Harmon House: Mansion rich in history

MOUNT PLEASANT - The main mansion of the Harmon House Convalescent Center has been a part of Mount Pleasant since 1907, but it has not always been known as the Harmon House.

In fact, the house was originally intended to be that of a Mount Pleasant banker, Charles E. Mullin, and although he never got the chance to live in the 30-room dwelling, it was referred to as the Mullin Mansion for nearly 75 years.

Mullin was arrested for embezzlement just before the house was complete. It was rumored he used the bank's money to fund the building of the house.

The mansion, located near Frick Hospital, was first lived in by a man named Ezra Harman, who was remembered as a farmer despite his involvement with real estate and coal.

The mansion consists of three separate layers of brick, and the furniture and hardwood paneling that were used to decorate the house were imported from Europe.

After Harman and his wife, Anna Hoyman Harman, passed away, their two daughters, Ohma and Marie, lived in the house until they sold it to Robert Nyswaner in 1977 and moved to Florida.

In 1979, a fire gutted the interior of the mansion, causing rumors that the house might get torn down. But that was not to be.

In 1986, the house was purchased by Grane Associates in Pittsburgh with the purpose of making it into a convalescent home. The renovation project cost an overwhelming $4.3 million.

The outside of the mansion was to be restored to its original condition, but the inside would never be the same since everything was completely ruined in the fire.

Additions have been added since the original renovations, but the mansion has remained the focal point.