Annie Neville Craig Davison had 234 North Dithridge Street built in 1893, possibly as a home for her newly married daughter, Mary Davison Reed. The house was used as a rental from 1893 until 1914 and was home to such notable tenants as the Reverend Henry T. McClelland, tenured pastor of the Bellefield Presbyterian Church; and Melvin Johnston, Vice President of Duffs-Iron City College.
Annie Davison hired the contracting firm of Bennett and Stitely to build the home at a cost of $4,600. The house was constructed in the Shingle style, characterized by a brick, stone, or clapboard first floor with the second floor and third or partial third floor covered by wood shingles, and is reflected in 234 North Dithridge Street’s steeply pitched gambrel roof, shingled second floor walls without corner boards, and the absence of highly decorative detailing.
In 1914, 234 North Dithridge Street was purchased by Patrick F. and Katharin Gallagher at a cost of $10,000. Patrick F. Gallagher was the President of Duquesne Construction Company, and he helped build many of the schools and churches around the Pittsburgh area, most notably Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Shadyside and St. Boniface Church on the North Side.
The Gallaghers raised nine children at 234 North Dithridge Street, and their descendants still live in the home today. The Gallagher House has been owned by only two families in its almost 130-year existence.
The house is historically significant because of its association with the noted Pittsburgh builder Patrick F. Gallagher and because it is a unique example of Shingle Style architecture, tailored by P.F. Gallagher and the crafts and trades people with whom he worked.
This nomination was researched and written at the request of the Gallagher-Kieffer House’s current owner and submitted in partnership.
