Pittsburgh’s Gems
Pittsburgh’s Neighborhoods/Architecture
Part of the remarkable story of Pittsburgh’s urban reinvention—its resilient neighborhoods and their rich architectural history—can be told by Franklin Toker, a Pitt professor of the history of art and architecture. Toker is an expert on the treasure trove of architectural styles within Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods that include Victorian, Art Deco, Gothic Revival, among others. He is well acquainted with two of America’s most famous buildings: H. H. Richardson's Allegheny County Courthouse in Downtown Pittsburgh and Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater.
Contact:
Franklin Toker, professor of the history of art and architecture, 412-648-2419 (office), 412-421-7134 (home), ftoker@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Sharon Blake, 412-624-4364 (office), 412-277-6926 (cell), blake@pitt.edu
Birthplace of America’s First Professional Songwriter
Pittsburgh-born Stephen Foster might not be a household name in some parts of the world, but the songs he made famous—“Beautiful Dreamer, “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Oh! Susanna,” and many others—are recognized around the globe. Born in 1826, Foster began composing tunes at a young age that portrayed life in mid-19th century America. He was America’s first professional songwriter, and his music is still widely used in television and films. Pitt’s landmark Stephen Foster Memorial houses the University’s Center for American Music and has a wide assortment of the composer’s manuscripts, photographs, first editions of sheet music, rare books, letters, and such personal possessions as his flute, sketchbook, and the change purse he was carrying when he died.
Contact:
Deane Root, professor of music, director of the Stephen Foster Memorial, and
Fletcher Hodges Jr. Curator of the Center for American Music, 412-624-7775 (work), 412-521-7570 (home), dlr@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Sharon Blake, 412-624-4364 (office), 412-277-6926 (cell), blake@pitt.edu
University of Pittsburgh Architecture
Pitt’s campus features a number of examples of exceptional architecture, including the Cathedral of Learning, with its stunning three-story-high Commons Room; the 110-year-old William Pitt Union, formerly the Schenley Hotel, with its gracefully-restored interiors; Alumni Hall, once a Masonic Temple; Heinz Chapel, whose 73-foot transept windows are among the tallest in the world; the Frick Fine Arts Building, built in the Italian Renaissance style, complete with an inner cloister-like courtyard; the Learning Research and Development Center, which appears to tilt backward at a 45-degree angle; and the Litchfield Towers, a cluster of three cylindrical dormitories.
Contact:
Franklin Toker, professor of the history of art and architecture, 412-648-2419 (office), 412-421-7134 (home), ftoker@pitt.edu
Park L. Rankin, University Architect, 412-624-9534 (office), plr2@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Sharon Blake, 412-624-4364 (office), 412-277-6926 (cell), blake@pitt.edu
Cathedral of Learning
The centerpiece of Pitt’s Oakland campus is the architecturally stunning Cathedral of Learning. The historical landmark is the second-tallest educational building in the world—standing 42 stories and 535 feet tall. Construction began in 1926 under Pitt Chancellor John Bowman, who wrote that “the proposed structure will be the most beautiful and outstanding building ever created. I am confident that Pittsburgh will build it.” The Late Gothic Revival-styled structure has come to symbolize both the greatness of Pittsburgh’s history and the city’s progressive future, housing Pitt’s renowned Nationality Rooms, a collection of 27 classrooms honoring the various ethnic groups that laid Pittsburgh’s industrial foundation, as well as numerous academic offices that contribute to Pittsburgh’s economic revitalization.
Contact:
Park L. Rankin, University Architect, 412-624-9534 (office), plr2@pitt.edu
Pitt Associate Director of News John Fedele—412-624-4148 (office); 412-225-6384 (cell); jfedele@pitt.edu
Heinz Memorial Chapel
The Heinz Memorial Chapel, a nondenominational sanctuary, is a gift from Henry John Heinz, founder of the Heinz Food Company, and his children. Designed by Charles Z. Klauder of Philadelphia, the chapel was dedicated in 1938. Its neo-Gothic style, with a modified cruciform plan, stone vaults, high ceilings, repeated arches, and extensive use of glass are typical of American academic and religious architecture from about 1900 until after World War II.
