richard b mellon mansion
Even the venerable institutions associated with the family make news when scandal hits. He died on December 1, 1933, before the new building was completed. 'The various railroad lines poured crowds of tourists into the cities along the St. Johns River, filling hotels to capacity for months. From an early age, Thomas Mellon entrusted his sons with business ventures. Although there are four distinct branches descending from the legendary Judge Thomas Mellon, I'm unsure how many Pittsburghers know (or care) which Mellon is which. Drs. Music, drawing and painting, and French cost extra. Incredible photos show the abandoned remains of a 6,000-square-foot river retreat that once belonged to a hugely successful US banking magnate. behind-the-scenes for the Mellon men. After her death, James continued to spend each winter in Palatka. Perhaps her detachment only went so far. [3] LaQuatra Bonci Associates was responsible for the planning and supervising of the garden's redemption. Thomas Mellon assures us in his memoir chapter entitled "Courtship and Marriage" that Sarah Jane's attitude was not born of coquetry. His father, Judge Thomas Mellon, was the founder of Mellon Bank and patriarch to the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. _____________________________________________________________. In 1913, James and his brothers founded the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in memory of their father who passed away in February 1908, An old calendar from 1970 at the house. The memorial stone indicates that the remains of some 50 other East End pioneer families are interred therebaouts, although I have not been able to find a comprehensive list. In 1931, R.B. Peggy Hitchcock participated in Leary's early psychedelic experiments. 'During their years in Florida the Mellons were very involved in the community and supported the education system. The Estate of Richard P. Mellon, Ligonier, Pennsylvania After harrowing skirmishes with Indians, he resettled his family in the more hospitable Pittsburgh area. "I have been active in horticulture for years, flora of all kinds," he wrote in his. (I certainly remember the unfortunate eviction of Graffiti and the obsessive muckraking and embarrassing divorces of Dickie Scaife). Didnt he know how badly I would want to walk through it? Built in 1910, it included a bowling alley and carriage house. [8], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}40277.47N 79554.99W / 40.4520750N 79.9180528W / 40.4520750; -79.9180528. Yet I firmly believe that history serves as a teaching tool in the present, while also providing a sense of identity. Yes, THAT Timothy Leary. His grandfather Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937) was worth around $350 million at the time of his death. His Richard King Mellon | Popular Pittsburgh In 1913, James and his brothers founded the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in memory of their father who passed away in February 1908. Anna Maria Negley following her husband Alexander's death still exists Or consider how the mental competency of Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon (a Mellon by marriage, she was the second wife of Andrew Mellon's son Paul) was called into question over her support of now-disgraced Senator John Edwards. Yet it was not really a farm but a country home." ?, June 19, 1944, Page THREE, Image 3, brought to you by Alaska State Library Historical Collections, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. Richard K. Mellon remained an outdoorsman and grew the family retreat in Ligonier into a grand estate. I occasionally took myself to Mellon Park in Shadyside. The comments below have not been moderated. It is also home to several recreational facilities. Everything was velvety, expensive, plush, posh, polished, hand-painted and eminently BREAKABLE. Even Sarah Jane's small talk seemed to get on Thomas' nerves, for he notes in his memoirs: Apparently the Negleys didn't pay extra for those music lessons at the Edgeworth Ladies' Boarding School. One of Pittsburgh's historic green spaces is conveniently located just minutes from Shadyside Commons. If you're from Pittsburgh, you know the name Mellon. to more photos). Adherence to Law. Billy made the family's secluded Millburn, New York estate available to Leary and his team of Harvard researchers, where they famously examined psychedelically-altered states of consciousness. The grand too often eclipses the ordinary, usually to the detriment of our historical and human understanding. Clearly that house isn't there anymore.". In 1957 . He had a personal fortune of $1.4billion in his lifetime, mostly through inherited wealth. Sunday was an incredibly popular supporter of Prohibition, and his preaching likely played a significant role in the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919.'