You've clicked on this thread, so you are probably curious about Pitt. Nothing works better than pictures. After all, they're worth a 1,000 words right? What follows is an photographic introduction to Pitt, starting with its athletic facilities, then its academic facilities, and finally, the university neighborhood that makes up the unique culture and experience of the University of Pittsburgh. Look like a lot to see? It is, and it is definitely worth a visit if you can get to the Oakland section of Pittsburgh for a day. Until then, welcome to Pitt through the images below!
Click on the photos for larger sizes and the available links for more information.
Since this is primarily an athletics message board, let's start with the University's athletic facilities. Most of you know about Heinz Field which sits about 3 miles from campus and was built to be shared by Pitt and the Steelers.
Athletic Facilities
Our football practice facilities include the one-of-a-kind University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Performance Complex which is located right across the Hot Metal Bridge from Pitt's campus and is also shared with the Steelers.
For additional information on the football program, which claims nine national championships, is among the top 20 teams in all-time wins, and is eighth in the total all-time number of consensus All-Americans, I would suggest you consult the Wikipedia article about on Pitt football.
Our on campus basketball facility, the Petersen Events Center, is directly across the street from our medical school and also houses a food court and recreation facilities which are open daily for student use.
Other athletic facilities include facility for baseball, soccer and softball (right) was completed in 2011.
In addition to the indoor practice facility at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex above, we also have an indoor football field, the here.
Academic Campus
Pitt's Schenley Park, one of the nation's largest urban parks.
Our centerpiece building is the one-of-a-kind 535ft tall gothic Cathedral of Learning, the second tallest university building in the world, and the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. It is not an exaggeration to state that, inside and out, there is nothing else like it anywhere in the world.
The interior of the Cathedral of Learning contains a massive 1/2 acre, four-story tall gothic study hall called the Commons Room.
The corridors ringing the Gothic Hall...
...contain a unique collection of 29 rooms Nationality Rooms that represent the homelands of the ethnic communities that built Pittsburgh. The room designs proceed the period the University's founding in 1787. Except for two that are now only display rooms, these are functional classrooms that are used daily by faculty and students. Six more are in the planning stages. These, along with most Pitt buildings, are open to the public to tour (as long as class isn't in session in that particular room).
The University's Honors College is based on the 35th and 36th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. The Honors College has churned out a multiple Rhodes, Marshall, and Trumans scholars, and in 2012, it's fourth Rhodes Scholar in six years. If you get to tour the Cathedral of Learning and the Nationality Rooms, a trip up to the Honors College is a must for the view.
Staying on the gothic section of campus, close to the Cathedral of Learning, is our french gothic revival nondenominational Charles Connick designed windows in one place.
Our primary performing arts theater facility, the Stephen Foster Memorial, essentially completes the tour of the gothic section of Pitt's campus.
Nearby, Pitt's neo-renaissance art facility, the Schenley Park.
The beaux-arts William Pitt Union is our student union, and has been restored to its former glory, complete with Louis XV interiors, when it served as the premeire luxury hotel in the city.
The O'Hara Student Center is Pitt's newest renovation. Essentially an extension of the William Pitt Union, it provides space for student lounges, activities, events, and offices for student organizations. It also houses the math and writing centers.
The Greek revival Alumni Hall contains the Pitt Alumni Association and office of admissions, but also has study areas, lecture halls, and other various academic spaces.
Our music facilities include our Richardsonian Romanesque Music Building that was the site of the original set of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood....
...and also the Italianate Bellefield Hall, which beside having a music hall and recording studio, also houses a basketball court and swimming pool.
The University Club houses a faculty club, meeting and lecture spaces, and restaurants.
The math department and student advising is housed in Thackeray Hall.
Salk Hall, where Jonas Salk created the world's first Polio vaccine, is home to the Dental and Pharmacy schools and is in the processes of receiving a $50.6 million addition. It also contains small pharmacy (middle) and dental (right) museums.
Our main library facility is Hillman Library, which features several specialty rooms and collections. By volumes held, Pitt's library system is the 29th largest library (21st largest college library) in the US, and enjoys reciprocal agreements with neighboring Carnegie Mellon University and the main public library of Pittsburgh, which is literally just across the street.
