Historic mansion reopens as cafe in Leechburg - TribLIVE

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A long-shuttered historic mansion in Leechburg reopened Sunday as 1st Street Cafe.

The cafe occupies the space in the building formerly known as the Addison House Restaurant & Lounge.

Serving specialty coffees and homemade desserts, the cafe opens at 6 a.m. and is the retirement project of Devra Gromley of Upper Burrell.

Gromley, along with her husband, John, a co-owner, and their two adult sons, Justin and Robbie, meticulously renovated two floors of the mansion that was once home to Addison Leech, son of Leechburg founder David Leech.

For now, the cafe is serving desserts and beverages as the Gromleys slowly open.

“I’ve enjoyed working on this the last three years,” said Devra Gromley, 60. “A lot of places are closed on Sundays and Mondays here in Leechburg, so I wanted to have someplace open for the community.”

The Gromleys first discovered Addison House in 2012, when they attended a rehearsal dinner for their son.

Financial difficulties shuttered Addison House in 2012 after the unexpected death of co-owner Laura Stettmier in an October 2011 plane crash in West Virgnia.

“John saw the business advertised for sale in 2014 and showed me. He said, ‘Maybe we should buy it,’ ” Gromley said.

The Gromleys bought the building in March 2015 for $106,000.

The couple, married for 31 years, have spent the past several years refurbishing the building’s interior. The building was constructed in the mid-1800s on land that dates to a 1783 Pennsylvania Land Grant.

Devra Gromley retired in 2020 from a full-time job in the IT industry and said her dream has always been to have her own cafe.

“It’s still a little overwhelming because I’m by myself doing this, but I’m glad that it’s open,” she said.

The Gromleys are looking to hire a barista and plan to add food items and serve lunch.

“We’re open at 6 a.m. I want customers to know we’re open early, and our menu will increase as will our hours as my staff does. Anyone looking for a job, stop in,” Devra Gromley said.

During renovations, the couple found a newspaper from 1935, in mint condition, when they ripped out the old wall-to-wall carpet.

“The article talked about Babe Ruth going to London and playing Cricket,” said John Cromley, 70, a full-time cement contractor.

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The family completed all of the renovation work, which included removing the dark walls and replacing the flooring.

“It’s bright and light now,” said Gromley of the all-wood walls and casually rustic atmosphere.

Her husband joked: “It’s not creepy anymore.”

Gromley’s new routine has her rising at 4 a.m. to open at 6.

“When I worked, I struggled to find places that were open early for coffee,” she said.

A spacious concrete coffee bar offers seating in a separate cafe area, and the main dining room can seat about 80 customers.

The focal points are the yellow wooden poplar walls.

“We used about 20 trees from our property,” John Gromley said. “We love wood, and I designed it.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Devra Gromley, co-owner of 1st Street Cafe, diplays a platter of homemade baked goods inside the newly opened cafe in Leechburg. The coffee bar inside the former Addison House Restaurant & Lounge is made from concrete.

For now, Devra Gromley is a one-woman show, acting as baker and barista.

“I can’t keep up with that, so I need to hire my staff,” she said. “I haven’t really slept in about two weeks.”

Beverages include drip coffee, lattes, espresso, specialty coffees, hot chocolate and specialty teas.

The cafe brews beans from 19 Coffee Co., a specialty roaster in the South Hills.

Freshly baked muffins, cinnamon rolls and homemade cookies — including the signature Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie — range in price from $1.95 to $2.75.

Two former church pews, left behind in the Addison House, have been repurposed and occupy the entrance to the main dining room on the first floor.

“It’s a really cool building. I’ve had a dream of more than 25 years of having a little coffee shop,” Gromley said. “I love coffee. The smell of coffee and everything.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

The former Addison House, now 1st Street Cafe, is located off Market Street in Leechburg’s business district.

The Gromleys continue to work on two areas on the second floor, which will be available for private party rentals.

An outside deck will offer a bird’s-eye view of Leechburg.

Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal welcomed the news of another business opening in the downtown Market Street business district.

“I hope they succeed and plan to stop by soon,” Smeal said .

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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