89 N. Euclid Avenue

The brick and frame bungalow-style home at 89 North Euclid Avenue is currently being rescued by its neighbors. Justin Greenawalt and Christopher Eddie recently purchased the home and are committed to saving it via painstaking restoration including retrofitting and repurposing a 12 foot salvaged mantle.

The house, located next door to the couple’s residence was part of the “Roseburg Revised Plan of Lots,” a tract of 13 acres between North Fremont and North Bryant Avenues that was acquired by real estate dealer J. I. McClurg in 1905 and subdivided into 94 building lots. In the last quarter of the 19th century, the 13-acre tract was owned by William Roseburg.

Lots in the Roseburg Plan were in high demand, and 75 houses already had been built by 1912. Built in 1919, 89 North Euclid is representative of the substantial single-family homes envisioned by the Roseburg Land Company for its building lots which were intended to attract “the leading business and professional men of Pittsburgh.” The Pittsburgh Press noted that “the Roseburg plan especially has developed into one of the most popular residence sections [of Bellevue], and there is a good demand for property there. These homes are fitted up in an elegant manner and with all conveniences.”

On January 9, 1909, the lot was sold, but no home was built on it. A decade later, the lot was sold to Lydia Fladd Menzemer for $2,000. Lydia and her husband Charles probably built the house soon afterward. It was one of the last homes to be constructed in the Roseburg Plan.

Charles Menzemer was employed by the Enterprise National Bank of Allegheny as the receiving teller, a position of considerable responsibility. In October 1905, the Bank and Charles were at the center of a well-publicized scandal involving alleged conspiracy and bank fraud, sending the institution into insolvency and receivership. In 1905, the bank was closed by state bank examiners. Menzemer was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 5 years and 10-months in Western State Penitentiary. His wife appealed to President Roosevelt for a pardon which was ultimately granted. President Theodore Roosevelt commuted his sentence to 2 ½ years, and Charles was released in July 1909. After his release from prison, Charles became a real estate agent which gave him a good knowledge of the local real estate market.

After Charles’ death in 1920, Lydia and daughter (also Lydia) remained in the home. Tragedy struck in 1955 when the younger Lydia Menzemer died of breast cancer. Three days later, the elder Lydia conveyed the property to herself and son Arthur for $1.00. A year later they sold the property to Ronald and Jean Minnick, and Lydia moved to Michigan to live with her son Arthur. She died there the following year.

In 1960 Ronald Minnick’s died tragically in a fall from a 36 foot ladder while trying to rescue several co-workers. Jean remained in the home until 1965 when she sold the property to Edmund and Madelyn Grey.

After buying the North Euclid home, Edmund and Madelyn resided there for the rest of their lives. They raised five children in the house. Upon their parents’ deaths, the Grey heirs sold the property to Justin Greenawalt and Christopher Eddie in August 2022. Justin and Chris are currently working hard on its restoration. Even though Justin has the bruises and scars to prove the house is trying to kill him, work continues to rescue another Bellevue treasure.