Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh, 2023
All the pixels, no course registration required, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/52977939495
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@mattblaze One of the more unique college buildings in the country, IMO.
@mattblaze
Reminds me a bit of the Citadel in GoT.
Captured with the Rodenstock 50mm Digaron lens and about 13mm of vertical shift to maintain the geometry (but several architectural features - setbacks and tapers in the building design - still make it appear to converge toward the top).
Pittsburgh's 42 story "Cathedral of Learning" houses offices and classrooms for the University of Pittsburgh. Completed in 1937, it took 11 years to construct. It remains the tallest academic building in the US.
The lobby is also gorgeous, and worth a visit.
I really like the concept (and execution here) of a "secular cathedral". It satisfies our urge to build great monuments without the requirement to accept any particular dogma.
@mattblaze I can appreciate the dispensing of dogma and focusing on a secular cathedral…but I do like the architecture of Coventry Cathedral, with ruins of 14th Century Gothic alongside an unashamedly modern version. But mostly it’s the glorious church seats from Gordon Russell that I love the most
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@g7vkq That's really cool (both the site and the chairs).
@mattblaze Speaking of cathedrals, one of my favorite baseball pictures was taken from the top of that building. The Pirates had just won the 1960 World Series.
@YakyuNightOwl What a great photo!
@mattblaze thank you.
That’s extra meaningful to me this month because a young friend just moved to Pittsburgh to start her PhD program. I love that she is going to a place with that perspective.
@mattblaze I really like the "City Beautiful" movement that gave us stuff like downtown Cleveland's municipal building complex.
The former Department of Education building is now a hotel but it's still cool and it still has the big murals depicting "The Progress of Education" and such.
