South Park and Oliver Miller Homestead

The Oliver Miller Homestead on Stone Manse Drive in South Park is one of a trio of early and impressive stone houses still standing around Pittsburgh, joining the John Woods House ( AL50) and the John Frew House (c. 1790, c. 1840; 105 Sterrett Street). It is the best preserved of the three, and the only one open to the public. Five generations of the family lived here from the eighteenth century through the 1920s, although the dates and ownership of the house are a matter of some conjecture. Oliver Miller had a log house here from the 1780s, but it is uncertain whether it was he or his son James who replaced that house with this stone construction. James did add the larger portion c. 1830. Both sections are constructed of random rubble and are two stories in height.

The 2,000-acre park was established in 1927. About one-third of it is wooded, and the rest is greenspace and recreational areas. An eighteen-hole golf course is served by a clubhouse designed by Henry Hornbostel in 1938, when he was director of Allegheny County Parks between 1935 and 1939. The long rectangular structure's red brick walls are laid to create images of trees and golfers in relief designs. A stunning, concave corbeled arch that opens at the center of the building allows views across the landscape.