittsburgh)

The Abrams House was an architecturally notable residence in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1979–82 and was considered Pittsburgh's earliest example of Postmodern architecture. The house was designed by postmodernist pioneer Robert Venturi, who called the design "one of the best that has come out of our office".[1]

Abrams House
Abrams House (Pittsburgh) is located in Pittsburgh
Abrams House (Pittsburgh)
Location of the Abrams House in Pittsburgh
General information
TypeResidence
Architectural stylePostmodern
Address118-A Woodland Rd.
Town or cityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°26′43″N 79°55′18″W
Construction started1979
Completed1982
Demolished2022
Design and construction
Architect(s)Robert Venturi
Architecture firmVenturi, Scott Brown and Associates

The house was commissioned by retirees Betty and Irving Abrams, who were inspired by the nearby Frank House to commission an architecturally bold residence.[1] It was constructed on a subdivided lot directly behind another notable house, the Giovannitti House, with which it shares a driveway. Construction of the Giovannitti House was partially funded by the sale of land for the Abrams House. The house sat on a private drive called Woodland Road which runs adjacent to Chatham University and contains a number of notable residences.[2]

When Betty Abrams died in 2018, the house was purchased by the owners of the neighboring Giovannitti House, who planned to demolish it. In order to block the demolition, the Abrams House was nominated as a Pittsburgh historic landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in December 2018, but the nomination was rejected by the Pittsburgh City Council due to the poor condition of the house and its location in an area inaccessible to the general public.[3][4][5]

The house was of frame and masonry construction with a distinctive wavelike roof. The front elevation featured a large, irregular window wrapping around and over the main entrance which combined stepped rectangular forms with radiating spokes that continued in a painted green and white sunburst pattern over much of the wall surface. A high ribbon window wrapped around the other sides of the house.[6] The interior was painted in white and primary colors and was decorated with a large mural by Roy Lichtenstein.[7]

As of late November 2022, the house had been demolished.

References
  1. "Individual Property Historic Nomination Form: Abrams House" (PDF). City of Pittsburgh. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  2. Aurand, Martin. "Woodland Road Houses". Pittsburgh Art Places. Pittsburgh Office of Public Art. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  3. Pitz, Marylynne (March 13, 2019). "Historic Venturi house is one step closer to demolition after City Council preliminary vote". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. Xie, Jenny (March 25, 2019). "Venturi Scott Brown-designed Abrams House faces demolition". Curbed. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. Rosenblum, Charles (January 9, 2019). "Should the Abrams House in Squirrel Hill be preserved or demolished?". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  6. Toker, Franklin (2007). Buildings of Pittsburgh. Society of Architectural Historians. pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-8139-2658-2. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  7. Hillburg, Jonathan (August 1, 2018). "Exclusive: Venturi Scott Brown-designed house suffers secret demolition". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
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