Jane Holmes Residence

Two cousins with the same name, Jane Holmes, were among Wilkinsburg's early benefactors. One of them founded Sheltering Arms on land donated by James Kelly. The home opened its doors in 1872 as a suburban "refuge for unfortunate women and wayward girls" and later became the Home for Aged Protestant Men and Couples.

The Home provided residents with their own bed and bath rooms, communal dining rooms, reading and sewing rooms, a barber shop and beauty parlor, a “little shop,” chapel, and several acres of garden-covered grounds. In 1953, the charter was amended to receive for admission single or widowed women in addition to men and couples. Many influential wives of Pittsburgh businessmen served on the board of managers and as president of the Home, including “Pittsburgh Jane” herself, Mrs. Thomas Mellon, Mrs. Samuel McKee, and Mrs. Paul J. Blum. Mrs. Mellon and Mrs. Blum, who both served for 24 years, were two of the longest serving presidents. The original home was built in 1869, and renovations were needed in the early 1970s to help modernize the facility. In 1978, the Home was rechartered as The Jane Holmes Residence, and came to be known as the Jane Holmes Residence and Gardens. The facility closed in the fall of 2007. But Jane Holmes' legacy continued when it was revitalized and reopened shortly thereafter as an assisted living facility now known as Garden View Manor.

Click to read "Jane Holmes Residence: A Century of Caring"

More information can be found in our digital historical archives!

Sources:

historicpittsburgh.org

Source: Wilkinsburg Historical Society. (2007). Images of America: Wilkinsburg. Arcadia Publishing.

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