English Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1931-1981
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
English Nationality Room Committee Collection
Creator
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program. English Nationality Room Committee
Collection Number
UA.40.07
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet4 boxes
Date
1931-1981
Abstract
The idea for an English Nationality Room was initially proposed by Dr. Albert Mansbridge in 1927; however, the construction of the room was delayed by the outbreak of the Second World War. Led by Member of Parliament Alfred C. Bossom, the room was eventually constructed using salvaged materials from the bombed House of Commons. This collection contains correspondence, running memos, and photographs that document the construction of the English Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning and its dedication in 1952.
Language
English
.
Author
Lindsey Woolcock, Stephen Andrew and Zachary Brodt.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Arrangement
The records in this collection were bound into five volumes, each of which are represented as a series in the collection as follows:
Series I. Volume I: History, Minutes, Dr. Mansbridge Correspondence and General Correspondence, 1927-1959
Series II. Volume II: Bossom Correspondence, 1948-1963
Series III. Volume III: Dedication 1952, Gifts 1948-1963, Clippings 1930-1961
Series IV. Volume IV: Architectural Design 1929-1956, Window Rondelles 1952-1958, Furniture 1954-1959
Series V. Volume V: Photographs: Classroom, Dedication, Special Events, Gifts
Biography/History
In 1927, Dr. Albert Mansbridge proposed that an English Room be included in the plan to build Nationality Rooms around the Cathedral of Learning Commons Room. He arranged for the Courtauld Institute of Art in London to hold a competition for English architects to submit either a Georgian or Tudor design for the room. The University of London's architecture professor, Walter Godfrey, won the competition with his Tudor design.
With the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the plans for the English Room were put on hold, but the relationship between England and the United States grew stronger. At the conclusion of the war Alfred C. Bossom, a Member of Parliament, succeeded Dr. Mansbridge as the chairman of the London committee. Bossom identified Victorian era pseudo-Gothic linenfold paneling, stone bosses and a stone fireplace within the bombed House of Commons and secured permission from the Speaker of the House, D. Clifton Brown, to salvage the relics and ship them to Pittsburgh for the English Room. Two rondells are also made of glass taken from the blitzed House of Commons. With the acquisition of these materials and the realization that Andrew W. Mellon served as Ambassador to England, Chancellor Rufus H. Fitzgerald was able to secure a $50,000 grant from the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust to complete the English Room.
In August 1952 an effort was made to create an English Room committee comprised of Englishmen in the Pittsburgh community to complete the room's construction, such as the installation of twenty-two stained glass medallions containing the coats of arms of English universities and cities. L. Gerald First was named the first chair of this committee and on November 21, 1952, the English Room was dedicated.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection consists primarily of correspondence documenting the English Nationality Room Committee's efforts to secure funding, an architectural design and items for the room. Of particular interest is the correspondence of Alfred Bossom, who was the committee chair in England that arranged for the support of the British government. Also included are committee meeting minutes and running memos, which document the progress being made during the room's construction. Information regarding the room's 1952 dedication and photographs are also present.
Acquisition Information
Transferred to the University Archives by the Nationality Rooms Program Office in 1999.
Previous Citation
English Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1931-1981, UA.40.07, University of Pittsburgh Archives
Preferred Citation
English Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1931-1981, UA.40.07, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
The inventory to this collection was written by Lindsey Woolcock. The finding aid was written by Andrew Stephen and Zachary Brodt in October 2015.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Nationality Rooms (Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program. English Nationality Room Committee
Personal Names
Godfrey, Walter H.
Mitchell, Ruth Crawford
Mansbridge, Albert
Bossom, Alfred C.
Genres
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Photographs
Minutes
Financial records
Correspondence
Other Subjects
University of Pittsburgh
Classrooms -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Container List
Scope and Content Notes
Alfred C. Bossom replaced Dr. Albert Mansbridge as chair of the London Committee of the English Room at the conclusion of the Second World War. Before serving as a Member of Parliament, he was an architect in Pittsburgh. Through Bossom's connections to the British government, he was able to secure many of the features of the English Room from the bombed House of Commons and several other artifacts and gifts. This volume of correspondence provides information about his contributions to the room and his pursuit and acquisition of architectual and artifactual items, such as the cast iron fire back depicting the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
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Scope and Content Notes
This volume contains correspondence and programs concerning the 1952 dedication of the English Nationality Room. Also included is information about a variety of gifts to the room, including furniture, art work, and architectural elements, such as wood and stone from the House of Commons. Clippings from newspapers and other publications concerning the room are also present.
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Scope and Content Notes
This volume contains correspondence and specifications for the various proposed architectural designs for the English Nationality Room, including an Elizabethan Oak Room, Queen Anne design, Tudor design, and the house of Commons design which came to fruition. Other correspondence is concerned with features that were added to the room after it was dedicated, including furniture and the window rondelles, which feature the coats of arms for several English universities.
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Scope and Content Notes
This section does not contain any pieces of correspondence. Instead, it cross references several letters between Ruth Crawford Mitchell and Alfred Bossom.
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Scope and Content Notes
The final volume in this collection contains photographs of the English Nationality Room in various stages of construction, as well as its completion. Close up photographs of some of the features, including portraits, the fireplace, and windows, are also present. In addition, there are images of Alfred Bossom and some of the special events that have been hosted in the room, including the dedication of the English Room.