The Mellon private family archives contain private written material and memorabilia which no doubt shed more light on Sarah Jane's personality -- including the scrapbooks which so infuriated her husband when they were courting. Did she sympathize with the Judge's quest to connect with their lost children? The Mellons welcomed many famous guests into their home, including Billy Sunday, a former National League baseball player turned evangelist. One story claims that they were originally buried downtown Pittsburgh at Smithfield and Sixth Streets, at what became the German Evangelical Protestant Church church (just around the corner from today's Mellon Park). If not, would she have dared to tell him, to scoff at him? for women throughout history, of course. A gossipy 1888 book entitled The social mirror: a character sketch of the women of Pittsburg and vicinity during the first century of the county's existence alphabetically categorizes the women of the city according to the qualities of beauty, intelligence, musicality and artistry, charity, wealth, moral do-gooding, and positions of social standing that they best exemplify. 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. Eagel Rock is one of my favorite Gilded Age mansions, and I hate having to write that it no longer exists. Built in 1910, it included a bowling alley and carriage house. Today, the building is home to the Art Council of Greater Palatka and houses local art galleries. In this era when a woman was most known by her husband's Keep in mind that the Fricks primary residence at the time, Clayton, had a mere 23 rooms (in comparison). Thomas devoted an entire memoir chapter to their trip. In addition to diaries and valuable historical documents, the collection includes two hand-written letters from Sarah Jane, plus the title pages from school books that once belonged to each of his parents (see above for Sarah's). . The way Thomas describes their courtship is intriguing for the boorish but earnest picture it paints of him, and the enigmatic portrait presented of Sarah Jane. 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. A fountain stands between the garden and the rest of the park. He was the son of Richard Mellon and Jennie King.He passed away in 1970. Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church was founded in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants. These mansions are beautiful and marvelous and it was a shame that they were torn down. As a lifelong Pittsburgher there are many elements of the Mellon saga that I never knew, including Sara Jane's story. Her father, Jacob Negley, was a surveyor and mechanical engineer. Richard served under Andrew at Mellon Bank, and assumed its presidency in 1921 when Andrew was appointed Treasury Secretary. No admission fee is charged. She'd buy me a raisin-filled cookie from the Jenny Lee Bakery just below the square, then let me amuse myself while she had a cigarette. Forget the dollhouses of that other Sarah Mellon, or the myriad Mellon parks, businesses, and mansions built by the Mellon men. Music, drawing and painting, and French cost extra. I think this is a very important thing to consider when people try and tear down historic sites. courtship in his memoirs: Apparently she was "all right otherwise" because Thomas Mellon decided to pursue Sarah Jane. The newlyweds moved in with Sarah's mother and some Negley siblings who'd remained in the family home. Although there are four distinct branches descending from the legendary Judge Thomas Mellon, I'm unsure how many Pittsburghers know (or care) which Mellon is which. This monument marks the center of a burial ground located on the former As you can see from these photos, Eagle Rock was a beautiful piece of architecture that should have been kept for future generations. So it's not a stretch to say that we have the Mellon family money to thank for LSD. He died on December 1, 1933, before the new building was completed. Famously private, for the most part Mellons and their kin have kept mostly to themselves in a removed, rarified social sphere. 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'. behind-the-scenes for the Mellon men. Whither, Sarah? Did she want to say "told you so" when all was said and done? The 65-room mansion of Richard B. Mellon, brother of Andrew Mellon, built at 6500 Fifth Avenue in 1910: The Richard B. Mellons raised two children in that "house," which included a bowling alley in the basement and a carriage house. But she seems to have remained the same quiet, pleasant, self-possessed, keen-eyed observer of the world whom Thomas Mellon met in 1841. You couldn't live in Pittsburgh without knowing that. Only a few other families could influence urban or national destinies to such an extent in the modern era. Peggy Hitchcock (daughter of Margaret Mellon Hitchcock, a sister of Matthew and Larry mentioned above) was married for a time to 1960s American counterculture leader Walter Howard Bowart, whom she met through mutual friend and former lover Timothy Leary. Simple theme. R.B. Built in 1910, it included a bowling alley and carriage house. Given that few descendants even carry the Mellon name today, genealogical clarity and historical perspective are that much more difficult to achieve. Andrew also built, designed, gifted and endowed the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC to which he donated much of his personal art collection (as would his two children). 