October 24, 2026 10:00 AM –12:00 PM
SPECIAL TOUR: HISTORIC THORNBURG, PA
Saturday, October 24, 2026
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
$25.00 per person
Rising on a bluff above the valley carved by the Chartiers Creek, the Borough of Thornburg is a little piece of Southern California in southwestern Pennsylvania. The planned suburb was created in 1899 by Frank Thornburg and his cousin David on land that had been in the family since 1806. Early houses built here were in the Queen Anne Style. By 1904, however, the Pittsburgh Gazette celebrated the "model and aristocratic suburb" for its "most unique collection of houses near Pittsburgh." The variety of historical residential styles would soon be augmented by homes inspired by Frank Thornburg's personal passion: the contemporary Mission-and Craftsman-style houses he saw and studied during travels in Los Angeles and vicinity. With a willing accomplice in his cousin, architect Samuel McClarren, Thornburg would create an enclave that still retains its architectural and natural integrity and that continues to delight with its tough of SoCal style.
Related Partners
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation100 W. Station Square Dr., Ste. 450
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
