Lifestyles

Neill C. Stouffer and Bruce L. Harshman own a rich piece of history in the old Wickersham School of Music on North Avenue in the Mexican War Streets in the North Side.

The couple bought the four-story Victorian house two years ago and have been renovating it ever since, turning it into an elegant, eclectic showpiece full of antiques and modern pieces. They still are getting used to the interest in the house generated by the amount of visitors they receive daily.

"People will walk up and down the street ... they still think it's the music school," says Stouffer, 48, the director of design and buyer for Today's Home. "It has a lot of good memories for people, but I finally had to put the 'Private Residence' sign up."

Their house is one of the 14 homes that will be on the 40th Mexican War Streets House & Garden Tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The tour, which is self-guided, is one of several in the area over the next few weeks and is the oldest house tour in the City of Pittsburgh.

It's not the first time for the Wickersham house to be on the tour, but it's the first time for Harshman and Stouffer.

"This house is 100 percent original, nothing has been redone," Stouffer says. "But we replaced three roofs and 48 windows. We had everything painted, did the plumbing and electrical, and had the lighting fixtures replaced. We added a courtyard and pergola, and landscaping. We've put over $200,000 into the house."

Built in 1859 as a Richardson Romanesque, the house was turned into a Victorian in 1889, says Harshman, 46, a hairdresser who owns La Te Da salon in Mt. Lebanon. It was the Wickersham School of Music from 1914 to 1987.

"The music room is our living room," Harshman says, gesturing at the baby grand piano, which he plays. "The pocket doors are walnut on one side and oak on the other. This painting is of Neill's mother, Ann, at her house in Latrobe. There are eight working fireplaces in the house."

Even though the house has nearly 7,000 square feet, there are only three bedrooms, including a massive, 900-square-foot master suite and sitting area. The bedroom features a king-size sleigh-style "cozy piggy" bed, a reproduction of Winston Churchill's bed, and made of wicker, tooled leather, and brass.

The men have a panoramic view of the North Side from their fourth-floor balcony and even can see Mt. Washington.

"A sign of wealth back then was to have the tallest house," Stouffer says. "We can look all the way up North Avenue from our balcony. This is a requested room when we have guests stay over because it's so private."

Thirty-three docents — 11 each shift — will be inside their house for Sunday's tour. The men will be there, too.

"We are showing the whole house ... we're crazy," Stouffer says with a smile. "But we feel at this point that we're caretakers of the house. It's all about giving back. When you have a house like this, you want to share it."

Date:11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: $20 per person, day of the tour, at the ticket booth on the corner of Monterey Street and West North Avenue.

Details: www.mexicanwarstreets.org

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Over in Friendship, 12 houses will be on the tour this year, which is focusing on kitchens and baths. Sarah DiLeo, marketing coordinator for Friendship Development Associates, says the 16th tour in the neighborhood, which takes place Sept. 20, has homes that are "phenomenal and stunning."

"Several of our galleries, businesses and restaurants are opening their doors as well," she says. "The tour features an eclectic mix of homes that boast renovations, both grand and small, of kitchens and bathrooms. This year's tour also showcases the creativity of the artists in the Penn Avenue Arts District."

The Victorian home of Michael and Emily Amick will be on the Friendship tour. Michael Amick, 37, curriculum coordinator for Pittsburgh Public Schools, says that they call their home a "tall skinny."

"It's an old-school Pittsburgh house, built in 1920," he says. "When we saw the house, the porch was crumbling and needed a lot of work. We added all the molding and woodwork and replastered the walls. We exposed the interior brick. The kitchen was empty — "there were no cabinets, just a gas line and a sink."

Emily Amick, 32, a math teacher with Pittsburgh Public Schools who is taking a leave of absence to care for Henry, 3, and Kaleb, 4 months, says they have been working on the house constantly for four years.

"We just really love this neighborhood," she says. "It has old houses that are close together, access to main streets, and everything is so close."

The couple turned a small bath and a medium-size bedroom on the second floor into a large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, brown ceramic tile and a separate shower stall. The third-floor office is a refuge for both parents, with built-in mahogany bookshelves, a mahogany window seat and magenta-colored walls.

"We gave the contractors quite a bit of artistic freedom and asked them to be creative," Michael Amick says. "We've spent probably $100,000 in renovating the house."

This is the first time the couple's house has been on the house tour, and they are looking forward to showing off what homeowners can accomplish on a budget. The first thing they did when they moved to Friendship four years ago was to sell Michael Amick's car.

"It's silly to have two cars when buses are going by ... it's a greener way to live," he says. "We want to be planted here. ... We love the city and the neighborhood. When the kids are growing up, they'll know that this is their house. We don't want to move."

Date: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 20.

Admission: $15 www.friendshiphousetour.org. The tour begins at the Glass Lofts site, corner of Penn Avenue and North Fairmount Street.

Details: 412-441-6147, ext. 7, or www.friendshiphousetour.org.

The Shadyside House Tour will have its 31st tour on Oct. 4. This is the first year that the tour is featuring a house under renovation, according to Carol McGinty, chairwoman of the house tour.

"We hope to repeat it next year in its finished state, but we felt people would be very interested in seeing the bare bones of this space and to hear its history," she says.

The house tour committee finds its houses through suggestions from members of the neighborhood as well as by committee members approaching homeowners that they observe. There are seven houses on this year's tour.

"Homeowners who have done a nice job of making a small space seem larger, or maintaining the integrity of the original design while updating the space, or added on an addition that transformed the space are what we look for," McGinty says. "The stories of the trials and tribulations of home renovation are as much as sharing the space for the day of the tour."

Date: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 4.

Admission: $15 in advance; $20 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased through the mail by sending a SASE and a check to P.O. Box 10149, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232. Mail orders will not be processed after Sept. 30. The tour starts at Winchester Thurston School.

Details: 412-361-3771 or www.shadysideaction.org.

The Lawrenceville Hospitality House Tour also will be on Oct. 4. This is the 12th year for the popular self-guided tour and there will be 10 houses to walk through, according to house tour coordinator Kate Bayer. The tour is sponsored by the Lawrenceville Historical Society and the Lawrenceville Stakeholders, both of which benefit from the tour proceeds.

"What is unique about our house tour is that each house has refreshments, and some Lawrenceville restaurants will be providing samples of food at one of the houses," Bayer says. "We expect 300 to 600 people to visit. Last year we had 800, but that was an exception because of Pittsburgh 250."

Date: noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 4.

Admission: $12 in advance or $15 the day of the tour. Tickets are available at several businesses in Lawrenceville. The tour begins at the entrance to Allegheny Cemetery, 4734 Butler St.

Details: 412-235-1950 or www.lawrencevillehousetour.org.

This will be the 19th consecutive year for the Wesley Spectrum's Tour of Homes, also on Oct. 4. Five houses in Upper St. Clair and Peters Township are featured on the tour, which benefits the programs of Wesley Spectrum Services. Paula Huffman, special events and volunteer coordinator for the organization, says it helps children and families throughout Western Pennsylvania.

"We have social services, education and mental health programs for children and families in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Butler and Washington counties," Huffman says. "There will also be a tea that day at Christ United Methodist Church from 1:30 to 4 p.m."

Date: noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 4.

Admission: $25.

Details: 412-831-9390 or www.wesleyspectrum.org.

One neighborhood that is not having a house tour this year is the North Side's Deutschtown. According to East Allegheny Community Council secretary Lynn Glorieux, that's because a lot of houses are getting renovated.

"Deutschtown is only three blocks wide," she says. "We're waiting until next year to have really good houses to tour. Deutschtown has new construction and several restorations. It will be better for next year."

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