Her father, Jacob Negley, was a surveyor and mechanical engineer. I occasionally took myself to Mellon Park in Shadyside. In it he mentions his wife twice, book-ending the chapter with comments about her at beginning and end. By the end of the century, the Mellon Bank was the largest banking institution in the country outside of New York, An old piano left at the home. One side of the monument reads: While not as significant as the old post office, city hall or the Wabash terminal, it would be really cool if the Richard B. Mellon mansion were still around. Several other architects added their own touch to the landscape, including the Olmsted Brothers and some seventeen years after the garden began, Vitale and Geiffert. It is possible to sponsor a star and make a donation. His uncle Richard B. Mellon (1858-1933) was Andrew's business partner. One of Sarah and Thomas' grandsons, William Larimer Mellon, essentially grew up in the house from 1868 on. By the end of the century, the Mellon Bank was the largest banking institution in the country outside of New York. The Romanesque-style church was completed in 1944, using many items from the Richard B. Mellon mansion, which was in what is now Mellon Park in Shadyside and was torn down in 1941. It's not that Sarah isn't present throughout--he makes consistent use of first person plural pronouns when describing their travels. Take the wealthiest Mellon, Andrew, a Gilded Age venture capitalist who became the longest-serving Secretary of the Treasury and eventually President Hoover's economic scapegoat in the lead-up to the Great Depression (rightly or wrongly depending upon your read of history). McMullen, 24 years his junior, rocked the gossip columns in 1912. Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church was founded in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants. After her death, James continued to spend each winter in Palatka. And to the Mellon parents, enlistment in May 1864 was indeed a very bad idea. The family of her grandfather Alexander Negley had settled in eastern Pennsylvania, but Alexander moved westward to Pennsylvania to soldier during the battles of the Seven Years War. The park was established in 1943, on the grounds of the former estate of Richard B. Mellon. Multimillionaire Richard B. Mellon and his brother Andrew had a game of Tag going. The Marshall property was added in 1944, and the Frew and Darsie properties, east of the Mellon . The home was built in 1904 for Henry Clay Frick and his family as a summer home in Prides Crossing, Massachusetts. Overall, I learned so much and I never imagined how much of the Gilded Age existed outside of Newport. If you're from Pittsburgh, you know the name Mellon. The park is home to the Walled Garden, and holds events throughout the year. They also made joint philanthropic gifts, notably several large donations to their alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, including creation of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research to honor their father, which is now a part of Carnegie Mellon University. Father Bob Lubik, who coincidentally is an old friend of mine and the wildest priest you will ever meet, has a complete history on the Mount Saint Peter Church in New Kensington on his blog, including this taken from the December 1995 issue of The Barque of Peter: At that time the Mellon mansion, in suburban Pittsburgh, fifteen miles distant, was being razed and its furnishings sold. For $200 a year (paid three months in advance) Sarah Jane would have studied reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, composition, geography, astronomy with the use of globes, natural philosophy, chemistry, history, and plain and ornamental needle work. Yes!! I had no idea that Judge Mellon had prudently created the park in 1878 for the sole purpose of providing a destination to increase profits for his already-existing narrow-gauge railroad. If you're on the look-out, you might spy his name on this bench that surrounds a fountain on a traffic island at 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, between the west wing of the National Gallery and the former Newseum. Did she grow to like, or love, her husband? How'd They Do It? Mellon, along with C.C. Clayton curator Emilia Boehm told me that much of the furnishings and items in the museum were once at the summer estate. His farm, Fertile Bottom, extended along the Allegheny River up over most of what is now Highland Park and the city reservoirs. The modern urban landscape grew up to surround it, but the graveyard was there first. It likely knew the tread of Sarah Jane's feet when she Andrew Mellon was the most famous brother, serving as U.S. Treasury . Richard Beatty Mellon Mansion The 65-room R.B. 63 years old, died in the Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Roxbury, on June 23, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. After the Mellon's passed away the mansion became home for the Red Cross. The moral of this story is this: Millionaires, don't tear down your 65-room mansions until you give me a chance to walk through them! He was the owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and known for his support of Richard Nixon, part of his funds to the candidate contributed to the Watergate scandal, which he later said he was 'disgusted by'. Instead, take heed of this: a monument to one woman's love of family, and her desire to honor the past. On his deathbed, these were Richard's last words to his brother. 