. Sarah Jane piled on to the scolding that James received from his father. PDF A JUST PUBLIC REALM FOR PITTSBURGH - Heinz Endowments Biography . Take the wealthiest Mellon, Andrew, a Gilded Age venture capitalist who became the longest-serving Secretary of the Treasury and eventually President Hoover's economic scapegoat in the lead-up to the Great Depression (rightly or wrongly depending upon your read of history). Mellon Park, 'a prime example of landscape design,' is up for historic In The Judge, grandson William Larimer Mellon described his grandmother, our Sarah Jane: Sarah eventually acquired a sizable staff to supervise. She didn't seem to collect much beyond platitudes, trivia and memories in her scrapbooks -- nothing like the grand homes or art that her offspring would acquire. The other day as I was walking in Highland Park I came across a memorial. Several other architects added their own touch to the landscape, including the Olmsted Brothers and some seventeen years after the garden began, Vitale and Geiffert. On July 1, 2007, as a result of the merger of Mellon Financial Corporation and the Bank of New York, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, doing business as BNY Mellon, was formed. The estates gardens and ornate wrought-iron gate remain as traces of the lands former use. Such was the case on Nov. 16, 1927, at the wedding of the daughter of Richard Beatty Mellon who was the niece of Andrew Mellon and the future mother of Richard Mellon Scaife. Mellon Residence in Shadyside Within the East End is Shadyside, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh that boomed in the second half of the 1800s. Keeping up with the Mellons | Pittsburgh Magazine This game of Tag lasted for nearly seven decades. This was a woman who had the means to do anything she wanted, and then some. Avenue. The line history becomes attainable couldnt be more true. Did she grow to like, or love, her husband? The land was then given to the city to become what is known now as Mellon Park, while the carriage house is the Phipps Garden Center. In his memoir, Judge Mellon's Sons, he described how ".every kind of activity associated with a farm, including the slaughtering and dressing of hogs, was regularly carried on there. She didn't turn Thomas away, but then again, neither did she encourage him. Mellon Park is a park in the Shadyside and Point Breeze neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, straddling both sides of Fifth Avenue, from approximately Shady Avenue to Penn Avenue, the western corner abutting Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building. Some of Eagle Rock was saved, however. Mellon Bank, then Pennsylvania's largest banking institution, dis-invested in the Pittsburgh region during its time of need in the early 1980s. Andrew Mellon's cuckolding, and his subsequent very public divorce from Nora It's in plain sight but bland and usually overlooked.. Rather like Andrew Mellon, actually. 5 Copy quote. [1], The Walled Garden is surrounded by walls of brick and limestone and is one of Gothic design. The 65-room mansion of Richard B. Mellon, brother of Andrew Mellon, built at 6500 Fifth Avenue in 1910: The Richard B. Mellons raised two children in that "house," which included a bowling alley in the basement and a carriage house. This family dramatically shaped Pittsburgh's economic and civic character, and its influence extended far beyond the city. Source. You can also learn about the Gilded Age and its extreme wealth gap. Quiet, pleasant and self-possessed: Sarah Jane Negley Mellon half-hidden in the ivy near a split-level cul-de-sac along Negley Sarah was a woman of her times. The land surrounding the mansion was donated to the city of Pittsburgh and now serves as Mellon Park. Thomas finally reached his limit. The Mellon Park Project wanted to create a memorial in memory of Ann Katherine Seamans, who frequented the Walled Garden repeatedly after being introduced to it in kindergarten. Children followed in rapid succession. Richard Mellon Scaife, Influential U.S. Conservative, Dies at 82 Its amazing how much you can learn from a house. The chandeliers once graced a 1930s-era Los Angeles theater. She flatly ignored attempts at flattery and flirtation, leaving poor frustrated Thomas lamenting that he was made to feel "that to talk love would be out of place and might subject me to to ridicule.". Incredible photos show the abandoned remains of a 6,000-square-foot river retreat that once belonged to a hugely successful US banking magnate. Richard B. Mellon - Wikipedia In this era when a woman was most known by her husband's Thomas got back to work quickly after their honeymoon. It had been erected in 1912 by Sarah Negley Mellon to honor her grandparents, Alexander and Anna Maria Burkstresser Negley, who were buried there in unmarked graves along with many other nameless Pittsburgh pioneers. About the Carnegie Mansion - Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum Poor Andrew remained "It" for four years until he died. After nearly a decade of marriage, Thomas and Sarah Jane built a new home for their growing family on Negley land adjacent to their existing cottage, with an eventual address of 401 Negley Avenue. Not everyone agrees with me and there have been periods of history where this statement would have been ignored entirely. They also made joint philanthropic gifts, notably several large donations to their alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, including creation of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research to honor their father, which is now a part of Carnegie Mellon University. I suppose what with all this moving about of bodies, it's not surprising that a mistaken reburial to East Liberty got attached to this story. During World War II, the current Catholic Church building was built by hand by parish members using materials from the dismantled Richard B. Mellon mansion in Pittsburgh. My family visited Mellon Square, situated mid-way between Kaufmann's and Gimbel's department stores on Smithfield Street, whenever we shopped downtown in the 1970s. It is unfortunate that such an opportunity has been taken away from us. A bare mattress on the floor also suggests that someone may be squatting in the building. A farmhouse built by grandmother First of all, I loved reading your blog, because even though Im an engineering major history has always fascinated me! He persisted in the face of little if any enthusiasm from Sarah Jane, whom he saw as polite and conversational, but distant and discouraging of intimacy. By Stephanie Reed Springer, April 9, 2015. One NorthShore Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A. (412) 323-4600. While not as significant as the old post office, city hall or the Wabash terminal, it would be really cool if the Richard B. Mellon mansion were still around. The girls are probably grateful to be inside and removed from the elements, because Pittsburgh's industrial climate clearly did their complexions no favors! Been waiting for this to open, congratulations #MarkHolden of Blend Cigar Bar Pastor and committee investigated. 12 Beautiful Portrait Locations in Pittsburgh - Laura Mares Eventually even Judge Mellon himself concluded "There's nothing to it" and returned home. The park is home to the Walled Garden, and holds events throughout the year. And there was all that fuss about her then-boyfriend former Allegheny County District Attorney Robert W. Duggan: his political scandals, their hasty marriage likely orchestrated to legally avoid being compelled to testify against him during a federal corruption investigation, and questions surrounding his sudden death (accident? She introduced Leary to her brother William "Billy" Mellon Hitchcock, and he in turn became the Daddy Warbucks of the Counterculture. Famously private, for the most part Mellons and their kin have kept mostly to themselves in a removed, rarified social sphere. Three of our most recent grants are highlighted below. [5] One event that has taken place annually since 1969 is A Fair in the Park put on by the Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh in the month of September. But the youngest of his two sons, Seward Prosser Mellon, made headlines in the mid-1970s related to a horrific custody battle with his ex-wife. QUOTES BY RICHARD B. MELLON | A-Z Quotes Richard Beatty Mellon (March 19, 1858 - December 1, 1933), sometimes R.B., part of the Mellon family, was a banker, industrialist, and philanthropist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . Heinz History Center, Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs. It's all about ME. I'll be writing more about that visit later, but one thing I can tell you now is that I could not wrap my brain around what it would be like for Fricks children to grow up in a house that large, which was actually small by the standards of wealth in those days. The newlyweds moved in with Sarah's mother and some Negley siblings who'd remained in the family home. James Ross Mellon was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 14, 1846, son of Judge Thomas Mellon who is better known for being the founder of Mellon Bank and patriarch of the wealthy and influential Mellon family. Somewhere in Highland Park lie the Negleys with their many friends and neighbors. I sat there stunned anew. Simple theme. Clayton curator Emilia Boehm told me that much of the furnishings and items in the museum were once at the summer estate. Being quiet, pleasant, and self-possessed would do. We find Sarah Jane under the Mellon listing in a chapter entitled "Women of Wealth": There you have it. The homes owner made his money through investment in such prosperous industries as oil, coal, and steel. The park was established in 1943, on the grounds of the former estate of Richard B. Mellon. With the Depression, and these other societal changes, many of the mansions built during this era were destroyed. Whither, Sarah? : http://rivista-cdn.pittsburghmagazin.ver=1328293938 Richard Mellon Scaife is the best-known living member of Pittsburgh's storied Mellon clan, whose eponymous bank made the family a 19th-century fortune, which grew steadily with diversified . From Troy Hill, a subsequent closing in 1888 meant the poor souls were re-interred one more time, to the Smithfield East End Cemetery in Squirrel Hill, now maintained by Homewood Cemetery. But in fact, it's not unusual for rural communities like old Negleytown to have had their own burial grounds. They are not instantly recognizable the way other local tycoons like Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie are. Instead, take heed of this: a monument to one woman's love of family, and her desire to honor the past. described as, Sarah's daughter, Cordelia Scaife May, scrupulously shunned publicity but left a legacy brimming with gossip. His brother, Andrew William Mellon, right, was the US Ambassador to Britain and the US treasury secretary, Matthew Mellon, pictured with his ex-wife British-born Tamara Mellon (left and right). And even fewer managed to hold onto their money and influence the way the Mellons have. Richard B. Mellon Quotes. It became the target of steelworker ire culminating in disruptive demonstrations, boycotts and mass withdrawals of funds. Given his ex-wife's well-documented personal difficulties, plus alleged threats to the girls' safety by organized crime, Pross Mellon and his second wife were able to keep custody of and raise his daughters. MELLON, Richard B. How'd They Do It? The church and a cemetery were established on family property granted by descendants of William Penn in 1792. A number of . We are also left with very little in the way of physical artifacts to The park is all that's left of Richard B. Mellon's 65 room mansion, built in 1909. Presidential Administrations Arthur A. Hamerschlag, 1903-1922 Richard M. Cyert, 1972-1990 Thomas S. Baker, 1922-1935 Robert Mehrabian, 1990-1997 Robert E. Doherty, 1936-1950 Jared L. Cohon, 1997-2013 Richard B. Mellon | Fact# 11366 | FactRepublic.com He was also worth around . I can now extemporaneously follow various Mellon lineages, dissect Mellon accomplishments and scandals, and marvel at how this one family has disseminated its reputed $12 billion wealth and influence. 63 years old, died in the Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Roxbury, on June 23, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. Mellon's personal sense of style was exemplified by a hat-rack made of mirrors and buffalo horns and half a taxidermied buffalo head (yes, half), both of which he kept on display as Given that few descendants even carry the Mellon name today, genealogical clarity and historical perspective are that much more difficult to achieve. I think this is a very important thing to consider when people try and tear down historic sites. James and his eldest brother Thomas agreed to pool their business interests together, becoming dealers in coal, lumber, and other building materials which were in high demand at the time in Pittsburgh. He was fined and received a suspended sentence for his efforts after providing crucial testimony against some partners. Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church was founded in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants. Sarah might have been the dullest of them all, but we'll never know for sure. 29 vintage silver prints (9 x 13 inches) mounted to album leaves, printed title-page. name, as Mrs. So-and-so, it's hard not to make too much of the fact that Sarah used "They wanted almost the entire mansion. As you can see from these photos, Eagle Rock was a beautiful piece of architecture that should have been kept for future generations. Sacred to the memory of those noble Christian pioneers who moulded I don't know how Sarah Jane would regard the checkered reputations of her descendants, but I certainly think she was proud of her own past. Her father, Jacob Negley, was a surveyor and mechanical engineer. James and wife Rachael first came to Florida in the early 1880s, to get away from the frigid winters in Pennsylvania. 64 People and Their Famous Last Words - Mental Floss marital woes brought him a lifetime of embarrassment. Height: 115.5 in (293.37 cm) Width: 13 in (33.02 cm) Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm) The church was dedicated on July 4, 1944. It was erected to house the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. Yes!! And then there was the Great Depression, the event that eliminated much of the remaining wealth of the Robber Barons. Late heiress' anti-immigration efforts live on. The rotting remains of a staircase in the winter retreat. A Parting Shot at Richard Mellon Scaife - CounterPunch.org The rail ties and lumber used to build the railroad were furnished by the lumber company the Mellon brothers owned. The couple moved back in with the widowed Mrs. Negley when Sarah was pregnant with their first child in 1844. The mansion was built by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, PA under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. He served as a program officer at The Forbes Funds and McCune. I'd pretend that each carefully landscaped section was a room in my make-believe mansion, then I'd hop-scotch around on the groovy terrazzo paving (reportedly those designs came from a suggestion by Sarah Mellon Scaife) and fantasize about climbing the magical cascading fountain. Richard E Mellon, age 54. The Mellon bank helped finance the construction of the Ligonier Valley Railroad. Richard B. Mellon Partner: Triple R Farms Cotton Farm: 6227 Old Highway 80, Bolton, MS 39041 PO Box 40, Bolton, MS 39041 Highway 80, Bolton, MS 39041 (601) 866-7168: Richard Mellon Director: