An inconspicuous family home in a quiet neighborhood of Pittsburgh, USA, hides more emotions, memories and history than many flamboyant villas of sports stars. It was here that Jaromír Jágr spent his most famous years in the NHL.
The house he bought in the mid-1990s today acts as a living chronicle of a hockey legend, and at the same time as a surprisingly civil place where it’s not about luxury, but about home.
Jaromír Jágr and the house in Pittsburgh
Jaromír Jágr is one of the greatest personalities of world hockey of all time. Two-time Stanley Cup winner, Olympic champion, world champion and the second most productive player in NHL history. It was in the Pittsburgh Penguins jersey that the talented youngster from Kladno became a global phenomenon. He came to Pittsburgh in 1990 and within a few years became the face of the entire organization.
The city at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers has become deeply embedded in his skin. It was not only a place of work, but also a new home. When he bought a family home in a quiet residential area in 1994, it wasn’t an investment or a status symbol. Jágr was looking for a background where he would have peace, privacy and a sense of security away from the attention of the media.
The house looks modest from the outside
The house stands in the area of St. Clair, on Appletree Drive, in a part of Pittsburgh where life is slow and ordinary. The streets are lined with mature trees, the neighbors know each other by name and the houses are similar to each other. No gates, no bodyguards, no palm trees or fountains.
From the outside, Jágro’s home appears surprisingly modest. Brick facade, classic American architecture of the second half of the 20th century, a small porch and a well-kept garden. This inconspicuousness was apparently what attracted Jagr. At a time when Jaromír was one of the highest paid players in the league, he chose a house that did not stand out in any way. He fit in. And maybe that’s why he felt at home here.
Inside, time stood still in 1997
As soon as you step inside, it’s clear that modernization has never been rushed here. The interior of the house gives the impression that time has stopped sometime around 1997. The furniture, colors and materials correspond to the time when Jágr won Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and belonged to the absolute top of the NHL.
The living rooms are spacious but not luxurious. Classic sofa sets, massive coffee tables and muted colors. Family photos, sports snapshots and unobtrusive reminders of a hockey career appear on the walls – no flamboyant gallery of trophies, but rather personal memories that are important mainly to the owner.
Do you want to remember the era when Jaromír Jagr was a young hockey player in Pittsburgh? You can. In this interview with him, you will not only see footage from his matches, but also a part of his home in Pittsburgh:
The kitchen as the center of family life
One of the most important places in the house is the kitchen. Spacious, practical, without design fads, but with a clear function – to be a meeting place. It was here that Jágr spent time with his mother, who often visited him in Pittsburgh. According to the available information, the kitchen was a place where people cooked, talked and dealt with common everyday matters, far from hockey halls and spotlights.
Bedrooms, bathrooms and privacy
The layout of the house offers two bedrooms and two bathrooms, which corresponds to a classic American family home. There is no luxury here either. The bedrooms are rather calm and moderate, focused on rest and privacy. The bathrooms correspond to the standard of the nineties – functional, simple, without trying to impress the visitor.
A garage and memories worth their weight in gold
A special chapter is the garage. It is here, according to available information, that a number of objects connected with Jágr’s career are located – hockey equipment, souvenirs, personal artifacts. It is not a classic exhibition collection, but rather a natural repository of things that have accumulated over many years.
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Wikimedia Commons/David sedlecký/cc by-sa 4.0
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Jaromír Jágr let it be known that he does not intend to sell the house in Pittsburgh.
Will the house be a museum?
In recent years, Jaromír Jágr has made it known that he does not intend to sell the house in Pittsburgh. On the contrary, perhaps exaggerating a bit for now, he thinks that the house could serve as a kind of museum of his overseas career. His mother, for whom the house has a strong emotional value, played a significant role in this decision. If these plans ever come to fruition, it will not be a classic museum full of showcases, but rather an authentic look into the life of one of the most famous Czech athletes.
Resources:city-data.com, virtualglobetrotting.com, dirt.com, essentiallysports.com