175 Years Later, The Mellons Have Never Been Richer. Too bad they couldnt take it all, mourned Father Fusco, whose artistic soul revolted at the desecration of priceless stone by a careless wrecking crew. He was fined and received a suspended sentence for his efforts after providing crucial testimony against some partners. This much, I knew: Sarah Jane Negley Mellon was an heiress descended from multiple Pittsburgh pioneer families who once owned nearly all of the East End. Preserving history and historic buildings is important. We find Sarah Jane under the Mellon listing in a chapter entitled "Women of Wealth": There you have it. Potato Head. Please cite w/ URL attribution. life.". He was founder and President of RAM Transit, Inc.,. Richard B. Mellon's mansion is believed to have had 60-65 rooms, the caretaker of 10 years said he never counted the rooms to know the exact number! The grand staircase is the altar. Only a few other families could influence urban or national destinies to such an extent in the modern era. The "Mellon" in his name came. Fricks daughter, Helen, loathed the house and felt it was too opulent, so she allowed for its demolition. It was erected to house the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was great reading your blogs. Doubtful. According to contemporary accounts, proud papa Richard B. spent $100,000 to build and decorate a pavilion at his East End mansion for the wedding feast and ball. Janet Zweig, an artist chosen by the project team, turned the floor of the garden into an exact replica of the sky in Pittsburgh on the day Ann was born. managed to slide under the media radar. Thomas Mellon assures us in his memoir chapter entitled "Courtship and Marriage" that Sarah Jane's attitude was not born of coquetry. Other seasonal visitors, such as industrialist James R. Mellon, opted to purchase or erect winter residences rather than be confined to a hotel room. Richard was born in 1899. Best regard from Belgium. The house was razed in 1940 after the City of Pittsburgh refused to forgive the taxes owed on the structure. Mellon's philanthropic gifts were primarily church-oriented. This family dramatically shaped Pittsburgh's economic and civic character, and its influence extended far beyond the city. Despite admonishments from his parents, James didn't come home. The Mellon family's enormous wealth was accrued primarily by brothers Andrew William Mellon and Richard B. Mellon during the 1920s and 1930s, investing or founding companies that include Mellon Bank, Alcoa, Standard Steel Car Co., Westinghouse Electric Co. and Gulf Oil. The park was established in 1943, on the grounds of the former estate of Richard B. Mellon. Architecture of the MI Building. If not, would she have dared to tell him, to scoff at him? He died in 2014 aged 82. By the age of 21, James and his brother Thomas Jr. had raised over $100,000 operating a nursery, lumber yard, and construction supply business, Old tennis rackets, books and an abandoned box left in the house, along with a map and a US flag. I can now extemporaneously follow various Mellon lineages, dissect Mellon accomplishments and scandals, and marvel at how this one family has disseminated its reputed $12 billion wealth and influence. Today, the building is home to the Art Council of Greater Palatka and houses local art galleries. I'd pretend that each carefully landscaped section was a room in my make-believe mansion, then I'd hop-scotch around on the groovy terrazzo paving (reportedly those designs came from a suggestion by Sarah Mellon Scaife) and fantasize about climbing the magical cascading fountain. A grand jury found that the forcible removal of the girls to Pennsylvania was not subject to prosecution given the previous conflicting custody rulings involving competing jurisdictions of New York and Pennsylvania. The chandeliers once graced a 1930s-era Los Angeles theater. He was the son of Richard Mellon and Jennie King.He passed away in 1970. Julia Rocchi explains that old buildings help communities retain a sense of permanancy and heritage. Buildings help us remember the human side of the past. The mansion was built by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, PA, under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. The panel's design makes brilliant use of the reforms brought to glassmaking by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Anna Maria Negley following her husband Alexander's death still exists Richard Mellon. The church and a cemetery were established on family property granted by descendants of William Penn in 1792. Richard King Mellon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; inherited wealth: Alcoa, Gulf Oil, Mellon Bank, etc. : http://rivista-cdn.pittsburghmagazin.ver=1328293938 It's in plain sight but bland and usually overlooked.. Rather like Andrew Mellon, actually. The Mellon family The case is often cited in discussions of custody conflicts that result in parental child-napping, and eclipses his many good works, including the, Matthew T. Mellon, Sr., grandson of the eldest of the Mellon sons, obtained a PhD in history and was an American Studies professor at University of Freiburg from 1928-1939. Source. What I did know, even at age 5, was that a different kind of life was lived by the sorts of folks who had the money and hubris to reproduce their houses in miniature. The comments below have not been moderated. Richard B. Mellon. I think this is a very important thing to consider when people try and tear down historic sites. Mellon has been recognized as one of the most important private benefactors of environmental causes, achieving his significant stature quietly and humbly. Above the cast iron door of the original bank building at 514 Smithfield Street was placed a near life-sized statue of his inspiration, Benjamin Franklin. The site, part of a 14-acre parcel of land known as Frick Acres, was donated to the University by Andrew W. Mellon and his brother, Richard B. Mellon. 