2 Beaver Street

SEWICKLEY, PA

AboutJames and Louise Todd had the house at 2 Beaver Street built in 1902. The house was designed by the architecture firm of Rutan & Russell, who were known for projects such as The Schenley Hotel (now William Pitt Student Union) and St. Augustine’s church in Lawrenceville. The house at 2 Beaver Street cost around $35,000 to build and was built by local contractor W. H. Seaman.

Rutan & Russell designed the house at 2 Beaver Street in an eclectic mix of the Prairie and Tudor Revival styles. The rough-cut stone façade is a nod to the Richardsonian Romanesque style, as Rutan & Russell began their early years as architects in the Pittsburgh area working with H. H. Richardson on the Allegheny Court House.

James Todd was a varnish manufacturer who made his fortune after he developed a varnish that could be used for electrical insulation. It is said that the elaborate woodwork on the first floor of 2 Beaver Street was handcrafted by a team of Italian woodworkers as a showcase for Todd’s business, the Sterling Varnish Company. Todd’s wife, Louise Slagle Todd was a socialite who held many parties, luncheons, and charitable events in the home. The house at 2 Beaver Street has now had a total of eight owners.