William T. Fife House Awarded Historic Landmark Plaque Robb Lenhart
The William T. Fife house was recently awarded a historic landmark plaque from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. The historic house in Upper St. Clair has long been a landmark in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. The home was constructed 185 years ago as a Greek Revival style, two-story brick farm house. Thompson Fife—grandson of John Fife, Sr. who emigrated from Fifeshire, Scotland, and was the pioneer settler in Upper St. Clair in 1766—built the house and, for the next 103 years, it remained in the Fife family. Named after Thompson’s son, William T. Fife, the house was eventually sold in 1935 by his heirs. Surprisingly, the house has had relatively few owners, three in the Fife family and six non-Fife owners. The Fife House is the third oldest, still-occupied residence in Upper St. Clair, trailing only the Joseph Philips stone house on Seegar Road (circa 1806) and the Thomas Dell and Martha Lesnett frame house on Old Lesnett Road (1820). The Fife House is on Old Washington Road, situated on a hilltop and encompassing two and one half acres. In late 2016, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks William T. Fife house Foundation (PHLF) designated the William T. Fife House as a historic Pittsburgh landmark and provided the owners with a bronze plaque to recognize its architectural significance. The original owners, Thompson Fife and his wife, Margaret Espy Fife, married in 1832 and built the farm house that year for their residence. Their eldest son, William T. Fife, after whom the house is named, was born in the house in 1842, lived there throughout his 86-year lifetime, and died in the house in 1928. Viewed from the exterior, the house is a two-story brick structure on a natural stone foundation. The exterior brick walls were constructed two layers thick. The house has a gabled roof with asphalt shingles and four wall dormers. The Greek Revival PHLF historic landmark plaque design reveals a box cornice with dentils. Double hung windows have 6/6 lights. The left side of the house shows a rectangular screened porch which may have initially been a porte chochere. An open rectangular porch with a hip roof and four box pillars is located on the front of the house. The front door side lights show blue beaded glass with red glass in the transom. Initial construction of the house interior included four rooms—a living room and dining room downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. A central hallway and staircase connected the two floors. The spacious rooms were constructed with 11-foot ceilings. Initially, there were two chimneys—one on each end of the main house—with a total of four fireplaces. Oak log floor joists support the wooden floors in this original part of William T. Fife the house. Two later left-wing and right-wing additions bring the current total in the house to five bedrooms, four full baths, a powder room, laundry room, study, living room, dining room, family room, sitting room, kitchen, and eight fireplaces. Fluted wood moldings are evident around doorways, windows, mantels, and chair railings. Authentic wooden cupboards, bookcases, baseboards, and the main staircase provide striking examples of quality woodcraft throughout the house. Circa 1890, an initial renovation occurred which involved the construction of a left wing that was added to provide another bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, and an enlarged living room. This renovation was necessitated when William T. Fife and his wife added seven more children to their family during 1880–1895, bringing the total to nine children. Floor joists in this left wing are sawed planks, contrasting with the rough logs found in the original house. Seven years after his death, the heirs of William T. Fife sold the house and 12 acres of the farm property on May 1, 1935, to a Pittsburgh attorney and his wife. At the time of purchase, the house was a red brick structure with an outside frame kitchen and 12
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Spring 2017