The first Frick

This past weekend in Pennsylvania, I was happy to show some of my friends around one of my favorite places from childhood, Clayton House: the original Frick mansion in Pittsburgh.

The grounds house a really fine art museum, amazing antique car & carriage museum (recently renovated), an orchid filled conservatory, a playhouse turned giftshop (complete with bowling alley), a delicious cafe and wonderful grounds, not to mention a beautiful victorian home.Many things on the property bare the name Clayton. The name is derived from Henry CLAY Frick: The 'ton' relates to the word town.Part of the carriagehouse.The playhouse was built for the children and is the size of a normal house. It held rooms for the children's toys as well as a bowling alley! Lucky kids! It now holds the giftshop: this is where you will start your tour.The conservatory lies next door.Across the walkway is an old caretakers cottage which now houses a pretty great restaurant. We didn't get a chance to eat here but I highly recommend it based on past experiences.

This stone house is now part of the property but wasn't owned by the Fricks till after Helen's Death in the 1980s when it was bought by the foundation for the administration offices. The main house was renovated after the Frick's purchase of a typical Victorian which they renovated into a gracious family home. The only original piece left was the porte cochere seen here below an amazing stained glass & copper bay.A closeup of the port cochere columns.A shot of the backdoor to end the tour. If you find yourself in Pittsburgh, don't forget to visit, the interiors are spectacular!