OT: Early Pitt campus “Acropolis” masterplan

[Noah Bonner]

Interesting tidbit shared by the OddPittsburgh Twitter page today. Below are early sketches of an ambitious master plan for the university in 1907. I believe this coincided with the name change from WUP to UPitt in 1908, when it bought the land in Oakland where the campus is to this day.




It says that it was eventually abandoned in favor of the Cathedral of Learning plan, which also had big aspirations early on. Very interesting how there was such a sharp change in the architectural designs, going from Greco/Roman to gothic.

 

[HailtoPitt]

CrazyPaco in 3... 2... 1...

 

[joeydavid]

Where were they going to put a football stadium?

 

[paulbl99]

How did the let in all the traffic and turn much of Oakland into a dump

 

[joeydavid]

Seriously, I wish they would have executed that plan. Pitt would have been a model of an ancient Rome city which would be pretty badass.

Interesting tidbit shared by the OddPittsburgh Twitter page today. Below are early sketches of an ambitious master plan for the university in 1907. I believe this coincided with the name change from WUP to UPitt in 1908, when it bought the land in Oakland where the campus is to this day.

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It says that it was eventually abandoned in favor of the Cathedral of Learning plan, which also had big aspirations early on. Very interesting how there was such a sharp change in the architectural designs, going from Greco/Roman to gothic.

 

[McKee Place]

Indeed. I’d be interested to see how they’d preserve it with all the transformation and modernization in Oakland over time.

It definitely would have made the campus distinctive. Likely would have either precluded the cathedral or driven it to a different style. Good or bad. I think the cathedral is an amazing icon, but not sure it actually functions well as an academic building. I frankly cringed to have classes in it.

As you suggest, retrofitting those old stone buildings with modern electronics and HVAC likely would (is) a challenge, probably more aesthetically than practically.

But that entire model, particularly if continued in the rest of Oakland, would have really been a stand out. Oakland definitely is a mish mash of architecture today

 

[HailtoPitt]

It's Pitt tradition to begin with one look and then go away from it.

 

[upj87]

Interesting tidbit shared by the OddPittsburgh Twitter page today. Below are early sketches of an ambitious master plan for the university in 1907. I believe this coincided with the name change from WUP to UPitt in 1908, when it bought the land in Oakland where the campus is to this day.

View embedded media

View embedded media

It says that it was eventually abandoned in favor of the Cathedral of Learning plan, which also had big aspirations early on. Very interesting how there was such a sharp change in the architectural designs, going from Greco/Roman to gothic.

got a quaint Albert Speer look to it...

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I think remnants of the original Pitt Stadium are still standing. I heard in some games against W&J and Wooster, they did in fact tarp the upper deck.

 

[Panthertag]

Epic!

 

[pittdan77]

Seriously, I wish they would have executed that plan. Pitt would have been a model of an ancient Rome city which would be pretty badass.

Or Greek but yeah.

 

[ameoba defense]

I've long been familiar with the original plan. They weren't able to come up with the money to get it done. I'm shocked they couldn't get Frick to finance it, so he could overshadow Carnegie Tech. Of course we'd likely have become Frick University instead of Pitt, with Catholic College of the Holy Ghost (Duquesne) probably taking on the name University of Pittsburgh. Point Park might have then taken the Duquesne name.
Let's go Frick!!! What would the nickname have been? The Strikebreakers? The Pinkertons? The Robber Barons?

 

[PittAU]

Seriously, I wish they would have executed that plan. Pitt would have been a model of an ancient Rome city which would be pretty badass.

I agree, but the Acropolis is in Athens, Greece.

Which would have been even cooler.

 

[McKee Place]

I've long been familiar with the original plan. They weren't able to come up with the money to get it done. I'm shocked they couldn't get Frick to finance it, so he could overshadow Carnegie Tech. Of course we'd likely have become Frick University instead of Pitt, with Catholic College of the Holy Ghost (Duquesne) probably taking on the name University of Pittsburgh. Point Park might have then taken the Duquesne name.
Let's go Frick!!! What would the nickname have been? The Strikebreakers? The Pinkertons? The Robber Barons?

