Manchester Historic Society to host home and garden tour

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An 1876 home on Sheffield Street was vacant and deteriorating. David McAnallen bought it and brought it back to life.

“I think if we had not stepped in that it would have been torn down,” McAnallen said. “It was an empty shell and needed a complete restoration.”

Those who want to see the final result can attend Showcase Manchester, an annual home and garden tour in the North Side neighborhood on Sunday. It’s the first since 2019 because of the pandemic.

There are 14 properties, including Fulton Commons, a co-working office and shared kitchen commissary. Of the 13 private properties, seven are homes and gardens, three are homes only, and three feature gardens only.

“We have a lot of different houses on the tour,” said Julie Kaigler, who owns a Second Empire style home built in 1884 and is co-chairing the event with Linda Hansen for the Manchester Historic Society. “This is such an eclectic neighborhood. We love living in this neighborhood, and showcasing the homes here. We couldn’t do this tour without the help of so many dedicated volunteers.”

Those volunteers will be at each home, welcoming visitors who will also have the opportunity to meet homeowners.

Many of the houses are Victorian style. Manchester is classified as an historic neighborhood, and most of it must comply with the rules of Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission, which provides guidance to those seeking to conduct exterior work on historic buildings in the city.

McAnallen has done work on both the outside and inside of his home. He said contractor Eddie Pinto and Steve Schuler of Mercury Glass, who did the stained glass work throughout the home, were instrumental in the process. That process took about five years and included putting an addition on the third floor, which has a television room, primary bedroom and bathroom, and an open air deck.

Most of the materials used were repurposed from other homes, such as wood accents, floors, fireplaces and spindles for the staircase. The first floor is a rental unit. On the second floor is a kitchen, a combined dining area and living room, and two fireplaces.

The kitchen has Venetian plaster, walnut countertops and a wood breakfast nook table. A cantilever deck is off the kitchen. The home has a lot of natural light and lots of exposed brick throughout.

“I love walking behind people up the steps and then I listen to their reaction. Often I hear, ‘Oh my goodness. I wasn’t expecting that,’” McAnallen said.

One of those unexpected sights is a courtyard visible from the second and third floors. McAnallen purchased the adjacent lot and created a plush setting with lots of trees and a pond surrounded by an oval pathway of decorative white rocks. He calls it a private, urban oasis.

It is secluded behind greenery and an iron gate at the entrance.

The entire property is almost one and one half acres. He is restoring nearby properties, including a two-story garage turned carriage house that used to be a toy factory. All of this complements the history of the neighborhood, he said.

“I believe the value added to this home is in the addition,” said McAnallen. “The courtyard is icing on the property. You can look out at it from various areas of the home. I like the blend of everything, the old and the new, all the materials. Living here is great. There is such a neat network of people here. This neighborhood is transforming itself.”

The Showcase Manchester home and garden walking tour is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be food trucks and artists showing their work as well as Pedicabs available for rides. Tickets are $25, $20 in advance and available here.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

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