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125-541: In August 1955, Wayne State University hired architect Minoru Yamasaki to design the McGregor Memorial Conference Center . The commission came after Yamasaki's long convalescence and subsequent trip to Japan , and was his first opportunity to put into practice his re-envisionment of architecture. In 1957, Wayne State hired Yamasaki's firm to develop a master plan for the University's urban campus. Both

250-584: A 10-acre (4.0 ha) site on the North Side's Observatory Hill at the location of its Allegheny Observatory . There, it constructed two new buildings, Science Hall and Main Hall, that were occupied by 1889 and 1890 respectively. During this era, the first collegiate football team was formed at Pitt in 1889. In 1892, the Western Pennsylvania Medical College was amalgamated into the university (now

375-516: A campus around pedestrian courts. Although the entirety of Yamasaki's vision was never realized, he did design a total of four buildings on the campus: the aforementioned McGregor Memorial Conference Center in 1957-58, the College of Education Building in 1960, and the two buildings in this complex, the Prentis Building and adjoining Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium, in 1962-1964. Yamasaki began work on both

500-401: A design by Charles Klauder for the "tall building": an attention-getting 535-foot (163 m) tower whose great height, with open spaces all around, would suggest the "character that ought to be in an educated man." The building's "parallel lines going up and up...would express courage [and] fearlessness" and it would "unify Pittsburgh into a community conscious of its character." The cathedral

625-630: A distributor for Studebaker . In 1922, having made a considerable fortune, he decided to retire. The DeRoys moved from Pittsburgh to Detroit, but in 1923, rather than retiring, Aaron founded the Aaron DeRoy Motor Car Company, which distributed Hudson-Essex automobiles . Aaron DeRoy continued to lead the DeRoy Motor Car Company until his death in an automobile accident in 1935. After Aaron's death, Helen DeRoy assumed full responsibility for all of his financial operations, including

750-600: A draftsman and engineer. He enrolled at New York University for a master's degree in architecture and got a job with the architecture firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon , designers of the Empire State Building . The firm helped Yamasaki avoid internment as a Japanese-American during World War II, and he himself sheltered his parents in New York City. Yamasaki was politically active during his early years, particularly in efforts to relocate Japanese Americans affected by

875-547: A few times prior in the United States and never on such a large project. A further design challenge was developing a wind-bracing system to keep the ultra tall but relatively lightweight steel and glass structures from swaying at their upper levels. Other contemporary modern skyscrapers had used centrally located cross-bracing systems located in the core of the interiors at the upper levels, but Yamasaki and structural engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan employed an exterior truss system;

1000-516: A front stage, and contain seating arranged in three sections, with two intermediate aisles. Restrooms are located on the lower level, as well as underground access to the Prentis Building. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Detroit area was a hotbed of Modernist architecture, with not only Yamasaki, but also Eero Saarinen , Alden Dow , and the designers at Cranbrook working in the area. Yamasaki was working to differentiate himself by exploring ornamentation and

1125-542: A joint engineering institute and program with Sichuan University in Chengdu , and Pitt's School of Medicine has established an exchange program for biomedical research students with Tsinghua University in Beijing , China. In its 2023-2024 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Pitt 67th among national universities. Princeton Review placed Pitt among its "Best Value Public Colleges", while Kiplinger rated Pitt

1250-504: A large mercantile firm, and then starting in 1904 at the Laclede Gas Light Company. His supervisor boss at Laclede, C. A. McGee, left to become the controller for the newly formed General Motors Corporation , and in 1911 recruited Prentis to be General Motors's chief accountant. In 1919, Prentis was elected treasurer of General Motors, a position he held until his retirement in 1951. In 1914, Meyer married Anna Sylvia Steinberg,

1375-409: A large trench to the bedrock risked flooding from nearby New York Harbor . The solution employed by Yamasaki and his team of engineers was to use a slurry wall ; digging very narrow trenches about 3 feet (0.91 m) wide and then filling these with a slurry (a mixture of clay and water) that was dense enough to keep the surrounding water out. Pipes were then lowered into the slurry trench and concrete

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1500-763: A major archeological research site, the Allen L. Cook Spring Creek Preserve , in Spring Creek, Wyoming . Athletic facilities of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers that are located in Oakland in the upper campus and include the Charles L Cost Sports Center , Fitzgerald Field House , the Petersen Events Center , Trees Hall and Trees Field . An approximately $ 30 million upgrade of on-campus sports facilities, starting with

1625-408: A massive influx of new students and rapid expansion of Pitt's size and scope. In the 1970s, Pitt's football team returned to greatness with a national championship season in 1976 led by Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett and continued success in the 1980s with players such as Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino . In the 1980s, significant medical research in the field of organ transplantation

1750-520: A mezzanine to the north. The southern side of the first floor houses administrative offices, and the off-center walkway separating the two sections houses planters and a bench. The second and third floors are used for office space. Two double glass doors off the walkway open onto a double-turned staircase leading to the basement level. This level contains classrooms and lockers for the Wayne State School of Business Administration. The building contains

1875-566: A network of vertical and horizontal structural elements on the exterior of the towers giving them structural support. This external structural support system also decreased the need for large internal pillars. The external truss support system and the unique elevator configuration created more rentable space in the World Trade Centers to satisfy the owner's ( The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ) massive demand for 10,000,000 square feet (930,000 m ) of office space. The first of