Two themed rooms, the Latin American Reading Room and Leroy Irvis Reading Room, respectively, are located in Hillman Library.
Pitt's Mervis Hall
Pitt's School of Education laboratory school is the Falk School on the upper campus.
Benedum Hall, home to our Swanson School of Engineering, has recently undergone $90 million in renovations.
Schenley Quadrangle is a historic, former luxury apartment complex turned into residence halls.
Thaw Hall (right), house physics, geology, and other departments.
Eberly Hall(right).
Biology is housed in Clapp Hall
Samuel Langley is on display. Langley was an aviation pioneer and former Pitt professor (and namesake of Langley, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base).
The primary freshman dorms are the 22-, 19-, and 16-story Litchfield Towers. You can tell from the photo why at one time the school was known as "Skyscraper U".
Pennsylvania and Panther Halls are residence halls on the upper campus with great views of lower Oakland.
Bouquet Gardens are apartment-style student residences on the lower campus.
Forbes Quad (below left), also sits on the former site of the Pittsburgh Pirate's Forbes Field. The photo on the right is the Omicron Delta Kappa Walk on the lawn of Cathedral of Learning.
Below is another portion of the Cathedral Lawn.
Attractions
There are a ton of things to do in Pittsburgh. I'm going to restrict this next section to attractions on or near campus. Before I begin, I'll mention that for the area around Heinz Field, which is the Northside neighborhood, there are plenty of things to check out like the PNC Park (if the Buccos are still in season). But for this post, I'll just stick to the Oakland neighborhood where Pitt's campus is. Here is what is on or adjacent to the university:
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is directly across the street from the Cathedral of Learning and is free for Pitt students and staff. It also serves as a secondary home for some of Pitt's faculty. It is one of the six largest such museums in the nation and has the third largest dinosaur collection in the world.
Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the Carnegie Museum of Art which is also free for Pitt affiliates. It is known for its rare collection of plaster casts of architectural masterpieces, the largest such collection in the US, as well as its mid-19th Century to present art collections, including significant French impressionists.
Also adjoined to the museums is the Carnegie Music Hall, which is sometimes used for Pitt functions like the Honors Convocation,....
...as well as the main branch of the Carnegie Public Library of Pittsburgh, which is also available to Pitt students.
Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial, located smack in the middle of campus, is regularly used to host various university functions and is open daily for tours. It was the sight of the infamous "de-facing" scene in Silence of the Lambs when it stood in for a Memphis court house.
Between Pitt's library, Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Building, and the city's public library lies Schenley Plaza, a public lawn with wireless internet access, food kiosks, a performance tent, and a carousel. It essentially serves as another quad for Pitt.
If you continue just past Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Building and go over the Schenley Bridge, you'll wind up in the 456-acre Schenley Park. Here you'll find wooded jogging trails, playing fields, tennis courts, monuments, an outdoor ice rink, frisbee golf, a public golf course, and among other things, some Panther statues.
Just inside Schenley Park, you'll also find the 19th Century Victorian Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens which, again, is free to Pitt students and affiliates. It has recently undertaken a major expansion and has also obtained a significant collection of Chihuly glass.
I should probably also mention that Pitt's campus includes its medical school, bioscience research facilities, and the flagship hospitals of its medical center (located in an area of campus that is quite overgrown): the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. UPMC has grown into one of the world's largest health care providers with 20 hospitals including locations in Ireland, Italy, and the UK.
Pitt's campus also literal abuts Carlow University, a small liberal arts school next to our med campus, and Carnegie-Mellon University (which is not to be confused with the independent Carnegie Institute that runs the city's museums and the Carnegie Public Library depicted above). Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon have an extremely close working relationship, with a myriad of joint academic and research programs and other collaborative projects. CMU has some interesting architectural buildings as well, so it may be worth a look. With the city's major hospitals, museums, libraries, as well as three universities, Oakland truely is the educational, medical, and cultural heart of the city. It is also the third most densely populated district in Pennsylvania, behind Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh.
Food
This section will be an attempt to provide a sample of the classic and unique college fare around campus. It obviously can't include every restaurant, eatery, or bar; but I will include the longer standing classics.
Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop, often referred to as "The O" or "The Dirty O", has had a campus presence since 1960 and is a traditional late night student eatery. In 2001, Gourmet Magazine ranked the hot dogs fourth-best in America and The New York Times named it to a list of one of the "high spots in a nation of hot-dog heavens" in 2002. It is also known for its heaping portion of french fries and its cheap pizzas.
