Point breeze professional#

The first was destroyed by a fire in 1820, the second stood into the mid-nineteenth century. At Point Breeze he constructed a pair of palatial houses. Joseph, who had owned fine estates in Europe, chose to live in Bordentown because of its location on the main route between Philadelphia and New York and because of the property’s exceptional setting. However, he was best known for his lavish country estate at Point Breeze in Bordentown. Known as the Comte de Survilliers, Joseph was a patron of the arts and sciences and owned a townhouse in Philadelphia. Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844), the elder brother of Napoleon, immigrated to the United States at the close of the Napoleonic Wars and settled in the Delaware Valley. Indeed, everyone from American politicians to the Marquis de Lafayette and Mexican revolutionaries visited Joseph and solicited his counsel. Here Joseph entertained French emigres and Philadelphia elites, played host to visiting diplomats, artists, and naturalists, and stayed abreast of the latest political news from Europe. Famous for its picturesque landscape, wonderful gardens, extensive art collection, and large library, it was a center of social life in the Delaware Valley. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania)Īlthough only traces of the original Point Breeze estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, remain, extensive archaeological deposits survive to reveal the grandeur of the home occupied by Joseph Bonaparte during his American sojourn (1815-39). He built a grand estate named Point Breeze, where he collected art, cultivated sprawling gardens, and hosted some of the area’s most prominent citizens for social events. Joseph Bonaparte, older brother of Napoleon, resided in Bordentown, New Jersey, after his exile from Spain. Country estates provided the elite with refuge from the heat and disease of the city during the summer months and provided wealthy Philadelphians with showplaces for their gardens and architecture. Many of these country houses still stand, including the Woodlands, Andalusia, Lemon Hill, and others. The first was likely Pennsbury Manor, the American home of William Penn (1644-1718). Similar grand houses once graced the Delaware Valley, especially upriver from Philadelphia and along the Schuylkill. Joseph Bonaparte’s Point Breeze estate was one of the finest country houses in the Delaware Valley.

Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back.

Bede School, the Pittsburgh New Church School, the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Shady Side Academy Junior School. Several private schools are nearby including St. Point Breeze is also home to popular public schools including Linden International Magnet for K-5 and Allderdice High School, 9-12, which is in neighboring Squirrel Hill.

Point breeze professional#

The predominant feature, of course, is the mansion belonging to Henry Clay Frick, known as “Clayton,” a part of the 5.5-acre campus that includes the Frick Art & Historical Center and Frick Park.Ī quaint business district anchors the community, offering professional services and dry cleaning along with the beloved Point Brugge Café, known for its signature dish of steaming bowls of mussels doused in garlic and those fabulous fries aka pommes frites.Īlso worth a trip is the intimate Pino smack in the middle of the small but sweet business district offering Italian food and an inviting bar.

Point Breeze is a compact package, with attractive houses that sit back off the quiet streets with mature trees, manicured lawns and beautiful gardens. North Point Breeze, just north of Penn Avenue and part of Point Breeze, is less upscale and generally considered a neighborhood unto its own. The attractive one square-mile community is surrounded by Frick Park as well as the neighborhoods of Regent Square, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Homewood, and Wilkinsburg. Passing through this wooded enclave on the eastern side of Pittsburgh, with a mix of architectural styles including ranch, stone and mansions, you can easily imagine Annie Dillard flying down the sidewalk or “whipping a snowball at a car and having it hit straight on.”ĭillard’s hymn to her hometown and Point Breeze in “An American Childhood” captures this charming residential neighborhood in all its glory. Cafe at the Frick, Point Breeze homes, Pino’s Contemporary Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar and The Point Restaurant (all photos by Peter Leeman) With its upscale houses, wide streets and border with Frick Park, you’d never know Point Breeze sits just minutes away from bustling city life in Pittsburgh’s East End.