A typical Pittsburgh Foursquare, just like hundreds of others in Beechview and thousands upon thousands in the city and inner suburbs, except that by random chance we happen to know the architect of this one: William Wolfshafer (or Wolfschaffer; like many German architects in Pittsburgh, he had a German and an Anglicized spelling of his name).(1) He was a fairly successful architect, to judge by the occasional substantial apartment buildings we find with his name attached, and he was obviously capable of delivering just the kind of conservative but up-to-date house merchant-class Pittsburghers craved. Note the well-preserved classical details in the dormer.
Footnotes
- Source: Record & Guide, May 6, 1908, p. 293. “Mr. William S. Link will erect a brick dwelling on Woodside avenue, Beechview, at a cost of $4,000. The plans have been prepared by Architect William Wolf Shafer [sic], 419 Sheridan Avenue.” Woodside Avenue is now Westfield Street. Polk’s for 1909 shows William S. Link, salesman, living at 1614 Woodside Avenue. (↩)
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