Homes in Mt. Lebanon’s Virginia Manor host holiday tour
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A Virginia Manor home on the Symphony Splendor tour is ready for the holidays.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A handcrafted wooden wizard stands prominently in the garden of one of the tour’s homes.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
The office of a Virginia Manor home on the tour is decorated for the holidays.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A collection of vintage teapots graces a Virginia Manor kitchen.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A small porch was converted into a picturesque pantry in the home.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A Japanese maple is steps away from the back porch of this home.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
An ornament on a tree in this Virginia Manor residence does a good job of emulating a burning candle.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
The entrance to the home is graced with flowers grown in the owner’s garden.
The Symphony Splendor fundraising house tour began as Shadyside Splendor, and memories of it make Cathy Trombetta smile with pride.
“The first year, we had two of the great, big mansions on Fifth Avenue,” the Peters Township resident recalled. One was the abode of prominent attorney and World War II intelligence officer Henry Hoffstot’s, “the only time it was open to the public. And I decorated the house.”
She brings her continuing enthusiasm in co-chairing the 2017 tour, which has changed names with a shift to Mt. Lebanon’s Virginia Manor plan. The beneficiary remains the same: the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
“We want to support our wonderful orchestra, and we feel it’s the treasure of Pittsburgh,” Trombetta said. “So we’re supporting our treasure.”
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, participants will have a rare opportunity to visit eight homes, built from the 1930s through ’50s and decorated for the holiday season, in one of Western Pennsylvania’s premiere residential neighborhoods.
“On the outside, they look like the old, traditional Virginia Manor homes,” Trombetta explained. “On the inside, some have been totally gutted and others have been remodeled. So they took the beautiful neighborhood and the standard homes, and they added contemporary touches.”
As would be expected, Symphony Splendor features music as a key component.
“This year, we have 35 Pittsburgh Symphony musicians who will be participating,” Trombetta said. “Every year, our numbers have grown. So many of the musicians are so excited about what we’ve done and what this tour means to bringing the community together.”
Small ensembles are scheduled to perform throughout the day at each of the venues, and members of the Mendelssohn and Bach choirs of Pittsburgh also will share their talents.
Volunteering for the tour are docents who have spent time learning about the features of the homes, including the history, architecture, and collections unique to each residence and the artists who created them.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Local artisan Lyle Clevenger made a tabletop from an oak that was felled on this home’s property, and he also painted the artwork in the background. At left, an ornament on a tree in a Virginia Manor home emulates a burning candle.
One homeowner has an array of furnishings and artwork by local craftsman Lyle Clevenger, including a kitchen tabletop and accompanying chairs with a neat little backstory.
“We had a huge oak tree that needed to come down, and I said to Lyle, ‘Can you make me a kitchen table?’ We designed it together, and he just did a beautiful job,” the owner explained.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Association, a volunteer group that supports the orchestra through financial, educational and promotional activities, organizes the tour, which so far has raised more than $240,000.
“We started four years ago with this little idea,” Trombetta said, “and it has grown into quite an event.”
For the event, parking is in the lot across from 100 Roessler Road in Scott Township, just off Cochran Road. Free transportation by Molly’s Trolleys will be provided to and from Virginia Manor, where no on-street parking is allowed that day.
Advance-sale tickets are $60 or two for $100 and are available by cash only at Mt. Lebanon businesses Howard Hanna, 701 Washington Road; Barefoot Stitches and Gifts, 313 Beverly Road; Lee Heckman Custom Framing, 301 Beverly Road; and Rollier’s Hardware, 600 Washington Road. They also are available at Louis Anthony Jewelers, 1775 N. Highland Road, Bethel Park, and the Hostess Gift Shoppe, 600 Third St., Beaver.
If available, tickets are $70 the day of the tour and will be available only at the indoor ticket counter in the Manor Oak Two office building, where participants check in for the event before boarding the shuttle.
For information on purchasing Symphony Splendor tickets online or at a participating vendor, visit www.psa75.org or call 412-392-3303.