Cathedral of Learning, Gothic Revival skyscraper in Oakland, Pittsburgh, United States
The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story Late Gothic Revival skyscraper in Oakland, Pittsburgh, rising 535 feet (163 m) and clad in Indiana limestone over a steel frame. It holds more than 2,000 rooms and windows, including a half-acre Commons Room that rises four stories (16 m) and is built without steel supports in its arches and columns.
Construction began in 1926 after John Bowman commissioned architect Charles Klauder to design an educational building that would inspire Pittsburgh children to pursue higher learning. During World War II, the building provided accommodation and training facilities for about 1,000 members of the Army Air Corps.
The building houses 31 Nationality Rooms, each representing the architecture and craftsmanship of a different country, complete with furnishings and materials sourced from their places of origin. These classrooms still function as active teaching spaces today, while visitors can walk through between lectures and observe the details.
The Commons Room spans the first through third floors and is reached from the ground-floor lobby. It serves as a general study area and closes to visitors during scheduled university events. Floors 38 to 40 are closed to the public, but a webcam on the building's website shows the view from the top.
During World War II, the building provided accommodation and training for about 1,000 members of the Army Air Corps. The Nationality Rooms were completed and furnished gradually in the years after the war, not all at once.
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