Category: Houses

The Multrup Steel Mansion is still for sale. Open house on Sat 1/20. Now $49,000 or less!
Sooo…. who is up for a little road trip to Beaver Falls this weekend!

I’ve been noticing that the two previous posts on the Moltrup Steel Mansion have been getting a lot of visits recently. So I thought I would check back and see if this house was still for sale.

The Multrup Steel Mansion located at 914 8th Ave is still for sale and the price has been reduced to $49,000. There is a new listing agent for the property, Carol Tomayko, her team has been very responsive to questions.

You can read a history of the Moltrup Steel Mansion on our previous post here.

The house has been featured on several old house blogs and you can read some of the comments on Old House Dreams to learn more about the current condition of the house. Long story short… not good.

Here are a few notes from comments left by Philip Poburka who toured the home over the summer:
- “One of the thing I noticed which has not been mentioned are the tension failures in some areas of the Masonry, which have occurred from the Home’s differential settling over time.”
- “There is no Wood in any of the construction, other than for the small and modest Back Porch, and, of course, the Sash Windows and Interior Wood Moldings and Paneling and Stair Treads and.”
- “Let alone, all the lovely Wood work which has not ever had any second coats of varnish or other finish.”
914 8th Ave, Beaver Falls Open House This Saturday

I have just confirmed with the listing agent that there is an open house at 914 8th Ave, Beaver Falls for this Saturday, January 20 from 1-4pm.

Price Drop $49,900 or Less?

The realtor has also told me that while the price is listed at $49,900, the property is now in foreclosure and the bank intends to sell the home via auction in the next few weeks.

See more photos and learn more about 914 8th Ave:
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January 18, 2018
Price Drop. The Moltrup Steel Mansion in Beaver Falls Reduced to $62,500
Update 1/18/2018 – Open house on Saturday, January 20, 2018.

This Beaver Falls mansion was built by the family who owned the Moltrup Steel manufacturing plant in 1914. When I first profiled this building for historic preservation month in May, 2017. The house was listed for $80,500. (You can see all of the posts that I wrote for historic preservation month here.)

The post on the Moltrup Steel Mansion that is for sale in Beaver Falls has continued to be popular and I went to see if the house had sold. The 5 bedroom, 4 bath house is still available and the price has been reduced to $62,500. Looking at the comments about this property on Old House Dreams site, there has been some interest in this property from a buyer on the other side of the country.

Hubzu Auction for Beaver Falls Mansion

The house is also listed for auction on Hubzu.com. The auction has one day left and the starting bid $49,500, which is still below the reserve price.

See more photos and learn more about 914 8th Ave:
For more historic information on Beaver Falls, PA:
- Historic Beaver Falls Facebook page
September 25, 2017
National Negro Opera Company House: The Most Historic House in Pittsburgh You Probably Have Never Heard Of
National Negro Opera House in Homewood. Photo taken April 2016.

If there is one house you learn about from our month long series for historic preservation month, the The National Negro Opera Company House in Homewood is the house to remember. This house needs some love and unlike the other properties that I have posted about this month, I don’t know what the future holds for this place. I believe there is a huge opportunity for this building, but it is also a huge challenge.

The house, located at 7101 Apple Street in the Homewood Neighborhood, was built in 1908.

Three Reasons the National Negro Opera Company House is Important
- This building was home to the first African-American opera company in the United States.
- The house belonged to Woogie Harris, brother of photographer Teenie Harris.
- It is rumored that the Steelers franchise was won in a card game in the basement of the house.
Learn more about the National Negro Opera Company House

Photo credit: Secret Pittsburgh.

For an in depth look at the history of the National Negro Opera House, check out this post on Secret Pittsburgh. (Also, how interesting is it that Pitt offers a class called Secret Pittsburgh? Another fascinating thing I learned while writing about historic Pittsburgh places). The Curbed post from May 2016 offers some more information on efforts to save this building.
- Homewood: National Negro Opera Company, Secret Pittsburgh, April 19, 2016
- The Preservation Puzzle of Mystery Manor, an Oasis of Black Culture in Pittsburgh: The challenge of renovating one of the city’s most historic homes, Curbed, May 2016
- Preservationists hope plaque is first step toward rebirth of storied Homewood house, Post-Gazette, May 2, 2007
- National Negro Opera Company, OnQ, WQED
Location of the National Negro Opera Company House
May 31, 2017
The Gardener-Bailey House in Edgewood

I learned about the Gardener-Bailey house from this photo from Cam Miller (@CatLadyCam) on Instagram. Built in 1864, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Does anyone know the history of this grand old Victorian home?

The Gardener-Bailey house, built in 1864, is hidden away on W. Swissvale Ave in Edgewood section of Pittsburgh. It was placed on the National Register in 1974. #housesofpgh #housestalker #archilovers #architecture #detailsmatter #historicpgh

A post shared by Cam Miller (@catladycam) on Jan 11, 2017 at 1:07am PST

May 31, 2017
Buy the Moltrup Steel Mansion in Beaver Falls for $80,500
Update 1/18/2018: Open house on Saturday, January 20, 2018.
Update 9/25/2017: Price Drop. The Moltrup Steel Mansion in Beaver Falls Reduced to $62,500

Today’s post for preservation month was shared by Jonathan Denson on his Facebook Page Discovering Historic Pittsburgh. If you are interested in historic buildings, the Discovering Historic Pittsburgh Facebook page should be on your radar. Check out some of his recent posts on homes in Titusville and McKeesport.

Jonathan shared a link to the post about the Moltrup Steel Mansion on the blog Circa, which is an entire blog about old homes all across the country. I could spend all afternoon browsing through the houses on here.

History of the Moltrup Steel Mansion & Moltrup Steel

This house was also featured on the Old House Dreams website and there are lots of comments with more history of this house. Here is what I have pieced together about the history of the house and of the Moltrup Steel Company. I was surprised that there is not much information about Molthup Steel on the internet.
- 1914 – House was built with a steel frame
- 1924 – Stephen Moltrup dies, his wife Ellen stayed in the house with her daughter Helen
- 1964 – Helen Moltrup Townsend bought the house from her mother for $5,256
- 1989 – Moltrup Steel plants sold to Fort Pitt Acquisition Inc
- 1999 – Helen Moltrup Townsend’s son, Stpehen Townsend, sold the house for $122,000
- 2001 – The house was sold for $129,000
- 2004 – The house was sold to Shane Bowser for $144,000
- 2002 – Moltrup Steel plant shut down
- 2007 – Moltrup Steel plant demolished
Fire & water damage, but woodwork, marble & stained glass still intact

While the house definitely needs a restoration, the woodwork and marble are still in place. The house has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a 3 car garage.

There is a unique stained glass window in the photos, I have already emailed the stained glass experts at Preservation Pittsburgh to see what they know about this window.

From a comment on the Circa Facebook page:

I was in this house today and it is magnificent! Full disclosure there have been 3 fires in the house and it has severe water damage. Repair estimates are at least $150k-250k. It is a concrete and steel frame but water has wreaked havoc. Still, the woodwork, staircases, and stained glass are in incredible shape.

More photos of the house are available on the listing and on the Old House Dreams blog.

The Google street view image of the house is dated August 2011 and it looks like the house was lived in at the time, or at least decorated with flags for the holiday.

The house is located just a few blocks away from the Beaver River.

Moltrup Steel Mansion Listing

Address: 914 8th Ave, Beaver Falls, PA 15010

Listing Agent: Melissa Hill, Northwood Realty

Asking Price: $89,500

Visit the listing on Northwood for a virtual tour of the house.

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May 23, 2017