Frick Art & Historical Center

The Frick Art Museum, part of the Frick Art & Historical Center at "Clayton"

The Frick Art & Historical Center is a cluster of museums and historical buildings located at 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and collectively known as "Clayton". It focuses on the interpretation of the life and times of Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919), industrialist and art collector.

The complex, located on 5 acres (20,000 m²) of lawn and gardens in the city's Point Breeze neighborhood, includes Clayton, the restored Frick mansion; The Frick Art Museum; The Car and Carriage Museum; the Greenhouse; the Frick children's playhouse; and The Café. Clayton alone welcomes over 100,000 visitors a year. Admission is free.

Helen Clay Frick (1888—1984) was the driving force to preserve the Frick estate and allow it to open to the public after her death.

History

The Frick Mansion "Clayton"

Today's museum began as an eleven-room, Italianate-style house purchased by the Fricks shortly after their marriage in 1881. The house was built in the 1860s, original architect unknown. After modifications by Pittsburgh architect Andrew Peebles, it was renamed "Clayton". Further remodeling of the house was done in 1892 by Pittsburgh architect Frederick J. Osterling. The Playhouse was constructed in 1897 to designs by architects Alden & Harlow. The house served as the Fricks' primary residence from 1883 to 1905. The Fricks moved to New York City in 1905, where they established the Frick Collection, but in 1981 daughter Helen Clay Frick returned to Clayton, where she remained until her death in 1984. Clayton opened to the public in 1990, and in 1997 the carriage house was enlarged to create the Car and Carriage Museum.

Collections

The museum's artworks include a large group of works on paper by Jean-François Millet, Renaissance and Baroque bronzes, and nineteenth-century European paintings. All are exhibited as when the Fricks were in residence.

Automobiles on display include an 1881 Brougham, 1898 Panhard et Levassor Tonneau, 1903 Baker Electric, 1906 Outing Wagon, 1909 Bailey Electric Phaeton, 1909 Keystone Sixty-Six Roadster, 1911 Penn 30 Touring Car, 1912 Daimler Landaulet, 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car, 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Touring Car, 1917 Standard Model E Touring Car, 1924 Auto Red Bug Flyer, 1931 Lincoln Model K Sport Phaeton, and 1940 American Bantam Convertible Coupe.

See also

The greenhouse at the Frick Art & Historical Center

• Frick Collection
• Frick Fine Arts Building
• Frick Park

References

• Kidney, Walter C. (1997). Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture: The Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. ISBN 0-916670-18-X. 
• Sanger, Martha Frick Symington (2007). Helen Clay Frick: Bittersweet Heiress. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-4341-9. 

External links

• Frick Art & Historical Center website
• 360° panorama of the Clayton's parlor
• 360° panorama of the Clayton's library and sitting room