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Chancellor's Residence (University of Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
The Chancellor's Residence at the University of Pittsburgh
is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Historic Landmark in Shadyside
just east of the main Oakland
campus approximately one half mile from the center of campus at the Cathedral of Learning
and adjacent to the rear property of the University Child Development Center
on the Oakland-Shadyside border in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
The residence is the former Harvey Childs house built by Peabody & Stearns
in 1896. It is an example of Colonial Revival, with the gambrel roof especially suggestive of New England Colonial. However, the home also incorporates some details reminiscent of Philadelphia's Georgian-style
Mount Pleasant mansion
. The structure overcomes what was at the time an architectural problem of including a porch that Pittsburghers wanted, but preventing the porch from obscuring the facade toward the street. The design of this house worked around this problem by placing the porch to the side of the house, balanced by a porte-cochere
. A renovation designed by Landmark Design Associates later enclosed the porch at Chancellor's Residence.
Harvey Childs appears to have been one of the three Pittsburgh citizens that played a role in the origins of the Allegheny Observatory
and thus the early years of University's Department of Astronomy and Physics.
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
Historic Landmark in Shadyside
Shadyside (Pittsburgh)
Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
just east of the main Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
campus approximately one half mile from the center of campus at the Cathedral of Learning
Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning, a Pittsburgh landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
and adjacent to the rear property of the University Child Development Center
University Child Development Center
The University Child Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh is a child care and early childhood education center located on Clyde Street in Shadyside just east of the main Oakland campus approximately one half mile from the center of campus at the Cathedral of Learning and adjacent to...
on the Oakland-Shadyside border in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
The residence is the former Harvey Childs house built by Peabody & Stearns
Peabody and Stearns
Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody and John Goddard Stearns, Jr...
in 1896. It is an example of Colonial Revival, with the gambrel roof especially suggestive of New England Colonial. However, the home also incorporates some details reminiscent of Philadelphia's Georgian-style
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
Mount Pleasant mansion
Mount Pleasant (mansion)
Mount Pleasant is a mansion located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was built in what was then the countryside outside of the city by the privateer John Mcpherson...
. The structure overcomes what was at the time an architectural problem of including a porch that Pittsburghers wanted, but preventing the porch from obscuring the facade toward the street. The design of this house worked around this problem by placing the porch to the side of the house, balanced by a porte-cochere
Porte-cochere
A porte-cochère is the architectural term for a porch- or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th...
. A renovation designed by Landmark Design Associates later enclosed the porch at Chancellor's Residence.
Harvey Childs appears to have been one of the three Pittsburgh citizens that played a role in the origins of the Allegheny Observatory
Allegheny Observatory
The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research institution, a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh. The facility is listed on the National Register of Historical Places The Allegheny Observatory is an American astronomical research...
and thus the early years of University's Department of Astronomy and Physics.