Shadyside mansion adorned for Pittsburgh Symphony Association holiday tour

Pittsburgh Symphony Association members weren’t hopeful that they would be able to present their Symphony Splendor Holiday House Tour this year.

Then, Scott Cavanaugh and Ron Graham offered their Gilded Age Shadyside mansion for the much-anticipated event.

“With the current situation, you can understand that homeowners wouldn’t permit hundreds of people to troop through their homes,” said Jean Horne, the association’s marketing chairwoman.

“Then (Cavanaugh and Graham) came to us two months ago and said, ‘We love to decorate and we’d love to offer our home to you,’” she said. “We pulled this all together in two months.”

Tour hours will be 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with a candlelight tour planned for 5-8 p.m. Friday.

Though the tour usually showcases several homes, visitors won’t feel slighted by seeing just one, Horne said.

Built in 1896, the three-story Victorian abode features 22 rooms, 17 of which will be lavishly decorated.

“They’ve used thousands of their own antique ornaments, layer upon layer of gorgeous decorations,” Horne said.

The holiday trappings include numerous trees of various heights, along with lights, swags and more on staircases, tabletops and fireplaces and in bedrooms and formal rooms.

Pittsburgh Symphony musicians will be stationed throughout the house to provide holiday music.

A third-floor room will be outfitted as a vendor boutique for tour-goers interested in doing some gift shopping.

“This holiday fanfare, presented by the Pittsburgh Symphony Association, has become the gold standard event of the season,” said event chair Cathy Trombetta. “Now in its seventh year and with a revised format, the tour has raised over $500,000 for our community treasure, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.”

“The tour has become a tradition in our city as a way to launch the holidays,” Horne added.

Timed tickets are $25 in advance when ordered online or $35 in advance for Friday’s candlelight tour. Tickets also will be available at the door for $35.

Tour-goers will need to provide proof of covid vaccination at the door, and masks will be required inside. The house is not handicapped-accessible.

Parking will be available for $10 on Friday and Saturday at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave., Shadyside. A shuttle bus will make a continuous loop between the church and the mansion during tour hours on those days.

Free street parking is available in Shadyside on Sunday.

For tickets and more information, including the address of the featured home, visit pittsburghsymphonyassociation.org.