Pitt's Nationality Rooms mark 100 years
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The University of Pittsburgh's Austrian Room. Photo: Alexis Johnson/Axios
Alexis here!
I finally popped into the Nationality and Heritage Rooms inside Pitt's Cathedral of Learning as part of my "I'm From Here, But I've Never Been" social series.
Why it matters: The Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs preserve Pittsburgh's immigrant history through 31 classrooms that showcase cultures from around the world.
Driving the news: The university celebrated the program's 100th anniversary this spring with a gala honoring room committees and a documentary screening.
How it works: The rooms double as classrooms for University of Pittsburgh students and mini museums that tell stories of cultures through design, architecture and art and attract thousands of visitors each year.
- Michael Walter, manager of education programs, gave me a tour, and I was only able to see a small fraction of the rooms.
- "No other university in the world that we know of has this callout to the ethnic groups that settled that city. So when people come here, it's like reconnecting with some element of their family history," Walter said.
If you go: The rooms offer guided and self-guided tours ($10 for adults, $6 for youth, free for children under 5), and visitors can book online during university break periods.
