Father Pitt

Tag: Snow

  • Moderne in Mission Hills

    361 Orchard Drive

    Mission Hills in Mount Lebanon, laid out in 1921, is a neighborhood where houses in all different styles coexist happily. Most of those styles are historical or romantic; this ultramodern house is a definite outlier, and an unexpected treasure in a neighborhood full of treasures. Father Pitt does not know the architect, but because of the striking similarities between this house and one in Swan Acres attributed to Joseph Hoover, we shall tentatively assign this one to Hoover as well. (And old Pa Pitt promises to get to Swan Acres soon and bring back some pictures of that remarkable neighborhood.)

    Perspective view
    361

    Could the house number be more perfectly styled to match the house?

    Perspectivier view

    And is that a genuine Kool Vent awning over the side door?

  • Mission Hills in the Snow

    Parkway Drive

    Mission Hills in Mount Lebanon was laid out in 1921 as an ideally picturesque automobile suburb. The lots were sold off individually, so that each buyer hired his own architect and builder. The result is a delightful variety of styles that all fit comfortably together. We’ll take a look at a couple of those houses individually later, but right now here is a big album of Mission Hills houses in the snow.

    343 Parkway Drive

    To keep from weighing down the front page, we’ll put the rest of the pictures behind a “read more” link.

    (more…)

  • A Snowy Day in Beechview

    Dagmar Avenue in the snow

    Old Pa Pitt would like to tell you that he climbed a tree in the howling wind just to get these pictures for you, but he would be pulling your leg. They were taken from the walkway of the Fallowfield streetcar viaduct.

    Walkway on the Fallowfield viaduct
    Alton Street

    If architecture is frozen music, then utility cables are the surface noise on a worn shellac record.

  • Duquesne Incline

    Seen from across the Ohio.

  • Marigolds in the Snow

    Marigold in the snow
    More marigolds, more snow

  • Tracks in the Snow

    Tracks in the snow

    A rookie hunter might follow these tracks expecting to find a freight train; but a seasoned tracker would notice that they are Pennsylvania broad gauge, and therefore must lead to a trolley eventually.

  • Winter Stream

    Stream in Bethel Park in winter

  • Twigs in the Snow

    Twigs in the snow

    The line between artistic minimalism and dullness is thin and permeable. Which one does this picture represent? You get to decide! Old Pa Pitt intends the single dry leaf as symbolism, and you also get to decide what it symbolizes.

  • Freezing Rain and Snow

    Ice on a lichen-covered branch
    Ice on crabapples
    Ice on a lichen-covered branch

  • Snow

    Snow on coneflower seedheads

    Above: Snow on seedheads of Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

    Below: Snow on seedheads of Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum).

    Snow on garlic chives seedheads