2000-870: A number of buildings on college campuses, including designs for Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota , and a building in Waikiki , in Honolulu, Hawaii , between 1958 and 1968 as well as being commissioned to design buildings on the campus of Wayne State University in the 1950s and 1960s, including the McGregor Memorial Conference Center , the College of Education building and the Prentis Building and DeRoy Auditorium Complex . The buildings at Wayne State University incorporated many architectural motifs that would become characteristic elements in Yamasaki's designs. With regards to

2125-552: A number of scholarships for deserving students at different universities. Helen DeRoy lived until 1977. The Prentis Building and Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium are built directly adjacent to one another, with the Prentis Building situated on Cass Avenue directly across from the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library . The DeRoy Auditorium sits approximately 30 yards behind the Prentis Building. The two buildings are connected by

2250-712: A pedagogy certification badge and a semester-long public education mentorship program. Distinguished undergraduate programs are offered through the David C. Frederick Honors College. The freshman level entry schools include the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences , the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing . The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes University of Pittsburgh as "more selective". For

2375-673: A preparatory school, presumably in a log cabin , possibly as early as 1770 in Western Pennsylvania, then a frontier. Brackenridge obtained a charter for the school from the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 28, 1787, just ten weeks before the opening of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. A brick building was erected in 1790 on the south side of Third Street and Cherry Alley for

2500-439: A private institution, both administratively and academically, setting its own standards for admissions, awarding of degrees, faculty qualifications, teaching, and staff hiring. The university's board of trustees maintains ultimate legal authority, governance, and responsibility for the university but specifically reserves authority over selecting the university's chancellor; approval of major policies, particularly those related to

2625-805: A secretary at General Motors. The couple had four daughters. Meyer Prentis spent significant time on philanthropy. He was a founder of the United Foundation of Greater Detroit, an early leader of the Jewish Welfare Federation, a trustee and president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a trustee of the Temple Beth El , and a founding member of the Advisory Committee to Wayne State's new business school. Meyer Prentis died in 1970, and his wife Anna died in 1974. Aaron DeRoy

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2750-491: A skylight traversing the length of the building and made extensive use of the secondary space outside the building including constructing a plaza with reflecting pools, seating areas, greenery and sculptures. The College of Education building featured repeating gothic arches throughout the exterior of the building which were both ornamental but also provided structural support for the building. In 1962 Yamasaki and his firm were commissioned to design his most well-known project:

2875-505: A total of 65,000 square feet (6,000 m) of classroom space, some of it underneath the surrounding mall. A basement-level tunnel connects the building to the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium. The DeRoy Auditorium is a nearly square two-story windowless steel-frame building with a flat roof with broadly projecting eaves. The façades are clad in narrow gray-colored cast concrete panels with white marble chips. On all four sides, raised ribs are overlaid on

3000-508: A tunnel. The Prentis Building is a rectangular, International Style, three-story steel-frame structure with a flat roof. A wide, off-center walk-through at ground level separates the building into north and south wings, and provides a view of the DeRoy Auditorium from Cass Avenue. The first floor is faced with buff-colored travertine marble, and the second and third stories are faced with cast concrete panels. Narrow windows are inset between

3125-547: A university-wide Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC) that includes a structured series of extracurricular programs and experiences designed to complement students' academic studies and help develop personal attributes and professional skills. Students who complete the OCC requirements receive an OCC "transcript" and a green cord of distinction to wear at commencement. Pitt offers free workshops and certification programs such as

3250-527: A variety of programs including the Panther Programs, which are course taught abroad that have been developed and are accompanied by faculty of the university; two-way exchange agreements with foreign institutions; and Pitt-recognized, third-party exchange programs. The university also offers several study abroad scholarships, including those through the Nationality Rooms program. In addition, following

3375-527: Is "cut off" flat at the top to suggest that its lines, like education, have no ending. The building was financed by donors and by a campaign to collect dimes from local school children. Bowman was a persuasive leader and although the Great Depression intervened, the Cathedral of Learning, on which construction was begun in 1926, began hosting classes in 1931 and was formally dedicated in 1937. Today, it remains

3500-544: Is a leading producer of Peace Corps volunteers. According to the Peace Corps' 2008 ranking of colleges and universities, only 14 schools in the nation produced more Peace Corps volunteers. Pitt's graduate school also ranked tenth for most alumni Peace Corps volunteers. The University of Pittsburgh has undertaken programs to improve sustainability initiatives and practices. Pitt started programs in ecology and established biological field stations in 1926. In 1990, Pitt

3625-448: Is now the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and began relocating departments there by 1909. The initial campus plan for the new location centered on the winning submission from a national architectural contest that incorporated a Greek Acropolis design by Henry Hornbostel for 30 buildings. However, due to financial and other constraints, only four of the buildings were constructed in this style, of which only Thaw Hall remains today. In

3750-743: Is within walking distance of many recreational, cultural, and educational institutions in the Oakland neighborhood. The campus is adjacent to Schenley Plaza , the main branch of the Carnegie Public Library , the Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art and the Carnegie Music Hall, as well as portions of Carnegie Mellon University . Carlow University is just west of campus, adjacent to the university's medical center complexes. The main quad of Carnegie Mellon University , Central Catholic High School , and historic Schenley Park , site of

3875-457: The 1962 World's Fair in Seattle , a commission he received while working on the DeRoy Auditorium. The building is completely surrounded by a reflecting pool approximately three feet deep and twenty-two feet wide. Planters and benches line the pool (now dry), and shallow stairs allow access on the north and south sides. Bridges on the eastern and western sides of the building, as well as a tunnel from

