93 North Euclid Avenue

The brick and shingle Colonial Revival cottage at 93 North Euclid Avenue is owned by Justin Greenawalt and Christopher Eddie. Construction of 93 North Euclid Avenue spanned from late 1911 to early 1912. 93 North Euclid Avenue is an example of an Eclectic Period cottage. Eclecticism, sometimes called the Historicist Period, was a late nineteenth and early twentieth-century architectural period characterized by the sampling and incorporation of varying historical architectural elements to create a stylistic language that was new and original. In architecture, these elements often included structural features, stylistic motifs, and ornament. Whereas earlier architectural styles focused on purity in stylistic expression, styles of the Eclectic Period focused on the building’s overall aesthetic value. 93 North Euclid features elements from several historic architectural styles while also incorporating numerous contemporary design features. With its steep gambrel roof and wide front-gable dormer, the house borrows heavily from the Colonial Revival style. However, the cantilevered dining room bay and the use of cedar shingles is a nod to the late Victorian and Shingle styles. Details, including the interior woodwork, are simple and clean, referencing the growing popularity of Craftsman design in the early 1900's. Many of the details inside the house, including doors, trim, banisters, and fireplace mantles 18were manufactured by the Curtis & Yale Company, a Pittsburgh-based division of the Curtis Lumber & Millwork Company of Clinton, Iowa. In considering the plan of the house, 93 North Euclid was altogether different from most of its contemporaries. The “Reception Hall House,” frequently identified as an “American Foursquare,” and sometimes referred to colloquially as “The Pittsburgh Box,” became the preferred model of developers in the Roseburg Plan. However, 93 North Euclid displays a more modern plan. The house is built on the “living room plan,” wherein the entry opens directly into the living room, dispensing with the typical, formal reception hall and parlor. A more egalitarian design, guests were received in a spacious living room — welcomed into the house instead of being left waiting at the door. The first floor plan is a balance between contemporary and traditional. Dark woodwork, stained glass, and pocket doors sample from the Victorian period, but the plan is open. The living room flows into the dining room, but the use and purpose of each space is clearly defined. The stained glass window in the dining room is traditional in its subject matter — featuring roses and foliage — but subtle Craftsman influence is apparent in the strong verticality of the lead came and the earthiness of the amber slag glass. Abiding by the conventions of the day, the kitchen is well removed from the more public spaces of the house. The house originally featured a butler’s pantry between the dining room and kitchen (removed in the 2011 rehabilitation). Unlike larger homes of the period, the house was designed to function without the aid of servants or staff. Upstairs, three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a staircase to the third floor radiate off a central hall. A second stained glass window illuminates the stair landing. The stained glass exhibits both Craftsman and Art Nouveau influence with striking verticality coupled with curvilinear forms. On January 2, 2015, current owners, Justin Greenawalt and Christopher Eddie purchased the house. As a professional Architectural Historian and Historic Preservationist, Justin has concerned himself with the continued rehabilitation and restoration of the house. Together, Justin and Christopher view themselves not as owners, but as curators of 93 North Euclid preserving the house for the generations that will follow.