Dan Gigler of Mt. Lebanon hosted the tour and shared information about who built the homes, the architecture type and the year the houses were built. He also provided each resident with an index card containing known information about his or her home.

Gigler said the section of Arden Road farthest from Cochran Road was largely developed by 1928 and was originally called the Colonial Heights Plan.

"This section of Arden Road, this section of the community was really a very early development," he said.

He said the estimated costs of the houses ranged from around $9,000 to $15,000.

Gigler walked the street with residents and pointed out different architecture types of their homes.

"I never really realized the depth of how different each of the houses on our street are and that really the character of every house on the street is just as different as each of my neighbors," Arden resident Josephine Posti said.

"I thought it was a great experience and I hope that other streets take advantage of it," she said. "All of my neighbors really enjoyed it."

The foursquare is a common architecture type on Arden Road and in other parts of Mt. Lebanon, and was very popular in the 20s and 30s, according to Gigler.

Foursquare homes have a fairly square appearance, are two and a half stories and usually are brick with a porch. The homes are named for the four rooms on the first floor--the living room, kitchen, dining room and a parlor.

Gigler said another common type of home in Mt. Lebanon is the colonial architecture, which typically has a pediment over the door, protruded brick in the corners and is generally a simple, symmetrical form.

Because architects in the 1930's weren't afraid to experiment, there are some "you're not exactly sure what to call it, but it works" homes, Gigler said.

Additionally, there are ranch homes in Mt. Lebanon that were built in the 1950's after the war.

"We have some beautiful, beautiful ranches," Gigler said. "Twenty and 30 years from now, people will be talking about them the way we're talking about colonials."

Gigler pointed out the diversity of Mt. Lebanon homes.

"Old Mt. Lebanon is not a neighborhood that if you came home drunk in the middle of the night that you'd stumble into the wrong home," Gigler said with a laugh. "You'd know which one was yours."

There was a tour of Audubon Avenue scheduled June 13 and a tour of Layton Avenue June 14. There are additional tours scheduled throughout the summer. For more information, call 412-343-3780.