The Cathedral of Learning, aka “Cathy”, is one of Pittsburgh’s most iconic structures. Located in the Oakland neighborhood, the Cathedral forms the central building of the University of Pittsburgh’s campus.The towering skyscraper (535 feet/163 meters) is rendered in Indiana limestone, done in Late Gothic Revival style. You can see it from many parts of the city, like a modern castle spire.
The Cathedral of Learning is the tallest building dedicated to education in the Western Hemisphere, and its 42 floors contain many of U. Pitt’s departments and classrooms. Construction began in the 1920s, with final dedication of the structure in 1937. The interior of the first floor shown in the images above is called “the Common Room,” and unlike the skyscraper, is built entirely of limestone, with no steel reinforcement.
Visitors can walk around many parts of the building free of charge, although you can also take a highlight tour for 90 minutes, which shows you several of the famous Nationality Rooms for which the Cathedral of Learning is most famous. (My son and I climbed 34 flights of stairs and then were able to take an elevator for two more stories to get an amazing view.)
