Water, fire, and company make this sloping yard an urban escape at this Observatory Hill home.
A Picturesque Escape in an Observatory Hill Home’s Backyard
On many Friday nights throughout the summer, you’ll hear the bubbling of a flowing waterfall, the crackling of a firepit and plenty of laughter coming from the Observatory Hill backyard of the home of Jeremy Lawler and Joshua Hatfield.
Lawler wouldn’t have it any other way. “If you’re outside with a glass of wine, you can guarantee that by the end of the night, you have several guests stopping by to visit,” he says.
The couple has created a welcoming outdoor oasis, transforming both the front yard that frames the wide porch of their 1907 American Foursquare and the challenging terrain of their backyard. Members of the Observatory Hill Inc. Board of Directors, Lawler and Hatfield host neighborhood events throughout the year, “bringing familiar faces and new neighbors alike together,” Lawler says.
Turning a Difficult Yard Into a Design Opportunity
Like many Pittsburgh yards, the property slopes steeply. Lawler embraced it instead of fighting it. When he purchased the home in 2019, he knew the yard once included a water feature. “It was completely buried under years of debris, rocks and dirt,” he says.
After plenty of digging and many wheelbarrow trips, Lawler uncovered a waterfall built around an old, cast-iron bathtub. “I got the waterfall back up and running but quickly realized there was not enough water to supply the full run,” he says. The solution was to dig a small pond at the base, creating a recirculating feature that now anchors the garden.
Restoring Native Plants and Removing Invasive Growth
The rest of the yard was a blank slate after Lawler cleared out piles of invasive Japanese knotweed — some of it more than 8 feet tall. In its place, he planted natives and created distinct spaces to enjoy the garden. Adirondack chairs circle a firepit in the lower yard beside the waterfall. Additional seating in the upper garden sits near a potting shed.
A gardener by nature, Lawler took on the challenge with help from a friend. They sourced salvaged materials from homes around the North Side, including vintage windows that transformed the shed into a greenhouse. Raised vegetable beds lead up to the structure, which often doubles as an entertaining space during gatherings, with food and drinks laid out among seedlings and flowers.
Reuse is a defining theme for the property — the garden also features Belgian block cobblestones recovered during neighborhood utility work. “I was able to salvage 300 blocks to continue lining my garden beds and driveway,” Lawler says.
For someone who works from home, the outdoor space offers a daily escape — and it’s always evolving. “When my fiance asks where I am going and I respond with running errands,” Lawler says with a laugh, “he knows that I am on my way to the garden center — and will return with trees, shrubs and flowers that completely fill the car to the brim. There’s far worse things to spend your money on.”
Story by Anne Perri Cole
Photos By Jeremy Lawler