For out-of-towners, no trip to Pittsburgh is complete without a stop at Primanti Brothers. Luckily, Pitt has one right next to campus on Forbes Avenue. Their sandwiches are always profiled on tv, and they have a national reputation for their size and components which include french fries and their special coleslaw.
Another long standing campus eatery is Uncle Sams Subs, known for their cheesesteaks. They're not exactly what you get in Philly, but they're pretty good and the best in the 'burgh.
Right next to Sams is Fuel & Fuddle, a bar with a decent sit down brick oven menu. Good sweet potato fries.
The best ice cream in Pittsburgh, and one of the best I've had anywhere, is Dave & Andy's. It's an old fashioned homemade style made right in the store. It repeatedly ranks as Pittsburgh's best, and was ranked as one of the top 10 non-chain ice cream shops in the nation by USA Today.
For on campus pizza, I often went with Sorrento's (left), which has been around since 1973. I also like Milano's (right) but some people swear by Antoon's.
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And the best breakfast, without a doubt, is at Pamela's, which has giant omelets, crepes, pancakes, and the like. Pamela's left such an impression on Barack Obama during his campaign tour that he brought them to DC to cater events at the White House.
Another Pittsburgh-regional chain, Quaker Steak & Lube, has been featured on various tv shows, including Man vs Food. It is best known for its wings and onion rings. This chain is expanding quickly to other regions.
For straight out pub fair, Peter's Pub in Oakland is the oldest continuous operating campus bar as far as I am aware. One can get good Pittsburgh-style steak and chicken salads (that means expect fries on top of your salad). It is a good place to catch a game and it turns into a full fledged college bar in the evening, sometimes providing live music upstairs.
A hard to miss spot with all its neon is Joe Mamma's located right along Forbes Avenue. It is Italian, but nothing too special; just serviceable if you are in the mood.
Of course, there are more places to eat. There are tons of good ethnic food restaurants such as The Union Grille. There are also the typical chains like Five Guys, Chipolte, Qdoba, Subway, Bruegger's Bagels, Panera Bread, etc.
Anyway, hope this helped to give you a feel for Pitt.
This post was edited on 2/9 3:32 AM by CrazyPaco
Click on the photos for larger sizes and the available links for more information.
Since this is primarily an athletics message board, let's start with the University's athletic facilities. Most of you know about Heinz Field which sits about 3 miles from campus and was built to be shared by Pitt and the Steelers.
Athletic Facilities
Our football practice facilities include the one-of-a-kind University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Performance Complex which is located right across the Hot Metal Bridge from Pitt's campus and is also shared with the Steelers.
For additional information on the football program, which claims nine national championships, is among the top 20 teams in all-time wins, and is eighth in the total all-time number of consensus All-Americans, I would suggest you consult the Wikipedia article about on Pitt football.
Our on campus basketball facility, the Petersen Events Center, is directly across the street from our medical school and also houses a food court and recreation facilities which are open daily for student use.
Other athletic facilities include facility for baseball, soccer and softball (right) was completed in 2011.
In addition to the indoor practice facility at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex above, we also have an indoor football field, the here.
Academic Campus
Pitt's Schenley Park, one of the nation's largest urban parks.
Our centerpiece building is the one-of-a-kind 535ft tall gothic Cathedral of Learning, the second tallest university building in the world, and the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. It is not an exaggeration to state that, inside and out, there is nothing else like it anywhere in the world.
The interior of the Cathedral of Learning contains a massive 1/2 acre, four-story tall gothic study hall called the Commons Room.
The corridors ringing the Gothic Hall...
...contain a unique collection of 29 rooms Nationality Rooms that represent the homelands of the ethnic communities that built Pittsburgh. The room designs proceed the period the University's founding in 1787. Except for two that are now only display rooms, these are functional classrooms that are used daily by faculty and students. Six more are in the planning stages. These, along with most Pitt buildings, are open to the public to tour (as long as class isn't in session in that particular room).