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4000-476: The Allegheny Observatory that was donated to WUP in 1865. Langley was professor of astronomy and physics and remained at WUP until 1891, when he was succeeded by another prominent astronomer, James Keeler . Growing quickly during this period, WUP outgrew its downtown facilities and the university moved its campus to Allegheny City (present-day North Side ). The university eventually found itself on

4125-484: The Allegheny Observatory , Posvar Hall , Salk Hall , Stephen Foster Memorial , and the William Pitt Union . In addition, a Pennsylvania Historical Marker has been placed on campus near the Cathedral of Learning to mark the significance of the University of Pittsburgh itself. Another state historical marker has been placed to highlight the significance of Pitt's involvement in the archaeological excavation at

4250-758: The BOK Tower in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a similar design to the World Trade Center. It was completed in 1976 and was the tallest building in Oklahoma at the time. After criticism of his dramatically cantilevered Rainier Tower (1977) in Seattle, Yamasaki became less adventurous in his designs during the last decade of his career. In 1978, Yamasaki designed the Federal Reserve Bank tower in Richmond, Virginia . The work

4375-539: The Environmental Protection Agency 's Green Powered Universities list since 2018, won multiple Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenges, and has other third-party recognitions . In 2018, the university announced its intention to buy all of the electricity from a run-of-the-river hydro power facility to be built by Rye Development at Allegheny Lock and Dam No. 2 on the Allegheny River in 2023. In 2020,

4500-519: The Great Fire of 1845 that wiped out 20 square blocks of Pittsburgh. Classes were temporarily held in Trinity Church until a new building was constructed on Duquesne Way (on what was the site of the former Horne's department store). Only four years later, in 1849, this building also was destroyed by fire. Due to the catastrophic nature of these fires, operations were suspended for a few years to allow

4625-744: The Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Avella, Pennsylvania . In addition, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation has designated the following Pitt buildings as Pittsburgh Historic Landmarks: Allegheny Observatory , Allen Hall , Alumni Hall , Bellefield Hall , Chancellor's Residence , Cathedral of Learning , the Cathedral of Learning interior rooms , Gardner Steel Conference Center , Heinz Memorial Chapel , Thaw Hall , Salk Hall , Schenley Quadrangle residence halls , Stephen Foster Memorial ,

4750-663: The NCAA as the Pittsburgh Panthers , primarily as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference . Founded by Hugh Henry Brackenridge as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is one of the few universities and colleges established in the 18th century in the United States. It is the oldest continuously chartered institution of learning in the U.S. west of the Allegheny Mountains . The school began as

4875-738: The Petersen Sports Complex , includes new soccer, baseball, softball facilities, and helps clear a space for the future construction of a new track and field and band complex. Athletic facilities in Pittsburgh that are located outside of the Oakland neighborhood include Acrisure Stadium and the UPMC Sports Performance Complex . Major on-campus residence halls include the Litchfield Towers , Schenley Quadrangle , Forbes Hall , Bouquet Gardens and Ruskin Hall located on

5000-713: The Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens , lie across Junction Hollow on the east end. Four Pitt buildings are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places : Allegheny Observatory (in Pittsburgh's Riverview Park on the Northside ), the Cathedral of Learning , the Pittsburgh Athletic Association building, and the Ford Motor building . Twenty-one of Pitt's buildings (including

5125-650: The Schenley Farms Historic District , most notably its 42-story Gothic revival centerpiece, the Cathedral of Learning . Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". It is the second-largest non-government employer in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Pitt traces its roots to the Pittsburgh Academy founded by Hugh Henry Brackenridge in 1787. While

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5250-631: The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences ), Iroquois Building, Kaufman Medical Building, Medical Arts Building, 230 McKee Place, and UPMC University Center. UPMC academic hospitals and facilities elsewhere in Pittsburgh include the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh campus in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on the South Side , and the UPMC Shadyside and

5375-535: The U.S. Department of Education . Pitt's National Resource Centers include Asian, European, Latin American, Russian and East European, and Global studies, as well as Pitt's International Business Center. In addition, Pitt's Asian Studies Center has been awarded status as a Confucius Institute by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Further, Pitt is home to one of just ten European Union Centers of Excellence in

5500-689: The University Child Development Center , and the William Pitt Union . Other Pitt buildings not designated individually as landmarks, but listed among the 16 Pitt-owned contributing properties to the Schenley Farms Historic District, include Clapp Hall , O'Hara Student Center , Ruskin Hall , Thackeray Hall , Frick Fine Arts Building , Music Building , and the University Club . Historic structures within, adjacent to, or near Pitt's campus, but not belonging to

5625-728: The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in the Hillman Cancer Center (both located in the Shadyside neighborhood adjacent to Oakland). Regional campuses offer master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees at four locations in Western Pennsylvania . They also allow students to take preliminary courses and relocate to other regional campuses or the Oakland campus to complete their degrees. They offer several degrees and certificates: The University of Pittsburgh has been noted for both its role in community outreach and its impact on

5750-415: The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ). By 1893, the university had graduated its first African-American, William Hunter Dammond . In 1895 WUP established its School of Law, and Andrew Carnegie and George Westinghouse were elected to the board of trustees, where they joined Andrew Mellon , who had been elected in 1894. The Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy and Pittsburgh Dental School also joined