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. In The Judge, another quote from grandson William described how the Mellon marriage evolvedor rather, how it bobbed placidly in place on the surface for decades: Some personal material related to Sarah Jane does exist for public access. Its amazing how much you can learn from a house. Thomas had his acknowledged favorites, but we don't know if Sarah had a favorite among her surviving sons. His grandfather Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937) was worth around $350 million at the time of his death. Been waiting for this to open, congratulations #MarkHolden of Blend Cigar Bar 175 Years Later, The Mellons Have Never Been Richer. Best regard from Belgium. Matthew, who died last year aged 54,was a businessman who was a chairman of the New York Republican State Committee's finance committee, William L. Mellon (pictured left wearing straw skimmer), was the founder of Gulf Oil and the son of James Ross Mellon. When Richard was on his deathbed, he called his brother over and whispered, "Last tag.". 01 Grants. In The Judge, grandson William Larimer Mellon described his grandmother, our Sarah Jane: Sarah eventually acquired a sizable staff to supervise. The Marshall property was added in 1944, and the Frew and Darsie properties, east of the Mellon . In suburban Philadelphia, art and industry are joined in a residence commissioned in 1901. Pastor and committee investigated. But the chapter is all about their itinerary, not their intimacy. The young Sarah Jane attended school in a frame building built by her father in 1819, near today's East Liberty Presbyterian Church. 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. [4] The $13.3 million in taxes paid on his estate enabled the state to meet its payroll.[5]. The "Mellon" in his name came. To kid-me, a family name such as "Mellon" seemed pretty funny: it conjured up images of posh, well-dressed fleshy fruit. 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 mementos of his youth in the untamed West. We don't know if she longed for a daughter to replace her lost baby girls. Sarah Jane Negley 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. That cemetery was closed in 1860 when the site was needed for further urban development. And then there was the Great Depression, the event that eliminated much of the remaining wealth of the Robber Barons. 'In 1899, the Union Trust Company of Pittsburgh was organized by the Mellon family, to be followed by the Union Savings Bank. Mellon-Stuart Company. It is possible to sponsor a star and make a donation. The marble came from the long-gone Richard B. Mellon mansion in Squirrel Hill. Richard B. Mellon Quotes. I have to suspect that the Mellons' history is not well known because they like it that way. Overall, I learned so much and I never imagined how much of the Gilded Age existed outside of Newport. 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 splendor of the Gilded Age couldnt last forever. 2 DISTINGUISHED DAUGHTERS OF PENNSYLVANIA AWARDS; 3 9 - 4 THE PENNSYLVANIA MANUAL; 4 Harriet Duff Phillips' daughter was similarly honored in 1976: I was afraid to even gaze at a gaudy Tiffany mantle clock for too long for fear my stare alone would cause it to fall to the floor and shatter. My childish deductive reasoning skills led me to assume that this family must be like some PBS high-brow version of Mr. 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." James Mellon often told his friends that his wife hated the cold weather. James and wife Rachael first came to Florida in the early 1880s, to get away from the frigid winters in Pennsylvania. It's not that Sarah isn't present throughout--he makes consistent use of first person plural pronouns when describing their travels. Richard Beatty Mellon Mansion The 65-room R.B. The scene sounds like something out of the Duquesne Club, an exclusive Downtown enclave for Pittsburgh's rich and powerful. [1], The Walled Garden is surrounded by walls of brick and limestone and is one of Gothic design. Details. He was also worth around . In the 1990s, a three-wing conservatory was added to increase his supply of fresh flowers common and exotic. 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. One of the richest men in America tore down a 65-room mansion when it was only 30-years-old?! Even writing in retrospect what stood out for Thomas Mellon was that, all things considered, this 27 year old heiress was a good catch. This is a contemporary craft festival with a small concert. The owner's first Tiffany window glass, now installed in a powder room, depicts peonies and steps and is a panel from a larger landscape window made about 1908 to 1912 for the Pittsburgh mansion of Richard B. Mellon. If we know our history, we know who we came from and what was important to them. Mellon has been recognized as one of the most important private benefactors of environmental causes, achieving his significant stature quietly and humbly. The girls are probably grateful to be inside and removed from the elements, because Pittsburgh's industrial climate clearly did their complexions no favors! The 1994 book Architecture after Richardson reports that the house was torn down in 1941 for no reason that I have found as of yet. William Larimer's parents were not believers, and he wrote sympathetically but scathingly in his memoirs about his grandfather's doty adventures with Spiritualism. A bare mattress on the floor also suggests that someone may be squatting in the building. Andrew Mellon's cuckolding, and his subsequent very public divorce from Nora That's a shame considering the century's worth Thomas Mellon assures us in his memoir chapter entitled "Courtship and Marriage" that Sarah Jane's attitude was not born of coquetry. The Mellon bank helped finance the construction of the Ligonier Valley Railroad. 