Sewickley Flatiron Building

In Sewickley Village, one spot stands out like Times Square in The Big Apple. Why somebody hasn't tried to put a neon zipper message around the Flatiron Building is a mystery.

The piece of real estate where Division Street intersects with Beaver Street has a history older than the ca 1870 three-story building that forms the apex of the triangle. Division Street marks the north-south line of the great Depreciation Lands Survey conducted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1783. All land east of this north-south line was surveyed by Nathaniel Breading (Braden); everything west was measured out by Daniel Leet.

Beaver Street, however, existed long before the survey that dictated local property lines. First an Indian path, the Beaver Road was used by French and English scouts brave enough to venture westward into dangerous territory.

Later, pioneers followed Beaver Road as they headed west. Stagecoaches would stop in the inns of Sewickley, almost equidistant between old Fort Pitt and Fort McIntosh.

This triangular landmark building of brick rises two full stories and is capped with a full-story mansard roof. It has been a commercial building from its beginning. Early on, it was a barbershop. An old photo shows Baths being advertised in bold letters. After that, it was a popular ice cream parlor with the family of the proprietor in residence on the upper floors.

At one time in history, the first floor was headquarters for a teenage coffeehouse and a warehouse for grocery supplies.

In 1975, after local residents raised funds for renovation by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, it became the headquarters of the town's newspaper.

Since 1986, all three floors have been occupied by an international art gallery.

- B.G.Y.S.