Built in 1890, the Westinghouse Castle was designed by Frederick J. Osterling. Osterling is well known for his work around Pittsburgh. The most prominent Osterling building is probably the Union Trust Building. The Westinghouse Castle, was never actually a castle or a residence. This building served as an office building for the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. From 2006 until 2013, the Westinghouse Castle was used as a museum and could be rented for events. John Graf, who runs the Priory Hospitality group, purchased the Westinghouse Castle last summer. The Priory Hospitality group plans to redevelop the castle as a boutique hotel.
Kickstarter for the Westinghouse Castle
To kickoff the redevelopment of the Westinghouse Castle John Graf has launched a Kickstarter to raise the first $150,000 of the project. Watch the video and check out the Kickstarter page for the Westinghouse Castle to learn more about redevelopment plans for the hotel and the economic benefits that they hotel is projected to bring to the community.
With the Graf’s experience in remodeling and running hotels and event facilities in historic buildings, this has the potential to transform Wilmerding into a destination just outside of Pittsburgh.
A brief history of the Westinghouse Castle
- 1890 – Westinghouse Castle was built by Frederic Osterling
- 1914 – George Westinghouse dies
- 1985 – Castle is donated to an organization that turns it into a conference center (via New York Times)
- 2006 – Wilmerding Renewed buys the Westinghouse Castle from APICS Educational and Research Foundation for $750,000
- 2013 – Tours end at Westinghouse Castle
- 2016 – John Graf purchases the property at sheriff’s sale for $100,000
For more on the history of the Westinghouse Castle, visit The George Westinghouse Legacy Facebook page.
A 13 Mile Drive from Downtown Pittsburgh
Wilmerding is just about 20 miles east of Downtown Pittsburgh. Without traffic, that is about a 30 minute drive.
I was thrilled when I heard that the Priory group bought this building but I honestly am concerned that they can create their dream because of the location. However, if they do succeed, I would hope that they could create a mini-museum within as a tribute to George Westinghouse. I don’t know where the artifacts went from when it was in use, or at least in uses as a museum, but I hope they can retain them.
Hi Cam. Thanks for the comment. According to the Wikipedia page for the Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office Building (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westinghouse_Air_Brake_Company_General_Office_Building), the artifacts were moved to the Heinz History Center.