The University's Honors College is based on the 35th and 36th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. The Honors College has churned out a multiple Rhodes, Marshall, and Trumans scholars, and in 2012, it's fourth Rhodes Scholar in six years. If you get to tour the Cathedral of Learning and the Nationality Rooms, a trip up to the Honors College is a must for the view.
Staying on the gothic section of campus, close to the Cathedral of Learning, is our french gothic revival nondenominational Charles Connick designed windows in one place.
Our primary performing arts theater facility, the Stephen Foster Memorial, essentially completes the tour of the gothic section of Pitt's campus.
Nearby, Pitt's neo-renaissance art facility, the Schenley Park.
The beaux-arts William Pitt Union is our student union, and has been restored to its former glory, complete with Louis XV interiors, when it served as the premeire luxury hotel in the city.
The O'Hara Student Center is Pitt's newest renovation. Essentially an extension of the William Pitt Union, it provides space for student lounges, activities, events, and offices for student organizations. It also houses the math and writing centers.
The Greek revival Alumni Hall contains the Pitt Alumni Association and office of admissions, but also has study areas, lecture halls, and other various academic spaces.
Our music facilities include our Richardsonian Romanesque Music Building that was the site of the original set of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood....
...and also the Italianate Bellefield Hall, which beside having a music hall and recording studio, also houses a basketball court and swimming pool.
The University Club houses a faculty club, meeting and lecture spaces, and restaurants.
The math department and student advising is housed in Thackeray Hall.
Salk Hall, where Jonas Salk created the world's first Polio vaccine, is home to the Dental and Pharmacy schools and is in the processes of receiving a $50.6 million addition. It also contains small pharmacy (middle) and dental (right) museums.
Our main library facility is Hillman Library, which features several specialty rooms and collections. By volumes held, Pitt's library system is the 29th largest library (21st largest college library) in the US, and enjoys reciprocal agreements with neighboring Carnegie Mellon University and the main public library of Pittsburgh, which is literally just across the street.
Two themed rooms, the Latin American Reading Room and Leroy Irvis Reading Room, respectively, are located in Hillman Library.
Pitt's Mervis Hall
Pitt's School of Education laboratory school is the Falk School on the upper campus.
Benedum Hall, home to our Swanson School of Engineering, has recently undergone $90 million in renovations.
Schenley Quadrangle is a historic, former luxury apartment complex turned into residence halls.
Thaw Hall (right), house physics, geology, and other departments.
Eberly Hall(right).
Biology is housed in Clapp Hall
Samuel Langley is on display. Langley was an aviation pioneer and former Pitt professor (and namesake of Langley, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base).
The primary freshman dorms are the 22-, 19-, and 16-story Litchfield Towers. You can tell from the photo why at one time the school was known as "Skyscraper U".
Pennsylvania and Panther Halls are residence halls on the upper campus with great views of lower Oakland.
Bouquet Gardens are apartment-style student residences on the lower campus.
Forbes Quad (below left), also sits on the former site of the Pittsburgh Pirate's Forbes Field. The photo on the right is the Omicron Delta Kappa Walk on the lawn of Cathedral of Learning.
Below is another portion of the Cathedral Lawn.
Attractions
There are a ton of things to do in Pittsburgh. I'm going to restrict this next section to attractions on or near campus. Before I begin, I'll mention that for the area around Heinz Field, which is the Northside neighborhood, there are plenty of things to check out like the PNC Park (if the Buccos are still in season). But for this post, I'll just stick to the Oakland neighborhood where Pitt's campus is. Here is what is on or adjacent to the university:
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is directly across the street from the Cathedral of Learning and is free for Pitt students and staff. It also serves as a secondary home for some of Pitt's faculty. It is one of the six largest such museums in the nation and has the third largest dinosaur collection in the world.
Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the Carnegie Museum of Art which is also free for Pitt affiliates. It is known for its rare collection of plaster casts of architectural masterpieces, the largest such collection in the US, as well as its mid-19th Century to present art collections, including significant French impressionists.
Also adjoined to the museums is the Carnegie Music Hall, which is sometimes used for Pitt functions like the Honors Convocation,....
...as well as the main branch of the Carnegie Public Library of Pittsburgh, which is also available to Pitt students.
Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial, located smack in the middle of campus, is regularly used to host various university functions and is open daily for tours. It was the sight of the infamous "de-facing" scene in Silence of the Lambs when it stood in for a Memphis court house.