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. He had a personal fortune of $1.4billion in his lifetime, mostly through inherited wealth. She flatly ignored attempts at flattery and flirtation, leaving poor frustrated Thomas lamenting that he was made to feel "that to talk love would be out of place and might subject me to to ridicule.". 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. Quote: Mistake: Choose. Five years later, the Mellon brothers founded the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research as a memorial to their father. Mellon Park, established in 1943, was once part of the estate of Richard B. Mellon, owner of the largest mansion in the city. After Richard Mellon and his wife died in the 1930s, their son Richard King Mellon, lived there briefly before retreating to Ligonier. Postcard of bridge spanning Lake Bouquet leading to Flower Island at Idlewild Park. Reflecting upon the Mellon monies and a life of privilege, Larry Mellon once stated ", Western Pennsylvania music lovers have never gotten over the closing of the. Richard Beatty Mellon (March 19, 1858 - December 1933), sometimes R.B., was a banker, industrialist, and philanthropist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (adjusted wealth $103 billion). In it he mentions his wife twice, book-ending the chapter with comments about her at beginning and end. 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. James Mellon donated land for the Mellon School, which later became Putnam High School, A mattress was spotted in the living room of the house, suggesting squatters had taken up residence there. Incredible photos show the abandoned remains of a 6,000-square-foot river retreat that once belonged to a hugely successful US banking magnate. half-hidden in the ivy near a split-level cul-de-sac along Negley First of all, I loved reading your blog, because even though Im an engineering major history has always fascinated me! The specifics of Sarah Mellon and Alan Scaife's extravagant 1927 wedding still leave readers slack-jawed in amazement. I'd walked past this grove many times in the six years I lived in Highland Park. The panel's design makes brilliant use of the reforms brought to glassmaking by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Witness, for example, the obsession of Sarah's son Richard Mellon Scaife with the Clinton family, which went on for decades. Indeed, there was much here that had ecclesiastical potentialities. I recently knocked one off my list of 2012 Pittsburgh Resolutions when I toured Clayton, the home of Henry Clay Frick. R.B. The park also contains the Phipps Garden Center and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. You can learn of its residents, and how they made established their wealth. [4], Any form of an event can potentially take place in Mellon Park with permission from the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works. 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. Mellon Residence in Shadyside Within the East End is Shadyside, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh that boomed in the second half of the 1800s. These two banks, along with the Mellon Bank, became the three greatest banks in America under a single management. We are also left with very little in the way of physical artifacts to 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. He and his brother Andrew Mellon, sons of Judge Thomas Mellon, were frequent business partners. the character of this community in its struggling and formative period. 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. They are not instantly recognizable the way other local tycoons like Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie are. A shy man, he shunned publicity and gave very few interviews so very little is known of his personality and views. The park is on the list of landmarks recognized by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park was established in 1943, on the grounds of the former estate of Richard B. Mellon. 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. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade but earned a GED and, eventually, master's degrees from two prestigious universities. Late heiress' anti-immigration efforts live on. She sounds like any other mother lighting into her son for what she thinks is a bad idea. After her death, James continued to spend each winter in Palatka. He has served as a Trustee of both Foundations since 2005. Sunday was an incredibly popular supporter of Prohibition, and his preaching likely played a significant role in the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, James Ross Mellon, pictured left, was the son of Judge Thomas Mellon, the founder of Mellon Bank and patriarch of the wealthy and influential family. The mansion was built by Italian immigrants from New Kensington, PA under the direction of Monsignor Nicola Fusco. The four who survived became famous men, two of whom - Andrew W. Mellon - and Richard B. Mellon - attained worldwide fame in banking, business, government, philanthropy and the arts. It's all about ME. You can find all of of our more than 7,700 grants and program-related investments in our archives. In 1913, James and his brothers founded the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in memory of their father who passed away in February 1908. Other than these glimpses, the public is left with only the name and limited understanding of the life of Sarah Jane Negley Mellon as filtered through others' experiences. It's in plain sight but bland and usually overlooked.. Rather like Andrew Mellon, actually. James Mellon founded the City Deposit Bank, becoming its president in 1898. The site previously was the location of the mansion of James K. Moorhead, a U.S. And, really, did she miss the Judge while he was gone those five years? Quiet, pleasant and self-possessed: Sarah Jane Neg What ho, blog writer? The couple moved back in with the widowed Mrs. Negley when Sarah was pregnant with their first child in 1844. The church is located along the Allegheny River and is approximately 25 mi (40 km) north-east of the city of Pittsburgh within the Diocese of Greensburg. This was a relationship which appears to have been based on mutually calculated, emotionally-detached appraisals. Richard B. Mellon, vice president of that institution, and James R. Mellon, president of the City Deposit bank. It is also home to several recreational facilities. Thomas Mellon pursued his intended via weekly chaperoned visits at the Negley Mansion over six long months. He died in 2014 aged 82. This game of Tag lasted for nearly seven decades. Gun, Coal, Machines. Not everyone agrees with me and there have been periods of history where this statement would have been ignored entirely. After the Mellon's passed away the mansion became home for the Red Cross. What Pittsburghers do remember about the Mellons are the salacious details. And an exposed steel beam bears the stamp of the Carnegie Steel Company. described as, Sarah's daughter, Cordelia Scaife May, scrupulously shunned publicity but left a legacy brimming with gossip. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is housed in the former home of industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie. Richard B. Mellon Partner: Triple R Farms Cotton Farm: 6227 Old Highway 80, Bolton, MS 39041 PO Box 40, Bolton, MS 39041 Highway 80, Bolton, MS 39041 (601) 866-7168: Richard Mellon Director: Canterbury Village Condominium Association, Inc Membership Organization: 5495 Bryson Dr, Naples, FL 34109 During World War II, the current Catholic Church building was built by hand by parish members using materials from the dismantled Richard B. Mellon mansion in Pittsburgh. 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! Published: 12:00 GMT, 2 July 2019 | Updated: 19:24 GMT, 12 August 2019. Hitchcock himself kept his distance from Leary and his trippy team, and eventually evicted them from the "Big House" with things got out of control. At some point in my childhood, I learned that the Mellon family had established one of my favorite places on earth: Idlewild Park. Such was the beginning of my married home The rail ties and lumber used to build the railroad were furnished by the lumber company the Mellon brothers owned. Architecture of the MI Building. He believed the old man's sentimentality had been taken advantage of. We are officially open today! facebook; twitter; googleplus; You can't mine coal without machine guns. With the Depression, and these other societal changes, many of the mansions built during this era were destroyed. undemonstrative. It had been erected in 1912 by Sarah Negley Mellon to honor her grandparents, Alexander and Anna Maria Burkstresser Negley, who were buried there in unmarked graves along with many other nameless Pittsburgh pioneers. By necessity she would have become removed from day-today housework once she and Thomas became pillars of their community and she gravitated to a prominent social role outside the home. Oblong folio. That "immense copper beech If we are to take the singular monument in the middle of a city park as testimony to anything, it's this: connections mattered to Sarah Jane Negley Mellon. By the end of his six months a'wooing, Thomas Mellon no doubt wryly ruminated over the observations of his close friend Richard Beatty, who had passed over Sarah Jane for a younger Negley sister because Sarah was ".too independent for him, had no elasticity in her composition, and did not seem to appreciate gentlemen's attentions." Howard Heinz chaired it until his death in 1941 1960s Ubiquitous Mellons Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mellon_Park&oldid=1138195611, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 14:16. managed to slide under the media radar. 'The various railroad lines poured crowds of tourists into the cities along the St. Johns River, filling hotels to capacity for months. John D. Rockefeller Jr. . According to the blog Beyond the Gilded Age, the 104-room mansion was designed by Little and Browne. Mellon has been recognized as one of the most important private benefactors of environmental causes, achieving his significant stature quietly and humbly. But neither did he join the Union Army. [volume] (Nome, Alaska) 1938-??? Here, I thought, perhaps here is something I can actually relate to. She didn't design or fund the building of mansions or imposing buildings.