5875-450: The state legislature's desire for it to provide more vocational training. The decision to remain committed to liberal education nearly killed the university, but it persevered despite its abandonment by the city and state. It was also during this era that the founder of Mellon Bank , Thomas Mellon (Class of 1837), graduated and later taught at WUP. The university's buildings, along with most of its records and files, were destroyed in

6000-469: The 1920s, new university chancellor John Gabbert Bowman declared that he had a vision for a centerpiece "tall building" for the university. The 14 acres (5.7 ha) Frick Acres property in Oakland was soon purchased and plans for the campus shifted focus from the hillside to a neo- Gothic Revival plan that today comprises the Cathedral of Learning , Heinz Memorial Chapel , Stephen Foster Memorial , and Clapp Hall buildings. By 1925, Bowman had settled on

6125-570: The 2020–2021 academic year, 10 freshman students were National Merit Scholars . (16% ) (49% ) The university's historic emphasis on international studies is physically present in its collection of 31 Nationality Rooms on the first and third floors of the Cathedral of Learning . Pitt is also one of the country's leading producers of both Fulbright scholars and Peace Corps volunteers, and one of fewer than 20 American universities to claim five or more area studies programs that have been competitively designated as National Resource Centers by

6250-401: The 5 residence halls that make up Schenley Quadrangle , see below) are contributing properties to the Schenley Farms-Oakland Civic Center Historic District that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district . Due to the historical nature of various sites around Pitt's buildings, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has placed historical markers outside

6375-431: The Board of Trustees per year. The Board of Trustees selects the university's chancellor, who doubles as the chief academic officer and the chief executive of the university as well as serving as an ex officio voting member of the board of trustees. The chancellor is delegated with general administrative, academic, and management authority over the university. Under the chancellor are the provost and senior vice chancellor,

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6500-441: The COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through Fall 2025. Of the 49% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1250-1470. Of the 16% of the incoming freshman class who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 28 and 33. Pitt is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 3 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In

6625-431: The Class of 2026 (enrolled fall 2022), Pitt received 53,062 applications and accepted 26,077 (49.1%). Of those accepted, 4,399 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 16.8%. Pitt's freshman retention rate is 93.4%, with 84.3% going on to graduate within six years. The university started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to

6750-447: The DeRoy Motor Car Company. She sold the firm in the early 1940s and subsequently established and directed the Helen L. DeRoy Foundation. The Foundation funded numerous major projects, including expanding the Jewish Community Center located on Woodward Avenue at Holbrook Street, construction of a theater at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, and a contributing to a number of Wayne State buildings. The Foundation also established

6875-405: The Lambs were filmed in 1990, and the Stephen Foster sculpture . Many of these buildings and their facilities are integrated into the events and activities of the university. The majority of Pitt-owned facilities are clustered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh which includes the Schenley Farms Historic District , however a few prominent facilities are scattered elsewhere throughout

7000-489: The McGregor Center and the campus master plan were completed in 1958. The McGregor Center opened to immediate accolades from architectural magazines who called it "delightful" and "refreshing," and from the American Institute of Architects who awarded Yamasaki a First Honor Award for the design. The building solidified Yamasaki's reputation as a masterful International Style architect. Yamasaki's campus master plan called for closing off streets to auto traffic and constructing

7125-399: The McGregor Memorial Conference Center, this included placing the building on an elevated base or pedestal to emphasize its presence, repeated geometric patterns on the exterior facade of the building (many times these exterior design features were functional as well, providing structural support to the building). He also used exotic materials such as white marble tiles and columns, incorporated

7250-400: The Office of Sustainability, and hired its first director of sustainability. In 2020, Pitt committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2037 (its 250th anniversary) and its first climate action plan came out in 2022. Pitt received a AASHE STARS Gold rating in 2021, building on its Silver rating from 2018, has long been on The Princeton Review 's "Green Colleges" list, been included on

7375-415: The Pittsburgh Academy. The small two-story brick building, with a gable facing the alley, contained three rooms: one below and two above. Within a short period, more advanced education in the area was needed, so in 1819 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amended the school's 1787 charter to confer university status. The school was named the Western University of Pennsylvania , or WUP, and was intended to be

7500-483: The Prentis Building and the DeRoy Auditorium in the late 1950s. The buildings were to be located directly across from the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library , on a site that was then an open mall, known as the War Memorial Mall. The mall had been only recently completed (in late 1956). Part of the mall, on which the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium now sits, had been occupied by the childhood home of Michigan governor G. Mennen Williams . The Meyer and Anna Prentis Building

7625-403: The Prentis Building, provide access. The bridges are paved with an aggregate containing marble chips, differentiating it from the surrounding sidewalk. Inside, a small entrance lobby allows access to either the first floor auditorium or the auditorium on the lower level. The first floor auditorium seats 400 people, and the basement auditorium seats 300 people. Both auditoriums rake downward toward

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7750-434: The Reynolds Metals Company's Great Lakes Sales Headquarters Building, was also supposed to reinforce the company's main product and showcase its admirable characteristics of strength and beauty. In 1955, he designed the "sleek" terminal at Lambert–St. Louis International Airport , which led to his 1959 commission to design the Dhahran International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The Dhahran International Airport terminal building

7875-445: The U.S., funded by the European Commission . The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) coordinates international education curricula, centers on topical specializations in international studies, and the centers for area studies, including the National Resource Centers, among existing faculty and departments throughout the university. It does not confer degrees, but awards certificates of attainment to degree candidates in