1 Stunned, I started researching the house, asking myself, "You'd remember if you saw that, right? These are priceless artifacts we will never get back, and now we must rely on people like you to educate us on what used to be. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade but earned a GED and, eventually, master's degrees from two prestigious universities. Avenue. 'Shortly after, James and Rachel were married. Negley Mansion, Edgeworth Ladies' Boarding School, and the Mellon "country home" to more photos). Private Company Incorporated: December 31, 1917 Employees: 1500 Sales: $949.5 million One of the oldest construction companies in the United States, the Mellon-Stuart Company is involved in general contracting; construction management; and industrial, mining, heavy and highway construction. emotionally. I think its important for us to stress what the buildings truly stand for and that theyre more than just material, so we can save more buildings from being destroyed. behind-the-scenes for the Mellon men. And then there was the Great Depression, the event that eliminated much of the remaining wealth of the Robber Barons. Drs. Thomas finally reached his limit. He has served as a Trustee of both Foundations since 2005. her own names on this marker. Their wedding trip made quite an impression on Thomas, though, who states that neither of them had hitherto traveled much (Sarah Jane previously having been on a "boat excursion with some friends" to Louisville). A farmhouse built by grandmother remember Sarah Jane by. Sarah Jane piled on to the scolding that James received from his father. So it's not a stretch to say that we have the Mellon family money to thank for LSD. Mellon organized the Citizens' Committee on City Plan, which sought to improve Pittsburgh through better urban planning and zoning. 29 vintage silver prints (9 x 13 inches) mounted to album leaves, printed title-page. . The Mellons welcomed many famous guests into their home, including Billy Sunday, a former National League baseball player turned evangelist. Was Sarah Jane curious about the mysteries that the Spiritualist world purported to reveal? The mansion was built by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, PA, under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. After a heart attack in 1967, he became the "honorary" chairman of Mellon Bank until he died on June 3, 1970. Adherence to Law. With opalescent glass alone, the panel presents an evocative scene of rippling water, floating lotus flowers, and a footbridge draped with roses. The ornate tiled pathway leading to the front door and the front garden are both in a state of disrepair, with palm trees leaning to the side. educational venture. I'd walked past this grove many times in the six years I lived in Highland Park. 1 This is a photo of John M. Phillips' children on the front lawn of his mansion "Impton" at 2236 Brownsville Road with Richard B. Mellon, Richard King Mellon and Sara Mellon. Not everyone agrees with me and there have been periods of history where this statement would have been ignored entirely. One of the richest men in America tore down a 65-room mansion when it was only 30-years-old?! She was by all accounts a pleasant, dutiful mother and grandmother, but not a doting one. We know from published family accounts that one scrapbook contained images of presidential log cabins. Gun, Coal, Machines. Eventually even Judge Mellon himself concluded "There's nothing to it" and returned home. When it was all delivered, Saint Peters had what amounted to a stone quarry in their back yard, together with thirty tons of steel beams, sixty-five oak doors, and all the other innumerable items concomitant with the wrecking of a sixty-five room house. "Everything they could get from the mansion was bought," Calvanese says. Tamara is the founder of luxury footwear brand Jimmy Choo. Let's assume that these items were rendered less conspicuous by decorators who The splendor of the Gilded Age couldnt last forever. She sounds like any other mother lighting into her son for what she thinks is a bad idea. Mellon residence photo from Allegheny County, PA archives. It is also home to several recreational facilities. James Mellon founded the City Deposit Bank, becoming its president in 1898. After Richard Mellon and his wife died in the 1930s, their son Richard King Mellon, lived there briefly before retreating to Ligonier. Richard Beatty Mellon's mansion, built in 1910, sat on 11 acres and boasted 65 bedrooms, two large flower gardens, a garage and a carriage house. The congregation was founded by Italian immigrants in the early 1900s and the current building was constructed by hand by parish members during World War II using materials from the then recently dismantled Richard B. Mellon 60-room mansion in Pittsburgh. Yet, without the family being in apparent financial strife, the home was torn down in 1941. It is sort of a bittersweet ending to this blog to hear about