The chapel’s 23 world renowned stained-glass windows are the work of Charles Jay Connick, considered, by many to be the world’s greatest stained-glass craftsman of the 20th century. The 73-foot transept windows are among the tallest in the world and depict an equal number of men and women. The windows contain 391 identifiable figures, a large supporting cast of anonymous individuals, and an extensive variety of flora and fauna. The iconography combines traditional religious figures and symbols with historic and cultural figures that extend from biblical times through the late 19th century. In these windows, Christopher Columbus stands next to Florence Nightingale and William Penn next to Kapoliani. Each year, Heinz Chapel is the site of numerous concerts, religious services, weddings, memorial services, and guided tours. Connick, a native of Western Pennsylvania, received his early training in Pittsburgh.
Contact:
Pat Gibbons, 412-624-4157 (office), pat.gibbons@ia.pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Patricia Lomando White, 412-624-9101 (office), 412-215-9932 (cell), laer@pitt.edu
The Nationality Rooms
Completed between 1938 and 2008, the University’s 27 Nationality Rooms were the dream of Pitt Chancellor John G. Bowman, who invited the nationality communities in Allegheny County to create classrooms that would represent highly creative periods or aspects of their heritage. The determination of these Pittsburgh immigrants, to establish monuments to their cultural heritage, carried them through decades of traumatic times. The Nationality Rooms are historic landmarks that perpetuate the cultures and traditions of the countries and groups they represent, including those of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The University requires that all Nationality Room designs precede 1787, the founding date of the University. More than 50,000 people visit the rooms annually.
Maxine Bruhns, director of the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, oversees the rooms and works closely with more than 35 ethnic groups to create new Nationality Rooms, maintain existing rooms, and administer Pitt’s Summer Study Abroad Scholarship Program, which has approximately 40 scholarship recipients each year.
Contact:
Maxine Bruhns, 412-624-6150 (office), 412-687-2615 (home), embruhns@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Patricia Lomando White, 412-624-9101 (office); 412-215-9932 (cell); laer@pitt.edu
Fallingwater
Built in the late 1930s, this architectural wonder 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh is considered to be the most famous house in the world. Fallingwater, often hailed as Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest masterpiece, is perched atop a waterfall with dramatic cantilevered balconies overlooking a rushing stream—an unmatched example of organic design. Originally built as a summer retreat for department store mogul Edgar Kaufmann and his family, Fallingwater has been open to the public for tours since 1964. Pitt Professor of Art and Architecture Franklin Toker spent 18 years researching the story behind Fallingwater for his book Fallingwater Rising (Knopf, 2003), which, according to The New York Times, “brings the house to life on every page.”
Contact:
Franklin Toker, professor of the History of Art and Architecture, 412-648-2419 (office), 412-421-7134 (home), ftoker@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Sharon Blake, 412-624-4364 (office), 412-277-6926 (cell), blake@pitt.edu
Andy Warhol—It All Started in Pittsburgh
The recent success of the Warhol’s Wide World exhibition throughout Europe and of the Andy Warhol Live! exhibition in North America demonstrates the unwavering interest in one of Pittsburgh’s favorite native sons, artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol.
A unique individual who set the art world on its ear with iconic images of Campbell’s Soup cans, Coke bottles, and silkscreens of celebrities, Warhol is now the most successful artist on the international art market. Pitt Professor Terry Smith is on the Board of Directors at the Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., which features 12,000 works of art by Warhol and is the most comprehensive single-artist museum in the world.
Contact:
Terry Smith, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Contemporary Art History and Theory, 412-648-2404 (office), 919-683-8352 (cell), tes2@pitt.edu
Pitt News Representative Sharon Blake, 412-624-4364 (office), 412-277-6926 (cell), blake@pitt.edu