Words is that Frick demanded Script Frick as the logo, but our obstinate admin tried to foist Torch Cut Fricksburgh on him

 

[joeydavid]

The design is Greco-Roman; I think the overall composition looks more like a Roman city than ancient greece.

Or Greek but yeah.

 

[pittdan77]

The design is Greco-Roman; I think the overall composition looks more like a Roman city than ancient greece.

I think the Greek's were more into partying. I could see Pitt having a toga week and an epic, campus wide party.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Interesting tidbit shared by the OddPittsburgh Twitter page today. Below are early sketches of an ambitious master plan for the university in 1907. I believe this coincided with the name change from WUP to UPitt in 1908, when it bought the land in Oakland where the campus is to this day.

View embedded media

View embedded media

It says that it was eventually abandoned in favor of the Cathedral of Learning plan, which also had big aspirations early on. Very interesting how there was such a sharp change in the architectural designs, going from Greco/Roman to gothic.

There were actually 5 buildings built by Pitt in the plan, not including the current Allen Hall (still standing) which was the original Mellon Institute of Technology (then part of Pitt) building and was designed to fit the Acropolis plan style.

The building OddPittsburgh is missing is the original Trees Gymnasium (named after the same Joseph Trees), which was originally located up by present day Sutherland Hall.

State, Thaw, and Pennsylvania Halls were realized closest to the intended design. However, only half of each of these buildings was finished (and why, for instance, the Panther murals seen from Pitt Stadium was able to be painted on the flat, unfinished side of Pennsylvania Hall). The Mineral Industries building was severely scaled back in ornamentation, as was Trees Gymn, due to funding.

Unfortunately, the most impressive part of the facade of Thaw Hall, which was the main entrance, was obscured/obliterated when the university shortsightedly grafted the Space Coordination Research Center onto it. By the way, you can orient yourself on the above Acropolis plan picture by locating the far right cross streets at the bottom which are present day O'Hara and Bigelow.

The first deviation from the Acropolis plan, other than simplification of designs due to funding, was Eberly Hall (originally named Alumni Hall), although it retained neo-classical elements, as did Pitt Stadium, it clearly deviated from the intended campus plan. That style of architecture officially ended on-campus with the Cathedral of Learning gothic campus plan, which produced 5 buildings including the Cathedral, all of which are still standing. Can you name them?

 

[ameoba defense]

That plan would have given Pitt a true campus, although you have to figure that with the growth after WW2, the campus would have expanded into the heart of Oakland.

 

[CrazyPaco]

The first three that come to mind are the Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel, and the Foster Memorial which are all on the same plot of land. Then there’s Clapp Hall, which has the same flat roof and window design as the Cathedral. That puts me at four... I’m one short!

Also, thank you for the run down.

Clapp was originally supposed to be located on the Cathedral Lawn, it was even staked out to start construction, but was moved across 5th because of local complaints about building there by the local community (impinging on the greenspace). Clapp is intentionally oriented so the main entrance is aligned toward the Cathedral, but had less gothic adornments than originally intended due to cost and the fact that architectural tastes were changing.

A gothic version of Frick Fine Arts was also to be located on the southeast corner of the lawn. Originally, there as to be an entire series of gothic buildings, including a student center/gym and library.

The building you can't think of is a little tricky, but is the original part of the Falk Laboratory School building on the upper campus. This could have been similar in style for traditional gothic dorms/quads on the lawn or elsewhere that were being considered.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

 

[McKee Place]

Nice. Any pics surviving from the "Apartheid Tent City" that got set up on the union lawn in the mid 80s? "No bidness / no bidness / no bidness in South Africa", chanted incessantly until Uncle Wes had to agree that Pitt would make some token divestment. Dam beatniks made me late to a bunch of classes. Or perhaps I slept in. Either way, who was the real victim?

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

Words is that Frick demanded Script Frick as the logo

You can just imagine what that would have morphed into . . .