Being Mt. Lebanon

An enclave of overachiever soccer moms and baseball dads, hyperscheduled kids, and mall shoppers on a bender. Lots of trees and nice houses (yawn) but nothing much to do or see.

People love to pigeonhole Mt. Lebanon. But this first-ring suburb located six miles from downtown Pittsburgh might surprise you. In its six square miles, this municipality offers its residents more sidewalks, more coffee, restaurants, shopping, recreation, parks and amenities (including one of the only bocce courts in Pittsburgh), its own monthly magazine and award-winning St. Clair Hospital than places twice the size.

Many of Mt. Lebanon’s homes and neighborhoods were designed during the 20s and 30s, the Golden Age of suburban architecture and design in the U.S. Mt. Lebanon is a vivid encyclopedia of 20^th century domestic architecture. Styles like Craftsman, Prairie, Foursquare, English Tudor, Cotswold cottages, colonial revival and Italian renaissance – all can be found on Mt. Lebanon streets. One reason why Mt. Lebanon has one of the highest concentration of architects in the region.

Between 1908 and 1940, Sears & Roebuck translated Craftsman and Prairie designs into pre-cut kits for affordable homes—some only 900 square feet in size. Hugely popular, these bungalow homes with their low-hipped rooflines, arched doorways and wide porches dot the Mt. Lebanon landscape.

A Premier Tour

The opening of the Liberty Tunnels in 1926 fueled migration from the cities into Mt. Lebanon, where, by 1934, Mt. Lebanon had 3,966 cars – 506 more cars than homes. Last week, at the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference held in Pittsburgh, architects, historians and preservationists from all over the country signed on for a special Mt. Lebanon junket titled “Exploring Pittsburgh’s Premier Automobile Suburb.”

Seattle residents Christine Palmer, a preservationist with Historic Seattle, and husband Lex, director of the Washington State Parks Historic Preservation Office were taken with the neighborhood’s true-to-type English Tudors in particular – and Pittsburgh prices in general. “Something that beautiful would cost twice as much in Seattle, and four times as much in California,” says Christine, a Pittsburgh native.

Distinctive architecture – and neighborhoods – makes Mt. Lebanon more of a community than their more suburban-like neighbors to the south. Sidewalks line most streets, making each neighborhood – each with its own elementary school (seven) - a walking neighborhood. No school buses found here as kids walk, or are driven, to the two middle schools and Mt. Lebanon High School.

Schools and more

One of the outstanding school districts in Allegheny County, and a National Blue Ribbon winner by the U. S. Department of Education, Mt. Lebanon’s schools are the reason most young families choose to live there. Within its borders, this community of 34,000 has 10 neighborhood parks serving a myriad of users – toddlers, athletes, nature lovers and dog walkers. The recreational facilities at the main Mt. Lebanon Park, including a community pool, ice rink, 9-hole golf course, clay tennis courts, paddleball courts, volleyball court, and bocce court, offer residents of all ages ample opportunities to get out and get active.

To get around beyond the borders, there's a T station in the center of Mt. Lebanon's Washington Road, for an easy 25 minute ride to downtown Pittsburgh or, in the opposite direction, to South Hills Village.

Cream and sugar?

All year long, the Mt. Lebanon vibe is fueled by caffeine – how else do parents find the energy to run their kids from the orthodontist in the morning to karate and basketball in the afternoon? Luckily, there are five locally owned places (and two Starbucks) to pick up a double-shot of morning brew, meet with friends or colleagues, or relax on the weekends to live, local music: Aldo Coffee Company hosts local musicians and occasionally, a standing-room-only tango night.

Down street, Uptown Coffee has in-house made pastries and desserts, and a quieter atmosphere geared toward the laptop-and-textbook crowd. Mo Joe Coffee House on Broadmoor Avenue, features weekly game nights, networking groups and music on the weekends. On Beverly Road, Coffee Tree Roasters is a popular stop night and day. Blue Horse Coffee across from the Galleria hosts regular classes and coffee tastings. Want to dunk something sweet in that cup? A second branch of the Strip District’s Enrico Biscotti, named one of the best bakeries in America by Jane and Michael Stern in Gourmet magazine sells more than a dozen different biscotti, chocolate-dipped macaroons and has a shape-shifting menu of decadent desserts.

