Explore Allegheny West: Riches, Writers & Reuse

Saturday, October 17, 2026

$25.00 per person

In the 1890's, so many wealthy industrialists and merchants, built mansions in a section of what was then Allegheny City that one of the streets there was nicknamed Millionaire's Row. Men with the familiar last names of Jones, Laughlin, Phipps, and Kaufmann hired well-known architects to build their mansions and churches. A variety of Victorian architectural styles--Colonial Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque, Italianate, Second Empire, and Greek Revival--filled the streets. Many of the structures still stand in the area that is the destination of this tour: Allegheny West. Stroll along with our docents through Pittsburgh's smallest neighborhood as they talk about the area's affluent past, its prosperous present, and the buildings' architectural details. Highlights will include the house where America's Agatha Christie began her career, the birthplace of a famous ex-pat writer, and the home where the Steelers' Art & Dan Rooney lived. You also will learn how residents banded together in the 1960s to prevent urban renewal from altering their neighborhood's ambience. The tour also includes a brief excursion into the Allegheny Second Ward Industrial Historic District, which touches the northern-most border of Allegheny West and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.