Is the baby going to tumble off the hillside to certain death below?
That was the concern of Pam McCrory’s parents when she and husband Ken decided to stay in the Mount Washington home he purchased before they met. The house overlooks the Golden Triangle, two sports stadiums and three rivers.
“I grew up in the North Hills and worked at my parents’ restaurant and lived on the South Side Slopes. I always thought, ‘I’m going to live on Mount Washington,’” she recalled.
So she fell in love with the man and the view. That didn’t worry her parents until she was pregnant.
“My mother said, ‘You have to move to the North Hills. The baby is going to fall off that hillside!’”
Her mother also wondered where the child would play. “I would say, ‘She has 500 acres. A little steep but 500 acres,” joked Mr. McCrory.
The good news is that their daughter, Marguerite, survived life on the edge and is now a senior at George Washington University.
Doesn’t everyone grow up with dramatic views of Downtown and the North Shore?
“It’s constantly changing so you can’t get tired of it,” said Mr. McCrory. “You will wake up in the morning and it will be total fog, and you can’t see anything. Then you also watch the seasons and, of course, the fireworks.”
They hear the roar of football and baseball games at Heinz Field and PNC Park. “There is a several-second TV delay, and so we will hear the roar and then run to see who scored on TV,” Mrs. McCrory said.
Do they ever worry about the house moving?
“We found out when they were building the house next to us that we are on solid bedrock,” said Mr. McCrory. “The construction guys came over and said, ‘Do you mind if we dynamite this rock?’ And I said, ‘Yes! Get out your jackhammers, boys.”
The house was in poor condition when he bought it in 1979. By the time Mrs. McCrory moved in in 1995, he had done lots of renovation to the front and back.
“The house has been through three iterations of improvements, and we put an addition on when our daughter was born,” Mrs. McCrory said.
A rooftop deck was added with glass panels to cut down on the wind. It’s a favorite spot to meditate for Mr. McCrory, a CPA who sold his firm, McCrory & McDowell, and now works as a financial consultant. He also helps nonprofits and works on his novel set in World War II.
The couple appreciates new lights on the back of the house, especially in winter. “You don’t realize what a big deal it is, but when it’s snowing it looks really beautiful,” said Mrs. McCrory.
The master bedroom and bathroom are designed to take full advantage of the expansive views, which are also reflected in mirrored closet doors. The bed faces a large picture window, and the mirror over the bed is actually a window to the shower, with a one-way view from inside.
“I wanted to see the view from everywhere in the bathroom and bedroom,” Mr. McCrory explained.
His wife said theirs is one of only two backyards on the edge. “When I met Ken, there were only three backyards along the cliff, and now there are only two,” she said.
The McCrorys’ back garden is designed to mimic the three rivers and Golden Triangle, with two brick paths bordering a triangular deck. Even the garden beds are triangular, and a small bridge spans a pond.
“It’s wonderful in the summer when it’s all blooming,” she said.
The house’s large windows provide a constantly changing panorama, almost like a living painting. Walls without windows are filled with artwork by Burton Morris, Vanessa German, Nellie Lou Slagle, Janice Colker, Mary Collins and Adelaide LaFond.
“We really like supporting local artists,” Mrs. McCrory said.
The couple have hosted many gatherings for friends, family and Pittsburgh’s arts community, including the New Hazlett Theater and Attack Theatre. They always have guests on Independence Day.
“There is one downside living up here, and it’s that you can never go anywhere on the Fourth of July,” Mrs. McCrory said, laughing.
“Everyone wants to come to see the fireworks. Of course, who would want to leave when you can see fireworks all over the valley and the city from the best seat in town!”
Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com.
First Published: November 26, 2018, 1:00 p.m.
