Henry Frick played a big role in Pittsburgh’s early steel industry, owning or managing coal mines, coke ovens, and steel mills. His legacy includes partial responsibility for the bloody fiasco of the Homestead Strike and the disastrous Johnstown flood which was caused by the failure of the dam at the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive mountain retreat for wealthy industrialists and their families.
The Frick Art and Historical Center includes the house where the Frick family lived from 1882 to 1905 before they relocated to New York. The house stayed in the family even though they didn’t live in it. Frick’s daughter, Helen Clay Frick, built a museum on the property in 1970 to house her art collection. She spent her last years living in the house and made provisions to have the property opened to the public after her death. The house is restored to the time period when Henry Frick occupied it. Most of it is original and very lavish. Taking photographs is not permitted in the house or the museums.
Also on the property and opened to the public are a Car and Carriage Museum, greenhouse, and visitor center. The museums, greenhouse and visitor center are all free. Admission to the house tour is free to visitors with an NARM membership.
The site is partly accessible. The art museum has a ramp to the entrance. The doors are a little heavy. The Car and Carriage Museum is accessible. The greenhouse is not accessible due to steps at the entrance. The visitor center, where the house tours begin, has a short ramp without a level landing making it awkward to enter the building.The first floor of the house is accessed by a lift. Some of the tour is missed because the accessible entrance is not the one used by the tour guide. One interior doorway is narrow and all wheelchairs may not fit into that area. The upstairs floors are not accessible but a short video is available for viewing.
Vans and short RVs will fit in the parking lot. Larger RVs can be parked along the street. Museum
40.44655, -79.90189
No comments:
Post a Comment