Uptown

Mt. Lebanon’s central business district – Washington Road – has undergone a renaissance in attitude and style. Over the past two years, this main street has been abuzz with new businesses, brighter facades, and a new parklet in the center of town, along with First Friday street festivals, featuring live music during the warmer months, and a Saturday farmers’ market/late-morning concert series during the growing season.

Shopping in Mt. Lebanon won’t disappoint the fashion savvy. Ona Boutique for women and hip mommas-to-be, and hip jeans joint Zipper Blues which already carried Hanky Panky thongs (voted ‘most comfortable’ by In Style magazine) before most of us had a clue.

The Galleria mall on Washington and Gilkeson Road, an upscale specialty mall, features the area’s only Anthropologie, and (mostly) locally owned specialty stores – including L.S. Altman for men, Footloose Shoes, and Tutto Bella florals and findings. But art, accessories and home furnishings are also found on Washington Road, too, which saw two new art and gallery shops open this year: Planet Art Gallery, featuring pottery, fiber art, metalwork, jewelry, and handmade paper by local artists, and Kool Kat Designs across the street, carrying a marketplace of wearable art from 30 homegrown artisans. Create-a-Frame/Handworks has a notable collection of one-of-a-kind, often whimsical glass sculpture, jewelry and original artwork. Next door is Gifted, with a wide selection of glassware, dishware, and artsy and fun gift items.
 
Another neighborhood shopping district - at Shady Drive and Castle Shannon Boulevard - could put a dent in your wallet: Gorgeous & Co., a gift shop, Josephine, a floral and antiques shop, Vicar Antiques, and Ease, a small day spa, all sit together at the same corner.

Meet me on Beverly

On the north side of Mt. Lebanon, the Beverly Road Shops make a   compact but vibrant shopping area. Stop at the welcoming Coffee Tree Roasters, then browse at Lee Heckman Framing, an art and frame shop, or Portobello, an elegant, funky collection of clothing, jewelry and gifts.

Bado’s Pizza Grill and Ale House would be a smart stop for lunch; try one of their dozen or so designer pizzas, and pull up to one of 15 microbrews on tap. More in the mood for white tablecloth? The new and popular Iovino's Café across the street creates imaginative American dining for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

Think global, eat local

For lunch or dinner out, Mt. Lebanon has a surprisingly international slate of palates: Middle Eastern (Aladdin’s), Chinese (Sesame Inn), Japanese (Little Tokyo and Sushi Three), an Irish pub (Molly Brannigan’s) Italian (Il Pizzaiolo with a cozy enoteca in the rear), and opening this fall, Bistro 19, featuring eclectic American cuisine. Another popular local choice is Atria’s Restaurant and Tavern at the corner of Beverly and MacFarland; it’s the kind of place you can bring your mother for dinner, and the next night, kick back with your friends, or bring a date.

All this, and walkable neighborhoods, put Mt. Lebanon on Laura McKenzie’s short list of places to live. When the former Peters Township resident was scouting houses in Mt. Lebanon, her realtor showed her one home a mile from the nearest shopping. Not close enough, she said. Instead she bought within a short walk to Washington Road for shopping, coffee shops, and the public library where she wheels her two young sons several times a week. “It takes two minutes to get here on foot, and I don’t have to drive,” she says.

It proves the point that neighborhood businesses that are accessible by walking attracts people. “I love that I can walk to shop," says McKenzie. "It’s like New York; I live for this kind of stuff.”

Anne Caffee is a resident of Mt. Lebanon and an award-winning staff writer at Mt. Lebanon Magazine.

Zipper Blues

Iovino's Café

Sushi 3

All photographs copyright © Jonathan Greene