What you need to know about the Cathedral of Learning

PITTSBURGH — The Cathedral of Learning is one of the most recognized and tallest buildings in Pittsburgh.

Not only is it a historical landmark, but it is also the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's campus located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.

The building was designed by Charles Z. Klauder.  It was commissioned by Pitt Chancellor John G. Bowman in 1921 and inspired local industries and companies to donate materials to build it.

Its ground was broken in 1926.

The University of Pittsburgh held the first class there in 1931.  The Gothic exterior was finished in 1934, and it was formally dedicated in 1937. It took 10 years to complete.

The building stands 535 feet tall and has 42 floors.  The Cathedral of Learning is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

It's the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere and the second-tallest university building in the world.  It's the eighth-tallest building in the city of Pittsburgh.

Over the years, families of peregrine falcons have nested on top the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of Learning is home to 30 Nationality Rooms. The rooms that are classrooms are located on the first and third floors of the building.  Each room has items that were donated and depict different ethnic groups that settled in Allegheny County.

The Nationality Rooms include: African Heritage, Armenian, Austrian, Chinese, Czechoslovak, Early American (Display), English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Israel, Heritage, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Scottish, Swedish, Swiss, Syrian-Lebanon (Display), Turkish. Ukrainian, Welsh, Yugoslav.

There are seven nationality rooms in various stages of planning:  Danish, Filipino, Finnish, Iranian, Latin American and Caribbean, Moroccan, and Thai.

Tours are of the rooms are conducted year-round with up to 30,000 visitors each year.

Cox Media Group