PHOTOS BY MARK HOLEWINKSI, MMHJ IMAGES

Nancy Wells says she didn’t plan to buy a firehouse built in 1884 on Pittsburgh’s South Side, but once she stumbled across 900 Bingham St., she couldn’t get it out of her mind. 

As a local landlord, Wells often headed to the South Side to meet with an appliance vendor. On a routine trip to pick up a new fridge for a tenant more than 20 years ago, she noticed an old firehouse desperately in need of attention — but its historical beauty was obvious. 

“I said, ‘Geez, isn’t that beautiful? Those windows are gorgeous,’” recalls Wells. “It was totally empty with no electricity, no gas and part of the tin ceiling had come down,” 

She was instantly hooked. 

Initially, Wells and her husband, Nick Kratofil, a local artist, had no plans to live in the space. Their already established home in Mt. Lebanon was spacious and comfortable. However, the couple agreed the firehouse would make a perfect studio space for Kratofil; those large windows that first captured Wells’ attention flooded the space with light, and the additional commercial space in the rear of the firehouse could generate income to fund their new venture, they decided. 

Wells said they approached Dollar Bank with their quirky idea and obtained a loan for the massive overhaul. Kratofil’s studio was completed in 2003, and a church used the other half of the firehouse for a period of time. 

Fast forward to 2009; the couple found themselves rattling around in their big house after their now-grown children left home. The empty-nesters decided to move a few things into the firehouse, just to see how they liked city life.

“We decided it was silly living in the big house, so I said I think I would like to be a gypsy and live on the South Side with all the young people,” laughs Wells. 

Kratofil bought his wife a cruiser bike for trips to Giant Eagle and to ride along the riverfront trail. The building’s flat rooftop also proved to be the perfect spot to grow their own flower and vegetable gardens.  

“We were beyond the age of taking in any of the night life down there,” Wells jokes. 

That experiment proved successful; the couple packed up their suburban life and made the firehouse their home. 

Now, they’re moving on again — to a maintenance-free condo in Mt. Lebanon. 

Their two-bedroom, three-bathroom, mixed-use South Side building is listed for $685,000. While Realtor Vera Purcell of Howard Hanna has sold many unique homes in the region over her long career, she says this one tops her list of favorites. 

“It’s just interesting to me. This is adapted living,” she says. “They have rehabbed it, but I still love the big firehouse doors in the front.” 

The brick building also has been repointed and boasts a new roof and updated HVAC. Cosmetically, it’s in great shape. 

“When you are at this home, and look over at the Smithfield Street Bridge and the city, I think about how people lived in Pittsburgh when this house was built,” Purcell says. “These are the things that fascinate me.”

The property is separated into two units and is zoned for both commercial and residential use — right now it is both, as a home and an art studio. The future owner could use the entire building as a larger home, create two full apartments or use both units as commercial space. 

“It could make a great brewery, though the city has many of those already,” Purcell adds. 

Both of the units at 900 Bingham St. have kitchens, making the space flexible for guests or businesses. The former studio space currently has a commercial tenant using it, which could provide supplementary income for the new owner. 

The main living unit has two full bathrooms, while the studio space has a half bathroom that still uses the fire department’s original hose drainage system for its plumbing. With 18-foot-high ceilings and skylights throughout, the home is open and inviting. 

While they’re enjoying their new, maintenance-free condo, Wells and Kratofil say they miss entertaining loved ones at the firehouse. From huge Christmas parties to family dinners with just their kids and grandkids, the space was always bustling. 

“I remember one Thanksgiving when all four grandkids were in town. They were making airplanes, just standing on the top of the little walkway along the loft, and sending the airplanes down,” recalls Wells. “I still miss it a lot, but my husband is 10 years older than I am — he’s 86 and I’m 76 — and you reach a point where you have to downsize. I still get to have flowers and vegetables, though.”

Meg St-Esprit is a Bellevue-based freelance journalist who covers real estate, lifestyle, education, parenting and travel for a variety of local outlets including Pittsburgh Magazine, PublicSource, Kidsburgh, Pittsburgh City Paper, and City Cast Pittsburgh. Meg offers Hot Property, an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home.

About: SouthSide Flats
Population: 6,430
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Located within minutes of most of Pittsburgh ’s major arteries, the South Side Flats is a great location for residents who need to access the airport regularly via Interstate 376 or Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Airport Flyer route. The South Side is extremely walkable, and residents enjoy many amenities without having to leave their community. There are plentiful bus stops in the neighborhood, and the T can be picked up easily from Station Square for access to the South Hills, Downtown or the North Shore.
Schools: Pittsburgh Public Schools (pghschools.org)
Neighborhood: The South Side Flats is home to many commercial spaces, including restaurants, bars and retail shops. It’s also a popular night spot that can draw raucous crowds on weekends. Residents can walk to small delis and local eateries as well as an Aldi and a Cheesecake Factory in the SouthSide Works complex. It’s an eclectic and diverse community with a wide range of residents, from students in apartments to character homes. The South Side is also home to the largest clock face in the country— just one of the neighborhood’s many claims to fame. 

Neighborhood data provided by Niche.com