Houston Starr Company

Houston-Starr Company is Pittsburghs oldest building material supplier. Three brothers founded the building supply company in 1872 and named it Houston Brothers. Houston Brothers was originally located in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. In 1886 we were one of the original founding members of the Pittsburgh Builders Exchange. The Houston Brothers sold basic building products such as lime, plaster, and lath. A.Q. Starr, a relative of the Houstons, left the family farm and began working for them around 1900. He learned the construction supply business, and later bought Houston Brothers and changed the name to Houston-Starr Company. Shortly after World War II, A.Q. Starrs sons, A.B. Starr and A.J. Starr, left the military and began working for Houston-Starr Company. A.B. Starr managed the construction material business in the late sixties and started the commercial door department. A.J. Starr was in charge of the wholesale appliance and kitchen cabinet business. A.J. Starr ...