all the beautiful mansions we will never be able to see again. The abandoned remains of a river retreat in north Florida that once belonged to the hugely successful US banking magnate and industrialist James R Mellon, The staircase in the abandoned Mellon river retreat. She was not playing hard to get. It was a stones throw from the current Pittsburgh Center for the Arts on Fifth Ave. Here's a link to a pic. The property later became known as Mellon Park. They are not instantly recognizable the way other local tycoons like Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie are. To kid-me, a family name such as "Mellon" seemed pretty funny: it conjured up images of posh, well-dressed fleshy fruit. The park is home to the Walled Garden and holds events throughout the year. . He and his brother Andrew had a little game of tag going for about seven decades. Sarah Jane didn't make a marriage of passion. 164-20 Highland Ave #3f. tree" is no more. [1], The Walled Garden is surrounded by walls of brick and limestone and is one of Gothic design. Judge Mellon would be dismayed by it all. The 64-room mansion, built from 1899 to 1902, is an impressive testament to the desire of Carnegie and his wife, Louise Whitfield Carnegie, to build a spacious, comfortable, and light-filled home in which to raise their daughter, Margaret. Along with being a successful bank and industrialist, he was a philanthropist like the rest of the Mellon family and deeply invested in his community. Billy made the family's secluded Millburn, New York estate available to Leary and his team of Harvard researchers, where they famously examined psychedelically-altered states of consciousness. The rail ties and lumber used to build the railroad were furnished by the lumber company the Mellon brothers owned. the character of this community in its struggling and formative period. The memorial stone indicates that the remains of some 50 other East End pioneer families are interred therebaouts, although I have not been able to find a comprehensive list. On July 4, 1944, the church was dedicated. In 1918, R.B. later write a dry, clinical appraisal of Sarah Jane's charms and their The Foundation has awarded more than 7,700 grants and program-related investments to more than 1,800 organizations since its founding. She didn't design or fund the building of mansions or imposing buildings. There was an early, disapproved-of marriage and subsequent divorce. The girls are probably grateful to be inside and removed from the elements, because Pittsburgh's industrial climate clearly did their complexions no favors! In the 1990s, a three-wing conservatory was added to increase his supply of fresh flowers common and exotic. The park was reopened on June 12, 2010. He recalled that ".since marriage, the last important event of my life was consummated, and nothing left to distract my attention from business, I could feel that I was fairly settled." Postcard of bridge spanning Lake Bouquet leading to Flower Island at Idlewild Park. 2 DISTINGUISHED DAUGHTERS OF PENNSYLVANIA AWARDS; 3 9 - 4 THE PENNSYLVANIA MANUAL; 4 Harriet Duff Phillips' daughter was similarly honored in 1976: Biography . We then hold some of these same things to be important. Thomas Mellon pursued his intended via weekly chaperoned visits at the Negley Mansion over six long months. This game of Tag lasted for nearly seven decades. Others were filled with religious and inspirational maxims. She didn't seem to collect much beyond platitudes, trivia and memories in her scrapbooks -- nothing like the grand homes or art that her offspring would acquire. But she seems to have remained the same quiet, pleasant, self-possessed, keen-eyed observer of the world whom Thomas Mellon met in 1841. Height: 115.5 in (293.37 cm) Width: 13 in (33.02 cm) Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm) One of Pittsburgh's historic green spaces is conveniently located just minutes from Shadyside Commons. But neither did he join the Union Army. She would "do." James Mellon donated land for the Mellon School, which later became Putnam High School. Hunter Biden reveals he dated widowed sister-in-law after a Michael Jackson fan clubs SUE two men who claimed the star America enjoys longest period of uninterrupted growth since Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' He believed the old man's sentimentality had been taken advantage of. He also served as a trustee for the Athalia Daly Home for Working Girls. In The Judge, grandson William Larimer Mellon described his grandmother, our Sarah Jane: Sarah eventually acquired a sizable staff to supervise. Richard B. Mellon, vice president of that institution, and James R. Mellon, president of the City Deposit bank. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. [3] LaQuatra Bonci Associates was responsible for the planning and supervising of the garden's redemption. She traveled little. The mansion was built by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, PA under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. undemonstrative. The 65-room R.B. Details. After nearly a decade of marriage, Thomas and Sarah Jane built a new home for their growing family on Negley land adjacent to their existing cottage, with an eventual address of 401 Negley Avenue. The other day as I was walking in Highland Park I came across a memorial. She certainly didn't adopt any coquettish airs once they were engaged, either: No record exists as to how Sarah Jane Negley characterized her husband, the man who described their marriage as a "transaction" that was "consummated." The land surrounding the mansion was donated to the city of Pittsburgh and now serves as Mellon Park. And then there are drugs. The gap between the rich and poor could not continue to exist to the extent that it had during industrialization. Famously private, for the most part Mellons and their kin have kept mostly to themselves in a removed, rarified social sphere. Published on Jul 30, 2009. An avid lover of history, Mr. Mellon was inquisitive and curious, collecting in many areas of the fine and decorative arts, including English Neo-Gothic furniture, sporting art and bronzes. A bare mattress on the floor also suggests that someone may be squatting in the building. Stop in to reconnect with the history. Mellon's personal sense of style was exemplified by a hat-rack made of mirrors and buffalo horns and half a taxidermied buffalo head (yes, half), both of which he kept on display as Mellon estate was located on Pittsburghs Fifth Avenue. It was still in good enough repair then to conjure my mother's memories of the park as a chic working-girl gathering place from earlier decades. The marble came from the long-gone Richard B. Mellon mansion in Squirrel Hill. And there was all that fuss about her then-boyfriend former Allegheny County District Attorney Robert W. Duggan: his political scandals, their hasty marriage likely orchestrated to legally avoid being compelled to testify against him during a federal corruption investigation, and questions surrounding his sudden death (accident? We are officially open today! Five years later, the Mellon brothers founded the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research as a memorial to their father. His dissertation was published as, His brother William Larimer Mellon Jr, gets lost in the gossip despite his astounding humanitarian efforts. We don't know if she, too, found recounting the details of their 1842 wedding "uninteresting." 'The institution helped finance the construction of the Ligonier Valley Railroad. Richard Mellon Scaife is the best-known living member of Pittsburgh's storied Mellon clan, whose eponymous bank made the family a 19th-century fortune, which grew steadily with diversified . From Troy Hill, a subsequent closing in 1888 meant the poor souls were re-interred one more time, to the Smithfield East End Cemetery in Squirrel Hill, now maintained by Homewood Cemetery. The Walking Guide includes: A History of Chatham University Mellon Board Room Eden Hall Farm Campus Chatham Eastside Rachel Carson, Class of 1929 Howe-Childs Gate House . "We can do just that!" Incredible photos show the abandoned remains of a 6,000-square-foot river retreat that once belonged to a hugely successful US banking magnate. The church was dedicated on July 4, 1944. A shy man, he shunned publicity and gave very few interviews so very little is known of his personality and views. 01 Grants. My family visited Mellon Square, situated mid-way between Kaufmann's and Gimbel's department stores on Smithfield Street, whenever we shopped downtown in the 1970s. He also served as a trustee for the Athalia Daly Home for Working Girls, James died on October 20, 1934. Thomas Mellon warmed up to his new wife, whom he described as taking ".full possession and master of the situation, not the least discouraged through without any company or help." when the couple moved into a rented home downtown. Social activists, politicians, journalists, and others helped to bring about changes like child labor laws and minimum wage. Privately produced photograph album to mark the occasion of the marriage of Sarah Mellon (1903-1965) and Alan Scaife (1900-1958). The Mellon Institute building was dedicated in May 1937 by brothers Andrew W. and Richard B. Mellon. We can't even guess what Sarah Jane thought of her suitor, for she did not record her impressions for posterity. All this, while my mother smoked and rested for what seemed like an eternity. Was there anything there, the pastor and building committee wondered, that a parish with little money could procure for a new church building? You couldn't live in Pittsburgh without knowing that. [4], Any form of an event can potentially take place in Mellon Park with permission from the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works. Judge Mellon's private memoirs were made public by his family, providing invaluable insights into the private life of this couple. In 1911 the architectural firm of Alden and Harlow designed the terraced gardens just below the mansion. 'In 1899, the Union Trust Company of Pittsburgh was organized by the Mellon family, to be followed by the Union Savings Bank. 'During their years in Florida the Mellons were very involved in the community and supported the education system. The line history becomes attainable couldnt be more true. The wedding, which received national news coverage for its ostentatious display of wealth, took place at the estate of Sarah's father, Richard B. Mellon, brother of . Yet I firmly believe that history serves as a teaching tool in the present, while also providing a sense of identity. In May 1864, in separate letters both the Judge and Sarah Jane responded to their then-18 year old son's desire to join the Union Army for a 100 day enlistment. Such was the case on Nov. 16, 1927, at the wedding of the daughter of Richard Beatty Mellon who was the niece of Andrew Mellon and the future mother of Richard Mellon Scaife.