Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Written December 2001

In 1926 ground was broken for the tallest school building in the Western world, the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. At that time, Chancellor John Bowman invited the various ethnic communities of Allegheny County to create classrooms to represent their heritage. Today you can visit 26 different Nationality Rooms, with four more in the planning stages, each created and maintained by a special committee. The wonderful thing about visiting this time of year is that many of the committees decorate their rooms with traditional Christmas decorations reflecting their cultures. In the Early American room, you will find a small pine tree, decorated with homemade gingerbread ornaments and strings of cranberries and popcorn - a reminder of a simpler time.

Many of the rooms are decorated in traditional folk motifs, such as the Czechoslovak room and the Hungarian room. Other rooms draw their inspiration from important historical periods. For example, the Italian Room is inspired by a 15th century Tuscan monastery. There are also a few rooms modeled after important buildings. For instance, the Indian Nationality room is modeled after the ancient university at Nalanda and the Polish room is designed to imitate Wawel Castle in Cracow.

It's hard for me to describe the experience of actually visiting these rooms. They are truly amazing. I can't think of another way to authentically, personally and intimately explore other cultures without accumulating thousands of dollars in travel expenses. These are not just ordinary rectangular classrooms decorated with trinkets. The rooms are completely designed and built with incredible attention to detail; everything from the doorway to the windows, the floor to the ceiling, even the light fixtures. The Armenian room's ceiling is made up of a series of arches; a design innovated to reduce damage from frequent earthquakes in that country. In the Romanian room, you will find oak chairs intricately carved using the traditional tool for this sort of work - a pocketknife. The wooden floor of the Early American room was built using wooden pegs instead of nails, just as early settlers would have done. (Be sure to ask your tour guide to show you the secret of the Early American room.)

The Greek room features two beautiful marble columns, carved from the same stone used to build the Parthenon in Athens. Unfortunately, one of the columns cracked during shipment to the U.S. Since symmetry is highly valued in Greek architecture, the other column was cracked identically before they were installed. The Greek room is among my favorites. I like its open, airy feeling and the contrast of the red walls and white marble. I always expect to look out the window and see a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean. The sight of downtown Pittsburgh through the window seems incongruous.

Another favorite is the English room, which is designed after the House of Commons that was destroyed by bombs in 1941. The room's committee was so faithful in its re-creation that the room contains more material salvaged from the original House of Commons than any other place in the world. Daylight is filtered into the room through a series of stained glass windows, each bearing an English coat of arms. I like the simplicity and dignity of the room.

Understanding other cultures promotes peace and goodwill, central themes of the holiday season. Why not make a visit to the Cathedral of Learning a holiday tradition? Tours of the rooms have been offered by Quo Vadis, a volunteer student organization, since 1944. Tours are offered 9:30-4:30 Monday-Friday, 9:30-3:00 on Saturdays and 11:00-3:00 on Sundays. Call or email ahead (412-624-6000, natrooms@pitt.edu) to reserve your space or to request a special tour adapted for children, senior citizens, the handicapped or special interests. Tours emphasizing interior design, architecture, art, mythology and religion are available. The Cathedral of Learning is located at 4200 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh.

To take a virtual tour of the Nationality Rooms, visit www.pitt.edu/~natrooms [new window].