Frederick J. Osterling
Encyclopedia
Duquesne, Pennsylvania
Duquesne is a city along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The population was 5,565 at the 2010 census.-History:...
– 1934, 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...
) was an American architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, practicing in Pittsburgh from 1888.
Osterling received his training in the office of Joseph Stillburg. Following a period of European travel, he launched his own practice in 1888. During his career he designed many prominent Pittsburgh buildings, such as the Union Trust Building (1915–17). According to Martin Aurand, Architecture Librarian at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Osterling's practice faltered after controversy relating to his anticipated alteration to the landmark H.H. Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse
Allegheny County Courthouse is a government building of Allegheny County located in the county seat, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- Early structures:...
and a public lawsuit filed by the industrialist Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel steel manufacturing concern...
.
Osterling's studio was in a building he designed himself in 1917 at 228 Isabella Street in Pittsburgh's North Shore neighborhood
North Shore (Pittsburgh)
The North Shore is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has a zip code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 1 and 6...
.
Significant buildings designed by Osterling in chronological order:
All buildings are in Pittsburgh unless otherwise stated; italics denote a registered Historic Landmark:
- Charles Schwab House (541 Jones Avenue), 1889
- Heinz Company Factories, 1889
- Bellefield Presbyterian Church (Bellefield and 5th Ave) 1889; only the bell tower remains),
- Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office BuildingWestinghouse Air Brake Company General Office BuildingThe Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office Building in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania is a building from 1890. It was listed on the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 1975, National Register of Historic Places in 1987...
(Wilmerding, PennsylvaniaWilmerding, PennsylvaniaWilmerding is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,190 at the 2010 census. It is located southeast of Pittsburgh. At the start of the twentieth century, it had extensive foundries and machine shops of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. In 1900, the...
), 1889–1890 - Bell Telephone of Pennsylvania Building, now Verizon Building (416-420 Seventh Avenue), 1890
- Marine Bank Building, later known as Fort Pitt Federal Building (301 Smithfield Street), 1890
- Times Building, now Magee Building (334-336 Fourth Avenue), 1892
- Byrnes & Kiefer BuildingByrnes & Kiefer BuildingThe Byrnes & Kiefer Building in the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a building from 1892. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985....
(1133 Penn Avenue), 1892 - Clayton, now the Frick Art & Historical CenterFrick Art & Historical CenterThe Frick Art & Historical Center is a cluster of museums and historical buildings located at 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and collectively known as "Clayton"...
, 1892 remodeling by Osterling of an 1860s house at 7200 Penn Avenue. This was the home of Henry Clay FrickHenry Clay FrickHenry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel steel manufacturing concern...
, the industrialist. - First Methodist Church, now Shadyside Seventh Day Adventist Church (821 South Aiken Avenue), 1893
- Chautauqua Lake Ice Company Warehouse, now the Heinz History CenterHeinz History CenterThe Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Named after the late U.S. Senator H...
(1212 Smallman Street), 1898 - Washington County CourthouseWashington County Courthouse (Pennsylvania)The Washington County Courthouse is located in on Main Street in downtown Washington, Pennsylvania and is currently still in operation.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1974....
& JailWashington County Jail (Washington, Pennsylvania)The Washington County Jail is located on Cherry Street, beside the courthouse, in downtown Washington, Pennsylvania.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1974...
(Washington, Pennsylvania), 1899–1900 - Allegheny County Morgue (Originally on Forbes Avenue; the building was physically moved to 542 Fourth Avenue in 1929), built 1901
- Armstrong Cork Company Building, now The Cork Factory Lofts (2349 Railroad Street at 23rd Street), 1901
- Hays HallHays HallHays Hall was a residence hall at Washington & Jefferson College. The architectural work was performed by Frederick J. Osterling and it was named after President George P. Hays. Construction was completed in 1903 and the new "fireproof" building was opened to Washington & Jefferson Academy students...
, a residence hall at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PennsylvaniaWashington, PennsylvaniaWashington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, built from 1901 to 1903 (demolished in 1994) - Washington Trust BuildingWashington Trust BuildingThe Washington Trust Building is a landmark building in downtown Washington, Pennsylvania....
, Washington, PennsylvaniaWashington, PennsylvaniaWashington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, 1902 - Arrott BuildingArrott BuildingArrott Building located at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1902. This skyscraper and several surrounding financial buildings are part of the Fourth Avenue Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Arrott...
(401 Wood Street), 1902 - Colonial Trust Company Building, now part of the Bank Center of Point Park UniversityPoint Park UniversityPoint Park University is a liberal arts university located in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered....
(Wood Street, between Forbes and Fourth Avenues), 1902. Also, Osterling designed a T-shaped lobby that was added to his original building in 1926. - Carnegie Free Library of Beaver FallsCarnegie Free Library of Beaver FallsThe Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, also known as Carnegie Free Library, Beaver Falls, was the first public library built in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Constructed in 1903, the structure was part of the Carnegie library system created by renowned steel industrialist Andrew...
(Beaver FallsBeaver Falls, PennsylvaniaBeaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census. It is located 31 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles from its confluence with the Ohio River...
, Pennsylvania), 1903 - Iroquois Apartments, now offices (3600 Forbes Avenue), 1903
- Allegheny County Jail (Ross Street), 1903-1905 additions by Osterling to the 1886 building by Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
- Allegheny High SchoolAllegheny High SchoolThe Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a building from 1904. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.The building is now the Pittsburgh Allegheny 6-8, a magnet school located in the North Side.-External links:*...
, now Allegheny Middle School (810 Arch Street), 1904 - Commonwealth Trust BuildingCommonwealth Building (Pittsburgh)The Commonwealth Building, originally known as the Commonwealth Trust Bank, is a tall skyscraper in Pittsburgh. It was completed in 1906 and has 21 floors. It is tied with The Carlyle and Washington Plaza for 26th tallest building in the city....
(312 Fourth Avenue), 1907 - Luzerne County Courthouse (Wilkes-BarreWilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
, Pennsylvania), 1909 - Union Trust Building (501 Grant Street), 1917
- Gwinner-Harter HouseNegley-Gwinner-Harter HouseNegley-Gwinner-Harter House located at 5061 Fifth Avenue in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built from 1870 to 1871 for William B. Negley Negley-Gwinner-Harter House (also known as Gwinner-Harter House, and William B. Negley House) located at 5061 Fifth Avenue in the...
, also known as the William B. Negley House (5061 Fifth Avenue) was designed by an unknown architect and built 1870-1871. However, Osterling was responsible for additions between 1912 and 1923. - Osterling Flats, date unavailable. These are three houses at 3603-3607 California Avenue with Dutch design elements, which were converted into condos by the Brighton Heights Citizens' Federation in 2003.