Two homes by renowned Pittsburgh architect Tasso Katselas up for sale

The Pittsburgh region proudly boasts Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, two structures by the late Frank Lloyd Wright, widely considered one of the country’s most visionary architects. But the area is also home to others who made strides in the field, including Tasso Katselas. Now, two Pittsburgh homes built by Katselas are for sale, and they are truly sights to behold.

The realty company Berkshire Hathaway currently has homes listed in Churchill Boro and Squirrel Hill, both of which were designed by Katselas. The latter, located at 5859 Wilkins Ave. and priced at $899,999, is described as a “unique midcentury modern home.” Located at 2324 Marbury Road, the Churchill Boro property is, according to Berkshire Hathaway, an “entertainer's dream home” that Katselas built for himself (wildly enough, it’s also priced at what many would consider a modest $598,000).

Clicking through the virtual tours of both homes reveals surprises, both in terms of structure and décor. Who could resist a room swathed in grass-green shag carpeting (flower murals really bring enhance the effect), a bathroom plastered in bright butterfly wallpaper, or a brown kitchen that appears unaltered since the 1970s?

Beyond the charmingly outdated appliances/cabinetry and decorative choices, however, are aspects that would make any MCM enthusiast salivate. Found throughout each home are skylights, floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed brick, wrought-iron railings, fireplaces, and open, winding staircases galore, not to mention the giant, tiled shower of my bathing fantasy.

Added to each home are modern touches like a hot tub and, in the case of the Churchill Boro home, extensive “cosmetic and mechanical improvements” made by the current owners to “bring this Mid-Century Modern into the 21st Century.”
Before the now 95-year-old Katselas transferred ownership of his firm in 2005 (now called TKA Architects, Inc.), he was considered one of the most prolific architects in the city, where he was born in 1927 to Greek immigrant parents. He opened his own practice in Pittsburgh in 1955, and went on to design and build many public projects and housing, much of which was done in the concrete-based Brutalist style. (Some would say too Brutalist, as one Curbed article from 2014 called a Pittsburgh Katselas house "one of the most oppressive abodes this side of Dracula's castle.")

According to a 2018 Bloomberg CityLab article, Katselas’ body of work “remains a forgotten yet ubiquitous aspect of Pittsburgh’s landscape,” with many of his projects located in some of the city’s busiest hubs, including at the Pittsburgh International Airport, the Carnegie Science Center, the Community College of Allegheny County in the North Side, and multiple buildings for the University of Pittsburgh. (To the chagrin of many, his firm was also behind the 1995 redesign of the Allegheny County Jail, which now sports what one WPXI article calls his signature elements of “brick, precast concrete and glass.”)

The currently listed homes aren’t the only private residences designed by Katselas to go up for sale. In 2020, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on a “low-slung, Wright-inspired home” built by the architect in 1956 at 1166 Harvard Road in Thornburg, Pa.