{"nrhp_refnum":"74001744","name":"Singer, John F., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1318 Singer Pl., Wilkinsburg Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsburgh","county":"Allegheny County","state":"PA","lat":40.44670064300004,"lon":-79.88190137199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone mansion in Wilkinsburg, near Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, built in a medievalistic Gothic-Second Empire manner. The form gives the construction dates as 1865-69 under specific dates.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is probably the largest and grandest example of a medievalistic Gothic-Second Empire stone manor house of the mid-nineteenth century in the Pittsburgh area. Its elaborate exterior and interior ornament are described as expressive of the High Victorian era, and it is considered one of the best and most effective High Victorian buildings extant in Pittsburgh. Its builder was a partner in the steel firm Singer, Hartman & Company.","narrative":"Built of coursed ashlar stone in the 1860s on a 30-acre estate near Wilkinsburg, the Singer House combines Gothic and Second Empire design in a sprawling, asymmetrical plan. Projecting end pavilions, gabled bays, steeply pointed dormers, carved bargeboards, and hexagonal roof tiles give the exterior its dense, textured silhouette, with Tudor chimneys adding to the effect. The house was built for John F. Singer, a partner in the steel manufacturer Singer, Hartman & Company. The grounds were laid out in the Romantic manner with an ornamental lake and shrubberies. A Gothic staircase hall is the most notable interior feature, though the rooms have suffered from neglect. A private chapel once stood beside the house and has since been converted into a garage. The property is regarded as one of the finest High Victorian buildings surviving in Pittsburgh and was probably unique in the region even in its own day.","period_of_significance":"1865-1869","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Medievalistic Gothic-Second Empire; High Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Neglected in its present state; the form says it is now in good hands and hoped to be preserved. Converted private chapel is now a garage.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.944594-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001744.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001744/8adf2c0632-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001744/8adf2c0632-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jack Boucher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_F._Singer_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jack Boucher</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_F._Singer_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997650","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Singer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6232548"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/allegheny-county/singer-john-f-house-74001744/"}