Rory Fitzpatrick
It was around that time that cement finisher Edward “Spitz” Caliguire built a house for his new bride, Helen, as a wedding gift. Located on a double lot at 269 Sebring Ave., it’s just a stone’s throw from Helen’s family home on the corner of Westfield Street and Sebring Avenue in Beechview. “My aunt is 85 and never lived more than three blocks from the home she grew up in,” says Helen’s niece, Kim Hollabaugh, who is handling the sale of the home alongside other family members. The Mid-Century Modern ranch is priced at $174,900 (MLS# 1541115, Richard Xander, Berkshire Hathaway, thepreferredrealty.com). The never-remodeled, all-brick home — kept in immaculate shape by Helen — is a rare find for Beechview. Along with a cyclone fence in the front, the home’s property includes several planting beds filled with perennials and flowering bushes.
The home’s original smooth-skin front door has a doorknob placed in the center of it; there’s also a three-fan window detail. Once inside, the stacked-stone fireplace grabs your attention thanks to a center “V” detail and oak side panels with brick planters at the base. The oak cabinets feature original black hardware, while Formica countertops and vinyl floors finish the vignette.
Hollabaugh says that after the Caliguires married, her uncle became a police officer with the City of Pittsburgh, working in the motorcycle corps. A door from the kitchen leads to the enclosed brick sun porch, where Hollabaugh says Helen spent many days enjoying the view. The home’s three bedrooms all have the original hardwood floors and high, sliding casement windows.
The built-in closets in each room have sliding doors with recessed circle brass pulls. The backyard is large, and a long driveway provides access to the one-car garage.
Hollabaugh says she and her sisters enjoyed saving many of the memories the family made in the home — and they continue to marvel over the remarkable way Helen kept it throughout the years. Hot Property is an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home. And four times a year, Hot Property gives an in-depth look at the region’s real estate market in Pittsburgh Magazine HOME, tracking housing prices and sales and detailing where the hot properties can be found.
Daily transport via Port Authority’s T-Rail line and street buses. Schools: City of Pittsburgh, including Pittsburgh Obama 6-12, an international studies program just around the corner at Highland Avenue and East Liberty Boulevard. Renovations have recently been made to the local Carnegie Library and the community center.
The T-Lines run along the main drag, making for an easy commute to the city.
The neighborhood also is home to the steepest residential street in the world, Canton Avenue, which has a 37% grade and was featured in an automobile campaign for Audi.
