About the Nationality Rooms
If you enter the Cathedral of Learning and only marvel at the architecture of the Commons Room, you will miss out on the adventure of peeking into the classrooms that surround the great hall. These classrooms aren’t the standard chalkboards and desks; they offer a look at places like Germany, Romania, or Sweden. How is this possible? Thirty-nine rooms in the Cathedral of Learning have been dedicated and designed by ethnic groups from around the world. After all, Pittsburgh is not just strong because of its steel history. What made and still makes Pittsburgh strong is the diverse group of immigrants who made the city their home.
These rooms are known as the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh. In the 1930s, as the Cathedral was being built, Chancellor Bowman proposed adding classrooms that could showcase the historic backgrounds of the citizens who called Pittsburgh their home. Committees would form and raise money to create a room depicting their nationality. Between 1938 and 1957, the first nineteen rooms were dedicated, with beautiful ceremonies, involving native music and food. In years to come, twenty more would be added. There is still space for more rooms as well. The most recently built was centered around Korean heritage in 2015, and committees for others are being formed.
The rooms are all pictured on the website, and although their large scope can be viewed this way, there is no justice done to the details and secrets that give the rooms life. Even visiting the rooms individually can’t reveal what tour guides can, including a locked away room that can’t be seen by the public eye, and the fascinating history behind the creation of each room. This is a place that can’t simply be experienced in pictures. It must be explored to really know what lies behind each door. Guided tours are offered to the public throughout the year, with knowledgeable student guides.
Each room has a distinct ethnic identity, while all of them share a common theme of the value of education. They are a reflection of both the University and the people within the city. Time passes, new rooms will be created that emphasize the pride, and individuality of these people. (Two additions currently being designed and funded are the Finnish and Iranian rooms.)
Chancellor Bowman said of the rooms, “The building was to be more than a school house; it was to be a symbol of the life that Pittsburgh through the years had wanted to live.”
Classrooms that Teach
It has been said that the Cathedral of Learning appears to be unfinished on the outside, to show that you are never done learning. The Nationality Rooms have another lesson to teach. The rooms themselves are like living things, but remain unchanging. By this, it is implied that the rooms are rooted in the history and culture of the heritage they represent. History doesn’t change, but it is a living tool used as a means to change and evolve. It is the story of how people share their individuality with each other.