8000-533: The University of Pennsylvania, and return to its roots by identifying itself with the city, the Western University of Pennsylvania, by act of the state legislature, was renamed the University of Pittsburgh in the summer of 1908. During this time, the university had also outgrown its accommodations on what is now the North Side of Pittsburgh and its departments had been scattered throughout the city for years. To consolidate all of its components on one campus, WUP bought 43 acres (17 ha) of land in December 1907 in what

8125-400: The World Trade Center , with Emery Roth & Sons serving as associate architects. The World Trade Center towers featured many innovative design elements to address many unique challenges at the site. One particular design challenge related to the efficacy of the elevator system, which became unique in the world when it was first opened for service. Yamasaki employed the fastest elevators at

8250-465: The academic partners of the closely affiliated the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. With over 1450 employees and $ 1 billion annual revenue, UPMC is the largest non-government employer in Pennsylvania. Through the Pitt Volunteer Pool, faculty and staff members donate more than 10,000 hours annually to community service projects for agencies such as the Salvation Army, Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Pitt

8375-574: The age of 73. Yamasaki was affectionately known as "Yama" among his friends and associates. University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh ( Pitt ) is a state-related research university in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the university's central administration and around 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The 132-acre Pittsburgh campus includes various historic buildings that are part of

8500-399: The architecture of the past speaking to the present." The campus has won multiple Green Star Awards from the Professional Grounds Management Society . The University of Pittsburgh's main campus contains four contiguous sections: upper (sports complexes, residence halls ); mid ( Benedum , Chevron , Allen and Thaw Halls ); lower ( Cathedral of Learning , Union , Posvar Hall ); and on

8625-401: The campus, including its centerpiece 42-story Cathedral of Learning , falls within the Oakland Civic Center/Schenley Farms National Historic District . The campus has been noted for its impressive architecture, and contains an eclectic mix of architecture that includes Greek revival, Neogothic, Italian Renaissance, and modern. It has been termed "a theme park of replica buildings, representing

8750-438: The chief designer. At the time, SHG was the oldest as well as one of the largest and most prestigious architectural firms in Detroit and the United States, with recently completed projects including Detroit landmarks such as the Penobscot and Guardian Buildings . Yamasaki left the firm in 1949, and started his own partnership. He worked from Birmingham and Troy, Michigan . One of the first projects he designed at his own firm

8875-424: The city was still on the edge of the American frontier at the time, Pittsburgh's rapid growth meant that a proper university was soon needed, and Pitt's charter was altered in 1819 to confer university status on it as the Western University of Pennsylvania . After surviving two devastating fires and several relocations, the university moved to its current location in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, and by act of

9000-864: The city, including the adjacent Shadyside neighborhood. Pitt also maintains regional Pennsylvania campuses in Bradford , Greensburg , Johnstown , and Titusville , as well as a Computer Center in RIDC Park in Blawnox , the Plum Boro Science Center in Plum , the University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC) in Harmarville , and the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology in Linesville . The university also has

9125-479: The decision to end a 24-year sponsorship of the Semester at Sea program due to academic, administrative and safety concerns, Pitt has created a Multi-region Academic Program (PittMAP) that involves international travel, accompanied by university faculty, to three different continents for the comparative study of one of six rotating global study themes. Further, Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering has also established

9250-435: The dubious symbolic distinction of being destroyed while recorded by live TV broadcasts. The World Trade Center towers were not well received by some commentators at the time of their debut, with noted New York Times architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable criticizing the towers as being "pure technology, the lobbies are pure schmaltz and the impact on New York of 110-story buildings...is pure speculation" with criticizing

9375-413: The economy of the city and the Western Pennsylvania region. In 2009, Pitt was ranked second overall, and the top public university in the nation, as a "Best Neighbor" for positive impact on its urban community, including both commercial and residential activities such as revitalization, cultural renewal, economics, and community service and development according to the "Saviors of Our Cities" ranking. Pitt

9500-551: The end of 2035. The university was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1787 and it operated as a fully private institution until an alteration to its charter in 1966 at which point it became part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education . This conferred "state-related" status to the university making it a legal instrument of the Commonwealth which provides an annual financial appropriation, currently 7.7% of

9625-499: The fall of 1909, the university became the first college to adopt the panther as its mascot. It was also during this period that the university, led by Chancellor Samuel McCormick , again held off pressures to abandon the school's commitment to liberal education in favor of more technical-based training. During his administration, McCormick also led the university into a new level of national recognition, expansion, and growth, as well as beginning institutional support of athletics. In

9750-409: The fear of polio grew, leading to the closing of many public facilities. Meanwhile, Dr. Jonas Salk had set up the University of Pittsburgh's Virus Research Lab in the basement of what is now Salk Hall . By 1951, Salk and his team had begun immunization experiments in monkeys using dead polio virus. Soon, however, Salk began to test inoculations in paralyzed polio patients and by 1953 human trials among

9875-540: The fiduciary responsibilities of the board; and the definition of the university's mission and goals. It is made up of 36 voting members: chancellor, 17 term trustees elected by the board, 6 alumni trustees elected by the board on nomination from the Alumni Association Board of directors, and 12 Commonwealth trustees. The governor of Pennsylvania , the president pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate , and

10000-435: The general population were initiated. By the spring of the following year, the largest controlled field trials in medical history were underway, and by 1955 the vaccine developed by Salk and his researchers was declared effective. By 1962, Salk's vaccine had reduced the incidence of polio in the United States by 95 percent. The breakthroughs in immunology and vaccine development at Pitt by Salk and his team are considered one of

