William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2010-05-01 / 5. szám

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When the University of Pittsburgh commissioned the construction of its Cathedral of Learning in 1921, it wanted more than a means to provide for the present and future space needs of the university, more than the tallest educational structure in the Western Hemisphere; it envisioned a towering symbol of not only education but also the life and heart of the city and its people. An integral part of life in Pittsburgh was its many ethnic communities created by hundreds of thousands of immigrants. To truly reflect Pittsburgh, the new Cathedral needed to incorporate and showcase the many beloved cultural traditions of the city's diverse people.

Toward that end, leaders of both the university and the city's ethnic communities began planning for what would become one of the must-see attractions in Pittsburgh: the Nationality Rooms. The rooms are a collection of 27 classrooms representing cultures from Europe, Asia and Africa. The majority of the rooms surround the Cathedral's massive, half-acre Commons Room. Each room is designed and decorated in the traditions of a particular culture.

The Hungarians were the first ethnic community to make a substantial financial contribution to the project-$2,000-in 1927, shortly after construction of the 42-story Cathedral began. The following year, a committee representing the Hungarian churches and societies in the area selected as its chairman Dr. Samuel C. Gomory, a graduate of the University of Budapest and a member of the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. Gomory understood the importance of the task at hand. "The word 'university' means a place where the whole universe is represented—the universe of the past, the present, and the possible future," Gomory wrote in the Hungarian Room's dedication program. "If everything has to be represented, it is natural that something should be there about the Hungar-