Gilfillan Farm
Encyclopedia
Gilfillan Farm is located at the junction of Washington (U.S. Route 19
) and Boyce roads in Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is a working farm whose current form dates to the mid-19th century.
The farm's main house shows the transition from the Greek Revival
style
to the Victorian
modes that became dominant later in the century. It remained a farm in the hands of the same family until 2001, even as the area around it has become a suburb
of nearby Pittsburgh. In 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, and is currently owned by the township's historical society.
shopping mall is a short distance north on the opposite side of Washington. There are sidewalks on the streets and the property itself is fenced off.
The main house is a two-story, three-bay
structure of brick painted red. It is topped with a slate-shingled gable
d roof. There is a large wing on the rear that has had an addition put on. A nearby stone springhouse is the oldest building on the farm.
Windows have decorative
wooden lintels and white pine
moldings
. A porch supported by wooden columns stretches across the west (front) of the first story. The main entrance has a red glass transom
and similar sidelights with a frosted grape pattern.
Inside many original finishings remain. The doors have white pine molded surrounds like their exterior counterparts, and one of the parlors has a fireplace mantel also of pine. Slate and marble
are used for the other two fireplaces on the first story.
A breezeway
connects the main house to a brick wash house to its rear. It is also three bays but only one story high. To its rear is a smokehouse
.
Also nearby is a 40 by frame
barn on a stone foundation
. Its roof is pierced by two ventilators. Next to it is thr stable
, with stalls for seven horses. A wagon shed, shop, pig pen, chicken coop and granary
round out the outbuildings.
.
In 1976 the family sold the surrounding acreage to the township, which have since been developed as a park with a 1.25 miles (2 km) walking trail. The Gilfillan descendants continued to live on and work the farm until the last one died in 2001. Margaret Gilfillan left the property to the Upper St. Clair Historical Society along with a $1.8 million trust fund to maintain it. The society has sought to change the zoning
in the area so that it may allow public parking and tours, after failing in an effort to transfer the land to the township. Currently it is open to the public only on Upper St. Clair Community Day, in May of every year.
U.S. Route 19 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 19 in Pennsylvania closely parallels Interstate 79 for its entire length. US 19 enters Pennsylvania in Greene County near Mount Morris. Its northern terminus is in the city of Erie. Part is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the Battle of Lake Erie.-Route description:In...
) and Boyce roads in Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a working farm whose current form dates to the mid-19th century.
The farm's main house shows the transition from the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
to the Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
modes that became dominant later in the century. It remained a farm in the hands of the same family until 2001, even as the area around it has become a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of nearby Pittsburgh. In 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and is currently owned by the township's historical society.
Property
The farmstead consists of 12 buildings on a 15 acres (6.1 ha) parcel of land sloping gently to the west. Washington Road is to the east, Boyce to the south, and a 60 acres (24.3 ha) township park is on the north. The South Hills VillageSouth Hills Village
South Hills Village is a two-level shopping mall located in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair. It was developed by the Oxford Development Co. as the first shopping complex to be built as a fully enclosed structure. The two-level complex is currently owned by Simon Property...
shopping mall is a short distance north on the opposite side of Washington. There are sidewalks on the streets and the property itself is fenced off.
The main house is a two-story, three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
structure of brick painted red. It is topped with a slate-shingled gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. There is a large wing on the rear that has had an addition put on. A nearby stone springhouse is the oldest building on the farm.
Windows have decorative
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
wooden lintels and white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
. A porch supported by wooden columns stretches across the west (front) of the first story. The main entrance has a red glass transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
and similar sidelights with a frosted grape pattern.
Inside many original finishings remain. The doors have white pine molded surrounds like their exterior counterparts, and one of the parlors has a fireplace mantel also of pine. Slate and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
are used for the other two fireplaces on the first story.
A breezeway
Breezeway
A breezeway is an architectural feature similar to a hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures to accommodate high winds, allow aeration, or provide aesthetic design variation. Often a breezeway is a simple roof connecting two structures ; sometimes it can be much more like a...
connects the main house to a brick wash house to its rear. It is also three bays but only one story high. To its rear is a smokehouse
Smokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
.
Also nearby is a 40 by frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
barn on a stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
. Its roof is pierced by two ventilators. Next to it is thr stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
, with stalls for seven horses. A wagon shed, shop, pig pen, chicken coop and granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
round out the outbuildings.
History
The farm was established by Alexander Gilfillan in the 1760s. His family was one of the first to settle in the future township, growing corn, hay, sheep and cattle. His grandson, John II, built the current farm complex from 1857 to 1868. The last building, the barn, was built in a community barn raisingBarn raising
A barn raising is an event during which community men come together to assemble a barn for one or more of its households, with the support of women. The event was particularly common in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America. In the past, a barn was often the first, largest, and most costly...
.
In 1976 the family sold the surrounding acreage to the township, which have since been developed as a park with a 1.25 miles (2 km) walking trail. The Gilfillan descendants continued to live on and work the farm until the last one died in 2001. Margaret Gilfillan left the property to the Upper St. Clair Historical Society along with a $1.8 million trust fund to maintain it. The society has sought to change the zoning
Zoning in the United States
Zoning in the United States comprise land use state laws falling under the police power rights that State governments and local governments have the authority to exercise over privately owned real property.-Origins and history:...
in the area so that it may allow public parking and tours, after failing in an effort to transfer the land to the township. Currently it is open to the public only on Upper St. Clair Community Day, in May of every year.