Wednesday 10 AM–5 PM
Thursday 10 AM–5 PM
Friday 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday 10 AM–5 PM
Sunday 10 AM–5 PM
Monday Closed
Experience the culture and refinement of the Gilded Age at the Frick Art & Historical Center, located on beautifully landscaped gardens in Pittsburgh's East End. This museum contains excellent illustrations and art samples belonging to Helen Clay Firch, who was the daughter of Henry Clay Frick. The year 1881 was a significant one for Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919). In February, he made his first recorded purchase of a work of art: a wooded landscape by local artist George Hetzel. Then, in the spring, Frick met Adelaide Howard Childs (1859-1931) and they were married on December 15. Pittsburgh architect Andrew Peebles made interior and exterior modifications to the home, which was renamed "Clayton." The house was the family’s primary residence from 1882 to 1905. The Fricks moved into Clayon early in 1883. Their son, Childs (1883-1965), was born in March. Two years later a daughter, Martha, was born (1885-1891), followed by Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), and a fourth child, Henry Clay Frick, Jr., who died shortly after birth in 1892. The Playhouse and Greenhouse The Playhouse—which now houses the Visitors’ Center and Museum Shop at the Frick Art & Historical Center—was built in 1897, when Childs Frick was 14 and Helen Clay Frick was nine. It was designed by the architectural firm Alden & Harlow, which was also constructing a new greenhouse next to the Playhouse and adding additional bathrooms to Clayton.
The Frick residence today is known as The Frick Collection. It was opened to the public as a museum in 1935. Although the Fricks left Clayton in 1905, the home was never sold. It remained a part of their family life. In 1908, Helen Clay Frick returned to Pittsburgh and Clayton for her debut into society. However, she continued living in New York for most of her adult life and spent considerable time traveling the world. She also owned a farmhouse in New York. After Henry Clay Frick died in 1919, Helen inherited 38 million dollars, making her America’s richest heiress. Like her father, Helen Clay Frick was a passionate art collector. To house her growing collection of fine and decorative art, she built the Frick Art Museum, which was opened to the public in 1970. In 1981, Helen returned to Clayton to live full-time until she died in 1984. She left provisions for restoring and opening the family home to the public.
Clayton was opened to the public in 1990 following a four-year restoration project. Today, the home provides visitors with an intimate glimpse into the life of the Frick family more than a century ago and insight into late-nineteenth-century life in general. Further Expanding the Site The Frick has continued to grow in the years following Clayton’s opening in 1990. In 1994, The Café at the Frick opened on the site. In 1997, the Frick’s carriage house, in which the family’s personal collection of cars and carriages were kept, was expanded to create the Car and Carriage Museum. The collection provides visitors with a history of Pittsburgh’s role in the automotive industry, along with that of western Pennsylvania’s early auto enthusiasts and manufacturers.
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