Since 1885, one Queen Anne Victorian in West Shadyside has stood quietly as the world changed around it. Through a shifting neighborhood, the rise and fall of the steel industry, and decades of less-than-stellar upgrades in other historical homes nearby, 719 Amberson Ave. has been both preserved and lovingly maintained for almost 150 years.
Pittsburgh Magazine first took readers to this landmark residence in 2018, when Mark Houser wrote about the decades of piano concerts that had occurred in the home. Francis Fairman III, a self-taught pianist and World War II veteran, played the piano nightly for his family from the time they purchased the home until before he died in 2021.
Prior to that, resident Ethel Spencer regaled readers with tales of growing up in the home in her 1959 book, “The Spencers of Amberson Avenue.” All homes have a story, but this one is a Pittsburgh masterpiece.
At the time the magazine first spoke with the Fairmans, Francis’ daughter Mimi Fairman was not sure what the future held for her family home…