{"id":247459,"date":"2026-07-20T03:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/247459\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T03:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:14:12","slug":"family-life-is-key-at-this-classic-foursquare-in-bellevue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/247459\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Life is Key at This Classic Foursquare in Bellevue"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"02<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY KEN LAGER PHOTOGRAPHY<\/p>\n

Back in the 1970s, Richard and Joanne Stuempges relocated to Pittsburgh in search of educational opportunities. Richard was working on education degrees at Duquesne University while Joanne was in the biology and chemistry fields at the University of Pittsburgh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the couple was new to the city, they both felt a tug to stay \u2014 forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell people if you move away from your family for one reason or another, Pittsburgh\u2019s the greatest place to be because people are really friendly,\u201d says Joanne.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"06<\/a><\/p>\n

During their search for a house, the couple came across 693 Orchard Ave<\/a>. They would spend the next 51 years at the Bellevue home and raise four children there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day we moved in, an older couple across the street brought us food and said hello,\u201d Joanne says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though Bellevue has changed plenty over the last five decades, the Stuempges say it hasn\u2019t lost that neighborly feel. It\u2019s why they stayed so long in the community \u2014 and why they are only moving a short distance away to a home with less stairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"15<\/a><\/p>\n

The family was also heavily involved in the community. After a stint in Pittsburgh Public Schools, Richard served as a longtime principal for Bellevue and Avalon elementaries. The couple\u2019s children were involved in school activities and sports that forged strong local connections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While their children eventually moved away to other cities, and even countries, the Stuempges say they all once again live in the Pittsburgh region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s another thing you hear,\u201d says Joanne with a laugh. \u201cThe Pittsburgh people come back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"16<\/a><\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s son, Christopher Stuempges<\/a> of Coldwell Banker, has since listed his childhood home for $290,000<\/a>; he also found his parents a new home in the North Hills that better meets their changing needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though he\u2019s nostalgic about selling the place that holds so many of his memories, Christopher says he\u2019s also excited for the home\u2019s next chapter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI may be biased because I grew up there, but I\u2019d say my favorite feature of this home is the warmth it gives off as soon as you walk in the front door,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"20<\/a><\/p>\n

He adds the home\u2019s walkable location to Bellevue\u2019s bustling business district, proximity to Downtown and complementary mix of modern updates and historical charm are reasons he expects someone to fall in love with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for the condition of the century-old home? Christopher says it\u2019s in great shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would have been too embarrassed to sell it with issues,\u201d he says of his parents and their pride in their home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"12<\/a><\/p>\n

Built in 1904, the classic Foursquare home measures just under 2,000 square feet and contains four bedrooms, one full bathroom and two powder rooms. The basement is finished, a rarity in a home of this age. There\u2019s even a grill in the basement perfect for indoor s\u2019mores and hot dogs \u2014 something the family enjoyed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Stuempges say they\u2019ve made necessary updates to the home over the years, such as exposing the brick fireplaces and adding a gas insert, as well as updating the kitchen and bathrooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"50<\/a><\/p>\n

They left as much intact as they could, including the plaster walls and historical details that drew them to the home in the first place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got personality,\u201d says Richard. \u201cAnd, we\u2019re familiar with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While so many corners of the home come with memories, the back deck and surrounding greenery have always felt special to the family. The yard once contained grass for their kids to play, but is now a sea of colorful perennials and mature trees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite thing to do is go get up in the morning, have my coffee and take it out on my deck,\u201d says Joanne. \u201cConsidering we live near the city and all I have to look at is trees, that is pretty amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO BY KEN LAGER PHOTOGRAPHY Back in the 1970s, Richard and Joanne Stuempges relocated to Pittsburgh in search…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247460,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-247459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}