Canterbury Village Condominium Association, Inc Membership Organization: 5495 Bryson Dr, Naples, FL 34109 We are officially open today! New Kensington tour shows link between history, holy places Mrs. Mellon was born in the old Negley mansion at Stanton and Negley avenues on February 3, 1817, the homestead being torn down only a few years ago. Richard Beatty Mellon (1858 - 1933) - Genealogy - geni family tree One story claims that they were originally buried downtown Pittsburgh at Smithfield and Sixth Streets, at what became the German Evangelical Protestant Church church (just around the corner from today's Mellon Park). The mansion was acquired by the congregation of Temple Sinai in 1946 and still serves as a synagogue today. Mellon Park is a park in the Shadyside and Point Breeze neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, straddling both sides of Fifth Avenue, from approximately Shady Avenue to Penn Avenue, the western corner abutting Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building. It is sort of a bittersweet ending to this blog to hear about all the beautiful mansions we will never be able to see again. At some point in my childhood, I learned that the Mellon family had established one of my favorite places on earth: Idlewild Park. Negley Mansion, Edgeworth Ladies' Boarding School, and the Mellon "country home" Thomas Alexander Mellon, Sr. (1813 - 1908) - Genealogy - geni family tree Stunned, I started researching the house, asking myself, "You'd remember if you saw that, right? Postcard of bridge spanning Lake Bouquet leading to Flower Island at Idlewild Park. The education and supervision of chores for their five surviving boys seems to have been left to Thomas's oversight. These lovely statues which grace the Broderie Room at Phipps Conservatory in Oakland once stood in the mansion's gardens. Richard was born in 1899. Quiet, pleasant and self-possessed: Sarah Jane Neg What ho, blog writer? Details. We are very proud to have integrated various historical pieces within the store that really resonate with the city of Pittsburgh. Send Report . jubilated a practical minded committee, upon learning that all they surveyed could be theirs merely for the cost of hauling it away! Mellon Square dedication, October 18, 1955. Honoring family and accomplishments mattered. Did she want to say "told you so" when all was said and done? homestead of Alexander Negley, where are interred about fifty early 'In 1899, the Union Trust Company of Pittsburgh was organized by the Mellon family, to be followed by the Union Savings Bank. Did he know in an instant that Sarah Jane was "the one of destiny"? James Mellon donated land for the Mellon School, which later became Putnam High School. R.B. According to contemporary accounts, proud papa Richard B. spent $100,000 to build and decorate a pavilion at his East End mansion for the wedding feast and ball. With opalescent glass alone, the panel presents an evocative scene of rippling water, floating lotus flowers, and a footbridge draped with roses. For $200 a year (paid three months in advance) Sarah Jane would have studied reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, composition, geography, astronomy with the use of globes, natural philosophy, chemistry, history, and plain and ornamental needle work. Their two daughters did not live past infancy, and another son died at age 9. He was the founder of the Rolling Rock Club. Fricks daughter, Helen, loathed the house and felt it was too opulent, so she allowed for its demolition. It would be lovely to curl up with those books to see what she collected, to learn what held her interest and curiosity. He created a lumber yard and builders supply business with his brother, Thomas Jr., in East Liberty. If not, would she have dared to tell him, to scoff at him? The Judge author and descendant James Mellon describes a dark and sturdily decorated Victorian interior. He believed the old man's sentimentality had been taken advantage of. Above the cast iron door of the original bank building at 514 Smithfield Street was placed a near life-sized statue of his inspiration, Benjamin Franklin. A few years later, they moved nearly next door into a home Mrs. Negley gifted them. James R. Mellon was born on January 14, 1846. managed to slide under the media radar. These are priceless artifacts we will never get back, and now we must rely on people like you to educate us on what used to be. ', 'The Mellons welcomed many famous guests into their home, including Billy Sunday, a former National League baseball player turned evangelist. He and his brother, Andrew W. Mellon, another son of Judge Thomas Mellon, were frequent business partners. But the chapter is all about their itinerary, not their intimacy. Indeed, there was much here that had ecclesiastical potentialities. (Factual information from Images of America: Pittsburghs Mansions by Melanie Linn Gutowski), Photo courtesy of: http://thatschurch.com/2012/04/30/pittsburgh-history-with-ginny-suck-it-harlequin/. Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mellon_Park&oldid=1138195611, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 14:16.