A Treasure Hunt: The Stifel-Kossuth House
– written by guest contributor, Margaret Brennan
Sometimes things in life are just a matter of serendipity. That happened recently when a friend called who was going to tour the Stifel-Kossuth property at 807 Main Street. He asked if I would like to come along.
I hadn’t been in the house for a good while but remembered well soirees the Figarettis would cater there. I had never seen the second and third floor or basement. Now the Vandalia Foundation from Fairmont owns the property.
Entering a very cold house, our eye immediately caught the small Kossuth photograph of Eleanor Steber in the main hall.
Upon entering the back room, we discovered a large hand-painted, colorized portrait of Steber.
Heading upstairs, we noticed shelves of old books. Pulling one out and opening it up, we found the signature “George Kossuth” on the inside cover. Things were getting interesting. This could well be the part of the great photographer’s library and one marveled at how many books had survived for so long in a rented building. Kossuth himself lived there from 1941 until 1960 – when he passed away – and his home must have been filled with music, laughter and many esteemed guests.
Continuing down to the basement, there were some “wow” moments. We entered a long room with a huge fireplace, crowned by a Mozart brass plaque.
Then we were in his studio, surrounded by a Mahogany wood wall that formed the background of so many lovely and important photos. I had heard that Kossuth and Charles Gruber, his associate, had salvaged some pieces from the homes demolished in the early fifties to make way for the Fort Henry Bridge. One might have been a Clark House, the other Clara Welty’s family residence.
As we were leaving, we noticed one lone picture in an antique frame near the fireplace and a box with some old dishes of English castles, something that seemed to fit with Kossuth’s cosmopolitan tastes.
Yet what would happen to these treasures sitting in an unheated, uncooled building? I called the director of the Vandalia Foundation and asked if staff members from the Ohio County Public Library could go in, look at the artifacts, and perhaps take them back to the library’s archives where they could be better preserved. The okay was given, and the library staff members collected the material. Once back at the library where closer inspection could be made, it was discovered the fireplace picture was a beautiful color-tinted photograph of Eleanor Steber, her mother, sister and brother.
It is a wonder it survived and again attested to the special work done for the Metropolitan opera singer by Kossuth. Now a part of Wheeling’s past has been preserved. One just wonders what other treasures are waiting to be found in our fair city.
UPDATE!
A researcher from Pittsburgh who has in interest in Eleanor Steber has been carefully examining the contents of the Steber/Front collection in the Ohio County Public Library over the past few weeks and recently came across this photograph in a small box of personal photos of Eleanor. Recognize the painted portrait in the background?
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Thank you very much for sharing.
Fabulous find
Excellent piece of local history and Wheeling nostalgia!
Thanks for all the interesting information on my home city.