10125-943: The gothic exterior branches at the lower levels as "General Motors gothic". In many ways, these best-known works ran counter to Yamasaki's own design principles, and he later regretted his reluctant acceptance of architectural compromises dictated by the clients of these projects. Several others of his buildings have also been demolished. Yamasaki collaborated closely with structural engineers , including John Skilling , Leslie Robertson , Fazlur Rahman Khan , and Jack V. Christiansen, to produce some of his innovative architectural designs. He strived to achieve "serenity, surprise, and delight" in his humanistic modernist buildings and their surrounds. Decades after his death, Yamasaki's buildings and legacy would be re-assessed more sympathetically by some architectural critics. Several of his buildings have now been restored in accordance with his original designs, and his McGregor Memorial Conference Center

10250-469: The growth of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the restructuring of its relationship with the university, and a series of disruptive bomb threats that occurred in 2012. Patrick D. Gallagher was named the 18th chancellor of the university and assumed the office on August 1, 2014. The University of Pittsburgh's main campus comprises approximately 132 urban acres (0.53 km ) located in Pittsburgh's historic Oakland neighborhood. Much of

10375-427: The internment program in the United States during World War II. After leaving Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, Yamasaki worked briefly for Harrison & Abramovitz and Raymond Loewy . During his time with Harrison & Abramovitz, Yamasaki, a gifted watercolorist, also taught drawing at Columbia University . In 1945, Yamasaki moved to Detroit , where he secured a position with Smith, Hinchman & Grylls (SHG) as

10500-719: The lower campus, Lothrop Hall on the medical campus, and Panther , Nordenberg Hall , and Sutherland halls located on the upper campus. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is consistently ranked in U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of America's top hospitals and consists of the following hospitals and facilities in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland , many of which have shared uses with various University departments: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, UPMC Montefiore Hospital, Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Thomas Detre Hall, Eye and Ear Institute, Forbes Tower (home to

10625-421: The most significant scientific and medical achievements in history. In 1966, Pitt was designated by Pennsylvania as a state-related university. As such, Pitt receives public funds ($ 154.3 million in fiscal year 2016) covering about 7% of its operating budget, and offers reduced tuition to Pennsylvania residents. Pitt retains independent control. Upon affiliation with the state, subsidized tuition led to

10750-521: The new building was supported through the philanthropy of Federick Meyer Stuart (Stennett) and Anna Mae Prentis (McDonald). A year-and-a-half after the opening, the building was rededicated as the Meyer and Anna Prentis Building. The building was used as the home of the Business School from its opening until the school relocated to a new location by Little Ceasar's Arena in 2018. The Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium

10875-554: The panels, terminating in Gothic arches just beneath the eaves. The ribs project about four inches at ground level, but gradually increase in depth toward the top of the building until they project almost two feet near the top. The broad eaves and curving, projecting ribs create striking shadows. The gothic arch treatment on the DeRoy Auditorium is strongly similar to Yamasaki's design of the United States Science Pavilion at

11000-456: The panels. The outer edges of the first floor are recessed back from the edge of the upper stories. Thin freestanding columns clad in marble-flecked concrete ring the lower floor, and meet the upper section at its edge, serving to support the two upper floors. The columns continue upward, terminating at the top of the building in a projecting finial. On the north side of the first floor is a story-and-a-half study hall enclosed in glass panels, with

11125-429: The region each year (more than $ 3.60 for each $ 1 of state appropriations), and supports some 23,100 local jobs. Pitt students also spend more than $ 213 million on goods, services, and rental payments within the local economy. Pitt ranked sixth in the number of startups spawned by technologies developed by its researchers according to Association of University Technology Managers. Pitt and its medical school are

11250-414: The remarriage, Yamasaki said "I'm just going to be nicer to her". Yamasaki suffered from health problems for at least three decades, and ulcers caused surgical removal of much of his stomach in 1953. Over time, he endured several more operations on his stomach. His health was not improved by increasingly heavy drinking towards the end of his life. Yamasaki died of stomach cancer on February 6, 1986, at

11375-472: The second tallest university building in the world and contains an equally impressive interior highlighted by a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m ) Gothic hall Commons Room with 52-foot (16 m) tall arches currently surrounded by 31  Nationality Rooms . In the early 20th century, epidemics of polio began to hit the United States and other industrialized countries. As hospitals filled with patients in iron lungs , and tens of thousands were left disabled,

11500-852: The senior vice chancellor for health sciences, the deans of the various schools, the presidents of the regional campuses, department chairs, and the directors of university centers and institutes. The university is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools . Throughout its history, Pitt has been committed to a liberal arts education with a curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Pitt also has emphasized undergraduate research experience and opportunities such as co-ops and internships. Undergraduate degrees can be earned as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Philosophy. Along with providing certificate programs, graduate level master's, professional, and doctoral degrees are also awarded. Pitt has also initiated

11625-421: The space which would have been required for traditional shafts. The space saved was then used for additional office space. Internally, each office floor was a vast open space unimpeded by support columns, ready to be subdivided as the tenants might choose. Other design challenges included anchoring the massively tall towers to the bedrock located about 80 feet (24 m) below lower Manhattan's soft soil. Digging

11750-524: The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives each appoints four of the 12 Commonwealth trustees. Additional non-voting trustees include 14 special trustees and additional emeritus trustees selected by the board. Non-voting ex-officio members include the governor of Pennsylvania, the secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , the chief executive of Allegheny County , and the mayor of Pittsburgh . There are three or more regular meetings of

