Father Pitt

Why should the beautiful die?

Castle Stanton, East Liberty

Castle Stanton, front elevation

Even though it has lost some decorative details over the years, Castle Stanton still drops jaws of passers-by who find themselves in unfamiliar territory here on the border of East Liberty and Highland Park. It looks like a 1920s Hollywood set: we expect Douglas Fairbanks dressed as Robin Hood to leap from an upstairs window and land on his feet after a series of spectacular acrobatics.

Inscription: Castle Stanton

This advertisement from the Pittsburgh Press, September 21, 1930(1), shows us some of the pointy bits that have since been removed.

Castle Stanton

This Hollywood front hides an unexpected secret, which will be revealed if we walk around to the side of the building.

Castle Stanton
Side of Castle Stanton

Now we see the outlines of an older Queen Anne mansion, converted to an apartment house by the addition of a Hollywood-fantasy front facing Stanton Avenue.

Balcony and half-timbering
Front of the castle
Front door
Entrance and porch
Kodak EasyShare Z1285; Canon PowerShot SX150 IS; Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

Footnotes

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if you wanted a book.

Father Pitt

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One response to “Castle Stanton, East Liberty”

  1. PC

    I lived in Castle Stanton for a couple of years around 2010, ± a few years (2nd floor, with the balcony. In fact, the car I owned at the time is front and center in the profile shot, image #6). It was a sight, for sure, but it was in pretty rough shape when I called it home and for the few years on either side of my residency, but you could easily tell how grand/stately is must’ve been when it wasn’t in need of serious TLC, bordering on disrepair. Surely, it was a sight to behold (the stained glass window was especially gorgeous – sadly despite being on the 2nd level, it wasn’t visible from inside the 2nd floor apartment, as it was located in the side stairwell. Probably not a bad thing, as I’d imagine it probably contains unsafe levels of lead and possibly even mercury). I’d imagine that even at the time it was originally constructed, it must have stood out like a sore thumb, as I believe the US rarely saw such “castle-style” architecture, least not in the approximate era it was erected. I could definitely be wrong about that, it’s just a guess based on a layman’s understanding. I actually visited this page in hopes of getting some insight regarding its history, as I’ve forgotten essentially every detail concerning its origins that I was once in possession of. Although dismayed to find that this page also lacks in this department, I was glad to be reintroduced to the bits it does touch on and especially for the images. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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