The Home Office - William Penn Life

About WPA and the Home Office by Doug Miller
MOST OF YOU know William Penn Association is a fraternal benefit society, which means we
are a member-focused, non-profit organization with a mission: “To provide financial security to
our members through quality life insurance and annuity products; and, to support fraternal,
ethnic, cultural, charitable, educational, patriotic and religious works.”
You should know that the mission has changed very little since we were founded as the Verhovay
Aid Association 124 years ago in the coal mining town of Hazleton, Pa. And even though
in 1978 we changed our name to William Penn Association, we remain singularly focused on
providing you the highest levels of service and quality products that meet the needs of you and
your family.
WPA relocated to Pittsburgh in 1909 with offices in downtown Pittsburgh until 1983. We
then moved to our current location following our merger with the Catholic Knights of St.
George, originally a German fraternal society founded in 1881, which had used the home as its
headquarters since 1942. The home is located on the North Shore of the city at 709 Brighton
Road, less than a block from the Community College of Allegheny County. In addition, we are
within what was originally known as Allegheny City, a nationally recognized historic preservation
site of beautiful homes and offices built during the Industrial Revolution in America.
The building itself has a very interesting history. It was originally designed and built in 1908
as a wedding gift from Harry Darlington to his son, Harry Darlington Jr. For those who have
seen the home, it is hard to believe this beautiful structure was originally built for the princely
sum of $60,000 (the equivalent of roughly $1.3 million in today’s dollars).
Harry Sr. was a self-made man, as were most of the industrial magnates of the Gilded Age.
Born in Philadelphia in 1838, he moved to Pittsburgh at the age of 22, where he made his
fortune in brewing, steel, railroads, gas, and coal ventures. He decided to have a mansion constructed
in the then fashionable Allegheny City, favored by many of the new millionaires. His
choice fell to the area around the meeting of Ridge Avenue and Brighton Road, where he had
a handsome home constructed in the early French Renaissance style. The two-story-plus-attic,
red-brick house contained 31 rooms, intricate and elaborate woodwork throughout, a slate roof
and a passenger elevator--a rarity in homes then and now.
William Penn Association had the house restored to its original splendor and beauty in
1983. Our Home Office now stands like a jewel among its neighbors, and we welcome you to
visit and enjoy its rich history at your convenience...although you may want to call ahead so that
we can plan to welcome you!
RIGHT: On the third floor, in
the former servants’ quarters,
you’ll find the employees
who take care of your
annuity certificates:
Debbie Evans (R,
annuity specialist)
and Susan Robison
(annuity clerk).
(Photos by John
E. Lovasz)
William Penn Life º July 2010 º 17