CityView Magazine

By the time it was finished four years later, the Pittmans were entertaining friends, family and dignitaries. Above | Almost from the moment the house was built, Stone Manor hosted lavish events, including this one in the early 1920s. Raymond L. Pittman Jr. stands in front, holding a flag. roof. And they became intrigued by the mysteries inside as well, delving into the life of artist George J. Novikoff and the murals he painted, the backdrop to a life of luxury. For 90 years, one family owned and lived in the manor home perched atop the slope of historic Haymont Hill. Dr. R.L. and Grace Sikes Pittman bought this piece of land in 1918 and set about building a house like no other. By the time it was finished four years later, the Pittmans were entertaining friends, family and dignitaries. They embellished the already grand house by adding ornate chandeliers, sconces and paintings in every room, not to mention the famous murals painted by Russian artist George Novikoff. No 52 | June/July • 2010 expense was spared in the embroidered silk drapes, stone fireplaces and crystal fixtures. The four 19th century French baccarat chandeliers that hang in the house were appraised in 2006 as being “scarce or rare” by antiques dealer Mark English. The large opaline blue light fixture that sits in the music room reportedly came from a historic house in Wilmington, purchased from an estate sale by Grace Pittman in 1950. The house stayed in the Pittman family until last spring when my parents entered a bidding war, never expecting to win. They found Stone Manor empty, silent and still, but they could imagine it as it once was and could be again – glasses clinking, people laughing, gardens in full bloom.

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