Between Pitt's library, Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Building, and the city's public library lies Schenley Plaza, a public lawn with wireless internet access, food kiosks, a performance tent, and a carousel. It essentially serves as another quad for Pitt.
If you continue just past Pitt's Frick Fine Arts Building and go over the Schenley Bridge, you'll wind up in the 456-acre Schenley Park. Here you'll find wooded jogging trails, playing fields, tennis courts, monuments, an outdoor ice rink, frisbee golf, a public golf course, and among other things, some Panther statues.
Just inside Schenley Park, you'll also find the 19th Century Victorian Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens which, again, is free to Pitt students and affiliates. It has recently undertaken a major expansion and has also obtained a significant collection of Chihuly glass.
I should probably also mention that Pitt's campus includes its medical school, bioscience research facilities, and the flagship hospitals of its medical center (located in an area of campus that is quite overgrown): the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. UPMC has grown into one of the world's largest health care providers with 20 hospitals including locations in Ireland, Italy, and the UK.
Pitt's campus also literal abuts Carlow University, a small liberal arts school next to our med campus, and Carnegie-Mellon University (which is not to be confused with the independent Carnegie Institute that runs the city's museums and the Carnegie Public Library depicted above). Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon have an extremely close working relationship, with a myriad of joint academic and research programs and other collaborative projects. CMU has some interesting architectural buildings as well, so it may be worth a look. With the city's major hospitals, museums, libraries, as well as three universities, Oakland truely is the educational, medical, and cultural heart of the city. It is also the third most densely populated district in Pennsylvania, behind Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh.
Food
This section will be an attempt to provide a sample of the classic and unique college fare around campus. It obviously can't include every restaurant, eatery, or bar; but I will include the longer standing classics.
Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop, often referred to as "The O" or "The Dirty O", has had a campus presence since 1960 and is a traditional late night student eatery. In 2001, Gourmet Magazine ranked the hot dogs fourth-best in America and The New York Times named it to a list of one of the "high spots in a nation of hot-dog heavens" in 2002. It is also known for its heaping portion of french fries and its cheap pizzas.
For out-of-towners, no trip to Pittsburgh is complete without a stop at Primanti Brothers. Luckily, Pitt has one right next to campus on Forbes Avenue. Their sandwiches are always profiled on tv, and they have a national reputation for their size and components which include french fries and their special coleslaw.
Another long standing campus eatery is Uncle Sams Subs, known for their cheesesteaks. They're not exactly what you get in Philly, but they're pretty good and the best in the 'burgh.
Right next to Sams is Fuel & Fuddle, a bar with a decent sit down brick oven menu. Good sweet potato fries.
The best ice cream in Pittsburgh, and one of the best I've had anywhere, is Dave & Andy's. It's an old fashioned homemade style made right in the store. It repeatedly ranks as Pittsburgh's best, and was ranked as one of the top 10 non-chain ice cream shops in the nation by USA Today.
For on campus pizza, I often went with Sorrento's (left), which has been around since 1973. I also like Milano's (right) but some people swear by Antoon's.
And the best breakfast, without a doubt, is at Pamela's, which has giant omelets, crepes, pancakes, and the like. Pamela's left such an impression on Barack Obama during his campaign tour that he brought them to DC to cater events at the White House.
Another Pittsburgh-regional chain, Quaker Steak & Lube, has been featured on various tv shows, including Man vs Food. It is best known for its wings and onion rings. This chain is expanding quickly to other regions.
For straight out pub fair, Peter's Pub in Oakland is the oldest continuous operating campus bar as far as I am aware. One can get good Pittsburgh-style steak and chicken salads (that means expect fries on top of your salad). It is a good place to catch a game and it turns into a full fledged college bar in the evening, sometimes providing live music upstairs.
A hard to miss spot with all its neon is Joe Mamma's located right along Forbes Avenue. It is Italian, but nothing too special; just serviceable if you are in the mood.
Of course, there are more places to eat. There are tons of good ethnic food restaurants such as The Union Grille. There are also the typical chains like Five Guys, Chipolte, Qdoba, Subway, Bruegger's Bagels, Panera Bread, etc.
Anyway, hope this helped to give you a feel for Pitt.
This post was edited on 2/9 3:32 AM by CrazyPaco
