Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh (must see)

The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning is a sight to behold all on its own. The Nationality Rooms are among the most fascinating. They pay homage to the ethnic groups that built the city and were founded by Ruth Crawford Mitchell and John Bowman.

The 31 Nationality Rooms are unique as they are designated as historic landmarks on their own within another historic landmark. The designation of a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation landmark falls both to the Nationality Rooms and to the Cathedral itself.

Each of the Nationality Rooms have their own purpose and theme to reflect that of the cultural and national heritage it represents. The nationalities represented are Armenian, Austrian, Chinese, Czechoslovak, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Phillipine, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Scottish, Swedish, Swiss, Syrian/Lebanese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Welsh and Yugoslav.

The African Heritage room was designed to reflect a temple in Ghana, but also contains artifacts from Egypt, Ethiopia, Benin, Angola, Mali and Zimbabwe. Also present within the Nationality Rooms is Early American, which is comprised of two rooms that the only ones not designed for classroom use.

The Cathedral of Learning is a Neo-Classical style building that was begun in 1921 and completed in 1926. Along with the Nationality Rooms, the Cathedral of Learning includes the Frick Auditorium, a number of university department offices and the Crogan-Schenley Ballroom. There is also a tunnel to the Stephen Foster Memorial in the subbasement.

The most stunning feature of the Cathedral of Learning is the Commons Room. The half-acre hall is four stories tall with 52-feet ceilings in a 15th century Gothic style.

Why You Should Visit:
- To be inspired by cultures from around the world
- To be awed by the Gothic architecture of the Commons Room

Tips:
The Nationality Rooms are only available for viewing during the regular school season. It is still worth visiting the Cathedral of Learning to see the grounds and the architecture if visiting Pittsburgh outside of the fall or spring semesters.