Family House unveils a ‘front porch' for families facing medical crises

At Family House in Shadyside on Friday afternoon, a small crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of the Kamin Conservatory, a four-season gathering space designed to welcome families traveling to Pittsburgh for medical care.

The bright new addition at Family House's Liberty Avenue facility was envisioned as a modern version of the homey front porches that once anchored the organization's earlier homes scattered throughout the city.

Family House, founded in 1983, provides affordable lodging for patients and caregivers who travel to the city for treatment at hospitals, including UPMC, Allegheny Health Network and the VA system. The nonprofit consolidated operations into a 121-room former hotel in 2022 and now serves guests from across the country and abroad.

John Plante, CEO of Family House, said the conservatory extends the organization's broader mission of creating a "home away from home" for families facing medical crises.

"People don't come here for vacation," Plante said. "They come here at a tough time in their lives. … Spaces like this [give] them a moment to recharge, and we know that's very important."

The conservatory was funded primarily through support from the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Family Foundation. Though the foundation did not disclose the size of the gift, the donation was dedicated entirely to the project, according to Plante.

The Kamins have made several high-profile donations in recent years, including $65 million in 2024 to the Carnegie Science Center, which was renamed the Kamin Science Center in their honor. Last February, the couple, who live in Shadyside, donated $25 million to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

In another health-focused donation, last year they gave $65 million to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. The Daniel G and Carole L Kamin Tower is expected to open in January 2027.

For Carole Kamin, the new Family House project carries personal meaning.

Kamin said her late brother, Stanley, stayed at Family House while receiving treatment in Pittsburgh after traveling from Michigan.

She recalled being especially struck by the warmth and comfort the organization provided families during medical crises.

"Buying this building was a good thing to do," Kamin said. "The thing that was missing were the rocking chairs. That's where we came in. We created the front porch."

She promised a fairy-garden addition to the conservatory, which she will help design.

The conservatory includes those rocking chairs, in white - including child-sized versions - along with colorful hand-painted pots (selected by Carole Kamin), large accordion-style windows, skylights and the fairy garden, for children. Many of the plants were selected with guidance from a Phipps Conservatory horticultural expert. Unique species, with singular textures and shapes, include the autograph tree, cast iron plant and fishtail palm.

Bill Kolano, founder of Kolano Design, said the goal was to soften the commercial appearance of the former hotel and restore some of the residential feeling of Family House's earlier locations.

"One of the big things, when you looked at the building before, is it still looked like a hotel," Kolano said.

His task was to find ways to utilize both interior and exterior spaces, to bring back a more residential quality.

The result, he said, was conceived as "a conservatory-like, four-season room that would be on the front of the building, that would be of a residential-like scale."

Kolano said the room was intentionally designed to encourage interaction and flexibility, rather than formal seating arrangements.

"There's no formal plan for how the furniture is going to fit in there, because we're hoping people will move the chairs around and create little conversation areas."

Sarah Surace, Family House's director of development, said creating a sense of community and calm was a major priority.

The former porches were "a place for community and reflection," which were "very meaningful and impactful for the guests," Surace said.

She added that the new space also gives guests a year-round refuge filled with sunlight and greenery.

"It's really just meant to be another place of comfort and relaxation, where they can just have some quiet and just take it all in," she said.

Family House currently records more than 30,000 reservation nights annually and regularly operates near full-capacity during the week, according to Surace. Guests come from all 50 states and nearly 20 countries for specialized medical care in Pittsburgh.

Plante added that about 60% of the guests are caregivers, and the rest are patients.

In the short-term, the nonprofit will focus on additional upgrades to the building, including phased renovations to guest rooms and bathrooms while keeping the facility operational.

For now, though, leaders hope the conservatory will offer families something simpler: a peaceful place to breathe.

"We are hoping this is going to be a very healing and nourishing, nurturing addition to the Family House experience," Kolano said.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 8:14 AM.