11875-732: The state legislature was renamed the University of Pittsburgh in 1908. Pitt was a private institution until 1966, when it became part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education . The campus is situated adjacent to the flagship medical facilities of its closely affiliated University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and its flagship hospital, UPMC Presbyterian , as well as the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh , Schenley Park , and Carnegie Mellon University . The university also operates four undergraduate branch campuses in Western Pennsylvania , located in Bradford , Greensburg , Johnstown , and Titusville . In athletics, Pitt competes in Division I of

12000-458: The time, running at 1,700 feet (520 m) per minute. Instead of placing a traditional large cluster of full-height elevator shafts in the core of each tower, Yamasaki created the Twin Towers' " Skylobby " system. The Skylobby design created three separate, connected elevator systems which would serve different zones of the building, depending on which floor was chosen, saving approximately 70% of

12125-546: The towers was finished in 1970. Many of his buildings feature superficial details inspired by the pointed arches of Gothic architecture , and make use of extremely narrow vertical windows. This narrow-windowed style arose from his own personal fear of heights . After partnering with Emery Roth and Sons on the design of the World Trade Center, the collaboration continued with other projects including new buildings at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. Yamasaki designed

12250-480: The university announced a second local renewable power purchasing agreement, for solar power to be built on the border of Beaver and Allegheny counties near Pittsburgh International Airport. The university has been criticized for some of its financial investments, namely those in the fossil fuel industry. In 2020, a Board report disclosed that endowment exposure to fossil fuels had decreased 42% between 2015 and 2020, with zero private investments in fossil fuels by

12375-402: The university in 1896. In 1898, the first women, sisters Margaret and Stella Stein, graduated from the university. During this period, university engineering professor Reginald Fessenden was conducting pioneering work in radio broadcasting. By 1904, playing at Exposition Park , the university had its first undefeated football team. Citing a need to avoid confusion, distinguish itself from

12500-472: The university time to regroup and rebuild. By 1854, WUP had erected a new building on the corner of Ross and Diamond (now Forbes Avenue) streets (site of the present day City-County building ) and classes resumed in 1855. It is during this era, in 1867, that Samuel Pierpont Langley , astronomer, inventor, aviation pioneer and future Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution , was chosen as director of

12625-576: The university's schools and also operates certificate programs in African Studies (undergraduate) and in Global Studies (undergraduate & graduate). UCIS also operates the Study Abroad Office, Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs. Pitt's study abroad program, under the auspices of UCIS, helps to facilitate student study in over a hundred different countries, and oversees

12750-413: The university's total operating budget, in exchange for the university offering tuition discounts to students who are residents of Pennsylvania. Legally, however, the university remains a private entity, operating under its nonprofit corporate charter, governed by its independent Board of Trustees, and with its assets under its own ownership and control. Therefore, it retains the freedom and individuality of

12875-530: The university, include the Carnegie Museum buildings , Frick School , Forbes Field wall remnant, Magee Estate iron fence, the Schenley Fountain , Mellon Institute , Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens , the Pittsburgh Athletic Association , St. Paul's Cathedral , St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Schenley High School , Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall – where scenes of The Silence of

13000-570: The use of historical forms like arches and columns, as well as the use of light and shadow, and integral pools and gardens. These buildings represent Yamasaki's honing of his vision, and were built at a time when he was becoming increasingly famous, garnering commissions for the United States Science Pavilion at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle and, in 1963, the World Trade Center . Minoru Yamasaki Minoru Yamasaki ( 山崎 實 , Yamasaki Minoru , December 1, 1912 – February 6, 1986)

13125-412: The west end of campus, the medical center complex . The campus is bordered by Darragh Street/McKee Place to the west and Bellefield Avenue/Dithridge Street to the east; Forbes and Fifth avenues traverse the campus from west to east. Although generally within walking distance, the university also runs a bus and shuttle service between various campus locations and bordering neighborhoods. The main campus

13250-503: The western sister institution to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia . By 1830, WUP had moved into a new three-story, freestone-fronted building, with Ionic columns and a cupola, near its original buildings fronting the south side of Third Street, between Smithfield Street and Cherry Alley in downtown Pittsburgh. By the 1830s, the university faced severe financial pressure to abandon its traditional liberal education in favor of

13375-507: Was Ruhl's Bakery at 7 Mile Road and Monica Street in Detroit. Yamasaki's first major project was the Pruitt–Igoe public housing project in St. Louis in 1955. Despite his love of traditional Japanese design and ornamentation , the buildings of Pruitt–Igoe were stark, modernist concrete structures, severely constricted by a tight budget. The housing project soon experienced so many problems that it

13500-517: Was a Japanese-American architect , best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward Durell Stone are generally considered to be the two master practitioners of " New Formalism ". During his three-decade career, he and his firm designed over 250 buildings. His firm, Yamasaki & Associates , closed on December 31, 2009. Yamasaki

13625-587: Was a member of the Pennsylvania Avenue Commission, created in 1961 to restore the grand avenue in Washington, D.C. , but he resigned after disagreements and disillusionment with the design by committee approach. The campus for the University of Regina was designed in tandem with Yamasaki's plan for Wascana Centre , a park built around Wascana Lake in Regina, Saskatchewan . The original campus design

13750-532: Was also listed as a "best neighbor" in the previous ranking released in 2006. These rankings reflect the statistics that each year Pitt spends more than $ 1.7 billion in the community and supports nearly 33,800 jobs in Allegheny County . The university is the Pittsburgh region's second largest non-government employer behind its affiliated University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Pitt's research program alone imports more than $ 822 million into

