Pittsburgh was in the midst of its first building Renaissance when Hyman Katz purchased a 1.6-acre lot in Squirrel Hill, tore down the stone Colonial that had marked it for decades and set about building his dream house.

It was the early '60s, and modernist architecture was still something of a rage; it wasn't that big of a stretch, then, that Mr. Katz, co-founder of Papercraft Corp., was looking to go contemporary. Still, it was the secluded, wooded location near Schenley Park that jump-started the project more than anything else.

"It was the uniqueness of the property," says his wife, Diane "Dini" Katz, recalling how they'd looked for years for the perfect spot to build. "When I saw it, I just lost my mind and ran down to the plant and said, 'Hy. I found it!' "

The 10,600-square-foot marvel of brick and glass the couple took two years to build is now on the market through Coldwell Banker's Shadyside office for $2.5 million. Entire walls of windows offer a gorgeous view of the woods at the rear of the property (not to mention the pool), and soaring ceilings and attention to fine detail (all of the door frames are flush with the wall) lend an airiness that suits its nontraditional design.

Sensing an opportunity, architects from around the country lobbied for the design job, says Mrs. Katz, including famed modernist Eliot Noyes, who also spent two decades working as consultant design director for IBM (he designed the IBM Selectric typewriter in 1961).

In the end, though, the couple decided only Herb Seigel of Seigel, Solow and Horne in Shadyside "just got it."

"We didn't want it stark-looking, but a blend of Old World with modern," says Mrs. Katz. "He understood and watched over it like it was his baby."

One big reason they were able to go contemporary without causing a ruckus in the neighborhood is that 1 Hydin Road is on a private lane. They also kept the century-old carriage house (currently used as a garage and for storage) and resisted felling the mature oaks, pines and maples that blanket the backyard.

Double front doors with massive glass panels on either side deposit guests into a two-story brick foyer with a slatted wood ceiling and oak floors with walnut inlays. The 20- by 30-foot formal living room lies straight ahead, and features a beamed ceiling and five huge windows overlooking the pool and log cabin pool/changing house. (Built during the French and Indian War, it was dismantled, numbered and brought to the site as a playhouse in the 1920s.)

What looks to be a wood sculpture above the fireplace is a Norman altar piece Mrs. Katz had mounted on the wall. Light switches, she points out, were located at hip level so they're not in the middle "of a wonderful wall."

Less formal is the 10- by 15-foot carpeted den on the other side of the curved pewter staircase by Francis Nowalk. It has a comfy, wood-burning fireplace with a gas starter and a carved wood valance Mrs. Katz found in Mexico. Next door, a small breakfast room has a quarry tile floor and a wall-mounted tile buffet. A back staircase leads to a one-bedroom apartment in a separate wing of the house.

The adjoining kitchen is a bit dated, but at 11 by 29 feet, it's huge, which means the possibilities are endless for a remodel.

"It's a working kitchen, not a show kitchen," says Mrs. Katz, noting how the stainless-steel appliances are both gas and electric.

For parties, there's a separate bar and pantry with Mexican tile floors and giant doors that open onto the foyer.

As elegant as it is roomy, the 17-by-22-foot formal dining room has a glass wall that overlooks the courtyard. It's brightened by a stunning 5-foot Baccarat chandelier. There's also a wall-mounted wooden buffet with wrought-iron supports by Cinquini.

The first-floor master bedroom measures 18 by 20 feet, and is graced with a four-poster bedframe made from balustrades from a staircase from the original Winchester Thurston School. The suite includes a separate sitting room with a built-in desk wall unit, a large dressing room with built-in closets and drawers and a luxurious bath. (There's both a sunken marble tub and a walk-in shower with its own dressing room and heat lamp.)

The second floor holds a children's sitting room (now an office) and down a long hall, three bedrooms and two full baths. All have glorious views.

So spectacular is the setting, and perfect for entertaining, that when famed ballplayer Roberto Clemente visited before his death in 1972, he hungered to make it his own.

"He took one look and said 'Would you be interested in selling?'" recalls Mrs. Katz. "'It would be perfect for my family.'"

They weren't, of course.

Despite its modern sensibilities, there's also a happy profusion of Pittsburgh antiques in 1 Hydin Road. The lighted china closet in the dining room was crafted out of painted glass taken from the sunroom of an old house; the wrought-iron billiards chandelier over the breakfast room table was salvaged from a mansion. The Belgian block patio is crafted from stone salvaged from Pittsburgh's streets when the trolley lines were taken up.

Pittsburghers of a certain era know the property as Paradise. (Youths used to break in at night to swim in the cavernous in-ground pool.) Neighbors below, says Mrs. Katz, laughing, call it the Hydin Hilton.

Other amenities include tons of storage, a 20-by-27-foot basement game room, a lockable "bride's room" for storing valuables and a wine cellar that holds 5,000 bottles. There's also a security system and interior garage.

For information or to set up a viewing of 1 Hydin Road, Squirrel Hill, contact Helene Prince of Coldwell Banker's Shadyside office at 412-363-4000.