FROM COAL TO BOOKS TO BOUTIQUE DINING

The Hartwood Restaurant enjoys a rich history. The original building was once the headquarters of the Harmar Coal Company. Purchased in 1988, the building was transformed into retail space, including antiques and a bookstore. Café tables were soon added amongst the book shelves, and for a time The Hartwood became known as “the restaurant in a bookstore.”

Over the years, The Hartwood Restaurant has continued to evolve into a charming and unique place for meals, drinks, and events. The elegant dining rooms are now complemented by a new pub featuring hand-tooled woodwork and stained glass artwork.

Although many of our guests still browse the books that line the walls in our dining rooms, today The Hartwood Restaurant is an elegant boutique restaurant featuring fresh, seasonal, upscale cuisine in a casual, country setting. The Hartwood also features outdoor dining in a garden-like atmosphere, complete with a wood burning fireplace. Whisper’s Pub is a full bar, featuring more than a dozen different wines by the glass, as well as seasonal cocktails, martinis, and craft beers on tap. Our list of hand-picked wines by the bottle is designed to complement our menu and your dining experience.

The signature window in Whispers Pub was created in the Horace Rudy Studio. The Whispers window was built in late 1896 and early 1897 at the request of a prominent Squirrel Hill resident.

The window is a combination of opalescent and the old tradition of stained and fire painted glass. Horace Rudy was clearly the stained glass window company in Pittsburgh equivalent to Tiffany and one of the top five stain glass studios in the Country . The studio of J Horace Rudy came to Pittsburgh at the direct request of H J Heinz in 1893. Rudy had a genius for teaching and helping many apprentices. Some notable who worked in his studio were Charles Connic, George Sotter, and Lawrence Saint. These men became some of America’s greatest artists and were in the studio when the Whispers window was created. This beautiful window had the attention of some our countries best artists.