13875-673: Was approved in 1962. Yamasaki was awarded contracts to design the first three buildings: the Classroom Building, the Laboratory Building, and the Dr. John Archer Library , which were built between 1963 and 1967. Yamasaki designed two notable synagogues, North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois (1964), and Temple Beth El , in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1973). He designed

14000-458: Was awarded National Historic Landmark status in 2015. Yamasaki was first married in 1941 to Teruko "Teri" Hirashiki. They had three children together: Carol, Taro , and Kim. They divorced in 1961 and Yamasaki married Peggy Watty. He and Watty divorced two years later, and Yamasaki married a third time briefly before remarrying Teruko in 1969. In a 1969 article in The Detroit News about

14125-543: Was born in 1880 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in dentistry. His wife, Helen Lowentritt DeRoy, was born in 1882 in Oil City, Pennsylvania . Her father earned a fortune in the oil industry, making Helen a wealthy young woman. Aaron DeRoy changed careers when he became interested in automobiles. He sold first electric cars, then gasoline-powered ones, and eventually became

14250-476: Was born on December 1, 1912, in Seattle , Washington , the son of John Tsunejiro Yamasaki and Hana Yamasaki, issei Japanese immigrants. The family later moved to Auburn, Washington , and he graduated from Garfield Senior High School in Seattle. He enrolled in the University of Washington program in architecture in 1929, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) in 1934. During his college years, he

14375-491: Was built to serve the Business School, but has always been used more broadly as a lecture hall for the University as a whole. Meyer Prentis was born as Meyer Leon Prensky in 1886 in Lithuania . At age two, he immigrated with his parents to St. Louis , where he attended grade school, high school and finally Jones Commercial College, where he specialized in accounting, finance and commercial law. After graduation, he worked first for

14500-426: Was chancellor of the university from 1995 to 2014 and led Pitt through a period of substantial progress, including a $ 2-billion capital-raising campaign that is over three quarters of the way toward achieving its goal and a $ 1-billion 12-year facilities plan. Major initiatives and events that have occurred during his tenure include the construction of the Petersen Events Center , a major expansion of on-campus housing,

14625-484: Was conducted by Thomas Starzl , establishing Pitt as the world leader in the field of organ transplantation. In 1991, chancellor Wesley Posvar retired after 24 years in office. His administration is best known for elimination of the university's debt from its 1960s financial crisis and for increasing the school's prestige and endowment. Under Posvar, Pitt's operating budget grew sevenfold to $ 630 million and its endowment tripled to $ 257 million. Mark Nordenberg

14750-480: Was constructed at the same time as the Prentis Building. It was built by the firm of Darin & Armstrong for a cost of approximately $ 600,000. The design and construction of the building was partly financed by a $ 323,000 gift from the Helen L. DeRoy Foundation. Groundbreaking for the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium occurred on August 1, 1962, concurrently with the Prentis building, and the auditorium opened on March 3, 1964. It

14875-419: Was constructed to meet the needs of Wayne State's growing Business School. The school had been organized in 1946 with 459 undergraduates. By 1964, that number had grown to over 1400 undergraduates and 429 graduate students, with 55 faculty members. Groundbreaking on the structure occurred on August 1, 1962, and the new home for the business school opened on January 28, 1964. The $ 2.3 million construction cost for

15000-600: Was demolished starting in 1972, less than twenty years after its completion. Its destruction would be considered by architectural historian Charles Jencks to be the symbolic end of modernist architecture . In the 1950s, Yamasaki was commissioned by the Reynolds Company to design an aluminum-wrapped building in Southfield, Michigan , which would "symbolize the auto industry's past and future progress with aluminum." The three-story glass building wrapped in aluminum, known as

15125-476: Was designed with a similar external appearance as the World Trade Center complex, with its narrow fenestration , and stands at 394 ft (120 m). Despite the many buildings he completed, Yamasaki's reputation faded along with the overall decline of modernism towards the end of the 20th century. Two of his major projects, the Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex, and the original World Trade Center , shared

15250-579: Was especially well received in Saudi Arabia and was featured on the one riyal bank note. Yamasaki's first widely-acclaimed design was the Pacific Science Center , with its iconic lacy and airy decorative arches. It was constructed by the City of Seattle for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair . The building raised his public profile so much that he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Yamasaki

15375-502: Was one of the first 22 signatories of the Talloires Declaration . In 2003, Pitt founded its Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. In 2013, Pitt released its first sustainability report and in 2014 celebrated a "Year of Sustainability" by launching a Student Office of Sustainability that now has over 25 affiliated student organizations. In 2018, Pitt published its first comprehensive "Pitt Sustainability Plan", established

15500-415: Was pumped in. The concrete, being more dense than the slurry, sank to the bottom of the trenches all the way down to the bedrock displacing the slurry to the surface, where it was drained away. This process was repeated around the entire perimeter of the site and reinforced with steel cables to create a watertight concrete bathtub surrounding the excavation site. This slurry wall system had only been employed

15625-452: Was strongly encouraged by faculty member Lionel Pries . He earned money to pay for his tuition by working at a salmon cannery in Alaska, working five summers and earning $ 50 a month, plus 25 cents an hour in overtime pay. In part to escape anti-Japanese prejudice, he moved to Manhattan in 1934, with $ 40 and no job prospects. He wrapped dishes for an importing company until he found work as

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