This home was built in 1913-14 following a fire that destroyed the North Pitt Street side of the courthouse square. Following the fire, Judge Samuel S. Mehard, Jr. traded for the property at the corner of North Pitt and Venango Streets. Although some of the property has been sold off over the years, the property remains over one half acre.
Mr. Struthers, a Pittsburgh architect, prepared the plans for the residence and supervised its erection by E.F. Atwell of Grove City. There is unsubstantiated information from members of the McClellan family (who owned the house from 1929 to 1966) that C.F. Owsley, of the achitectural firm that designed the Mercer County Courthouse, designed the home. The home was originially occupied by Judge Mehard, his mother, Mrs. Mary Mehard, and a cousin, Miss Tillie Harvey.
The home was described in a newspaper article on October 13, 1913 as "being of frame construction, of large dimensions, and thoroughly modern in all respects." A subsequent article dated August 14, 1914 stated that the home "has been completed and occupied during the past week."
The Mehard family maintained ownership of the property after Judge Mehard's death until 1929, when it was sold at Sheriff's sale to Valentine Macy of New York City, who, in turn, sold it to Harold and Jesse Gordon McClellan. Harold McClellan was a local insurance and real estate businessman. Harold and Jesse, and their children, Gordon, Jean, and Isobel, occupied the residence from 1929 until 1966 and made it a social hub of the community. That is why most comtemporary Mercerites refer to the residence as the McClellan house rather than the more historically correct Mehard property.
The property was purchased in 1966 by G. A. Armstrong, whose plan was to convert the structure into offices and apartments. Instead, it was sold to Clifton W. and Carole Chase Anderson of Poland, Ohio, who restored it back to a residence. It is rumored that the Andersons spent $300,000 restoring and renovating the property. Following Mrs. Anderson's death in the early 1990's, the house was sold to Jerry and Lucille Carlson in December 1994.
The Carlson's converted the property into a Bed and Breakfast that opened on August 5, 1995, known as the Mehard Manor.
Sherry Cramer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Inc., 9600 Perry Highway, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Cell: (724) 516-3732 Email: Sherry.Cramer@pittsburghmoves.com
Licensed to Practice Real Estate in Pennsylvania -- PA License RS285098
This website designed by Pittsburgh Homes of Distinction, your source for Pittsburgh real estate.