Wesley W. Posvar Hall

Coordinates: 40°26′30″N 79°57′14″W / 40.441648°N 79.953792°W / 40.441648; -79.953792
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

40°26′30″N 79°57′14″W / 40.441648°N 79.953792°W / 40.441648; -79.953792

Wesley W. Posvar Hall seen from Schenley Plaza in Apr, 2007

Wesley W. Posvar Hall (WWPH), formerly known as Forbes Quadrangle, is a landmark building on the campus of the

home plate and one of two surviving Langley Aerodromes
.

Posvar Hall houses Pitt's

Construction

Posvar Hall

Posvar Hall was designed by a consortium of architects, including Louis Valentour of Johnstone Newcomer & Valentour,

Hillman Library on the corner of Schenley Drive and Roberto Clemente Drive, with Bouquet Street running along its west side. Enclosed passageways connect Posvar Hall to David Lawrence Hall, the Barco Law Building, and the Litchfield Towers
.

Posvar Hall was designed in the

Brutalist style and is constructed with concrete with a limestone exterior.[6] Its height was limited to five stories so it would not compete with The Carnegie Institute directly across Schenley Plaza. Construction costs exceeded $38 million (equivalent to $149.2 million in 2023[7]). Its floor space slightly exceeds that of the Cathedral of Learning
. It has 2,000 windows, 574 offices, 30 seminar rooms, three lecture halls, one mile of corridors, and nearly 500 parking spaces in a two-level garage below the facility.

Posvar Hall Galleria on the first floor is often used as meeting space and contains several lounge areas on the second floor. Home plate of Forbes Field can be seen near the middle of the photo.

The central area of the interior space is called the Galleria and contains various artwork including

Samuel Pierpont Langley's aerodromes. Escalators transport individuals between floors.[3]

Originally named Forbes Quadrangle, it was renamed on October 21, 1999, by the university's board of trustees in honor of

Wesley W. Posvar (1925–2001), the 15th chancellor of the university.[8]

Forbes Field

The building stands on the original site of

plexiglass
. The outfield wall is outlined in the sidewalk by bricks, and the portion of the famously deep left-center field wall still stands across the street, marked "457 Feet". Originally, the classrooms were numbered to reflect the seating section of the old stadium where each classroom was located. However, this system confused people, so it was changed in 2004 to a standard four-digit numbering system.

Art

Cantini's New Horizons, Skyscape

Edward Litchfield, who died in a plane crash in 1956.[10]

Cantini's 1965 steel rod and multicolored glass sculpture New Horizons, Skyscape is also on display near room 1500.

Joseph Horne Company from its department store in the South Hills Village mall where it had previously been on display.[3]

Tony Smith's 1971 20-foot-tall (6.1 m) painted steel sculpture Light Up!, commissioned by Westinghouse and originally displayed in downtown Pittsburgh,[11] can be found outside Posvar Hall, between it and Hillman Library.[12] Donated to and re-installed at Pitt in 1988, it was temporarily loaned to the Museum of Modern Art and displayed in front of the Seagram Building in New York City for a 1988 Tony Smith retrospective.[11]

Aerodrome

Samuel P. Langley Aerodromes, Aerodrome No. 6, can be seen inside Posvar Hall. Behind the aerodrome, a portion of Virgil Cantini
's mural Enlightenment and Joy can be seen.

One of two surviving

heavier-than-air flight. The aircraft was restored in part by Pitt engineering students. Fabric on the wings and tail is the only new material, however; the tail and several wing ribs were rebuilt using wood provided by the Smithsonian Institution and dating from the same time period.[13] The restoration was completed over two years and the plane placed on display in Posvar Hall in 1980.[14]

Gallery

Cantini's Enlightenment and Joy
  • Posvar Hall
    Posvar Hall
  • Posvar in snowless winter
    Posvar in snowless winter
  • Posvar Hall
    Posvar Hall
  • Langley Aerodrome No. 6
    Langley Aerodrome No. 6
  • Langley Aerodrome No. 6 from below
    Langley Aerodrome No. 6 from below
  • Courtyard. Posvar Hall is to the left and Hillman Library is to the right.
    Courtyard. Posvar Hall is to the left and Hillman Library is to the right.
  • One of many escalators in Posvar Hall
    One of many escalators in Posvar Hall

References

  • Alberts, Robert C. (1987). Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987. University of Pittsburgh Press. .
  1. ^ "Wesley W. Posvar Hall". Campus Tour. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Smydo, Joe (2006-11-28). "Louis F. Valentour: June 9, 1923-Nov. 21, 2006: World traveler, local architect, voracious reader who led zestful life". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  3. ^ a b c Stearns, Bob (1978-01-15). "Forbes Field Goes Scholastic". The Pittsburgh Press Roto. pp. 8–10. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  4. ^ PhotoStandalone 8 -- No Title; New Pittsburgh Courier (1969–1981); Dec 20, 1975; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Pittsburgh Courier: 1911–2002; accessdate=2008-08-18
  5. ^ "Pitt to dedicate new buildings". The Pittsburgh Press. 1978-10-17. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  6. ^ Steele, Bruce (2002-10-24). "Weighing in on Pitt's eclectic architecture". University Times. Vol. 35, no. 5. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  7. Gross Domestic Product deflator
    figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  8. ^ Hart, Peter (1999-10-28). "Forbes Quad, WPIC renamed in honor of Posvar, Detre". University Times. Vol. 32, no. 5. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  9. ^ Carnegie Museum of Art (2006). Pittsburgh Art in Public Places: Oakland Walking Tour. Office of Public Art. p. 8. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  10. ^ Hart, Peter (2009-05-14). "Obituary: Virgil D. Cantini". University Times. Vol. 41, no. 18. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  11. ^ a b c "Taking a tour of Pitt art". University Times. Vol. 38, no. 10. 2006-01-19. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  12. ^ Carnegie Museum of Art (2006). Pittsburgh Art in Public Places: Oakland Walking Tour. Office of Public Art. p. 9. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  13. ^ Goetz, Al (Fall 2007). "Feedback: The Real Thing". Pitt Magazine. University of Pittsburgh Office of Public Affairs: 3. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  14. ^ Fisher, Ken (1980-06-27). "Pitt dedicates early plane built by unsung aviator". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2010-10-11.

External links

Panoramas

Video

Preceded by University of Pittsburgh Buildings
Posvar Hall

Constructed: 1975-1978
Succeeded by