Des. Res.

Modern photos courtesy of : Instagram: watchtower_of_allegheny_tour

Two years ago when I visited Pittsburgh I was taken to see the former residences of the Russells, father and son. At that time this was the photograph I took.

The properties were on the market, and the owner was offering to turn them into whatever you wanted for over $400,000 per plot.  Much of the interiors had to be gutted, because all new floors were needed. However, the aim was to restore the homes as sympathetically as possible. So the double spiral staircases on each side were to be fully restored.

Now they are completed, and here is another recent photograph to show what the exteriors now look like.

So any collectors with too much money can forget about bidding on eBay for rare bits of paper and perhaps collect some historic real estate instead.

For any new readers, these two houses were at one time owned by the Russell family. Joseph L Russell owned the house on the left, and Charles T Russell owned the one on the right. Joseph L died in his property in 1897. and left it to his wife, Emma.

When Maria left CTR, she moved back into the house on the right, and rented rooms out to lodgers. Her mother Selena died there in 1901. When CTR ultimately took back the property, Maria simply moved in with Emma next door. The two women would live together at various locations in Pittsburgh and later Florida until Emma died in 1929. Maria lived on until 1938.