University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program
Collection Number
UA.40.12
Extent
6.25 Linear Feet(5 records center boxes and one volume)
Date
1928-2000
Abstract
The Irish Room Committee was first formed in 1933, five years after the idea for the room was first discussed. The room was designed by Dubliner Harold G. Leask and presented to the University of Pittsburgh on May 18, 1957. The records from the Committee for the Irish Classroom date from 1931 to 2000 and include correspondence, meeting minutes, and financial information about the creation and administration of the room.
Language
English
.
Author
Cassidee Knott
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
Scope and Content Notes
The records of the Committee for the Irish Classroom date from 1931 to 2000 and contain information regarding the development and management of the Irish Nationality Room at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. Included are committee correspondence, as well as general information about the Committee, room design, gifts to the Irish Classroom, and special events and visitors. One item of note is the Book of Donors, which outlines those who donated money and time to the formation of the classroom and its committee. This book is modeled after the artistic elements found in the Book of Kells. The original boxes that housed the early papers of the room committee have also been kept with the collection.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Nationality Rooms Program in 1999.
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.
Preferred Citation
Irish Nationality Room Committee Records, 1928-2000, UA.40.12, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Cassidee Knott in April 2019.
Related Material
Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Initial Deposit, 1926-1959, UA 40.01, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Gaelic Arts Society of Pittsburgh Records, AIS.1977.22, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Irish Centre of Pittsburgh Records, AIS.1977.25, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
James Knox Papers, UA.91.8, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
History
In 1928, Ruth Crawford Mitchell vacationed in Ireland and suggested the idea of an Irish Room in the Cathedral of Learning to Professor Felix Heckett of the National University of Ireland. In 1931, University of Pittsburgh economics professor Francis Tyson and Francis Feehan discussed forming a committee to oversee the development of an Irish classroom, but the idea did not come to fruition until 1933. While a fundraising effort began in 1934, interest in the room did not build and so the committee was primarily inactive until it was reestablished in 1937.
In 1942, Mitchell worked with the Irish Minister in Washington, D.C. to create a committee in Dublin that was responsible for the preliminary design of the room. Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh architect A.A. Klimcheck was also asked to prepare a design in the Gaelic Romanesque style, which received approval from the Dublin Committee. Harold Leask was hired to prepare detailed drawings of the room's stonework while the Pittsburgh committee raised $10,000 for the room's construction; however, by 1946, many of the committee's leaders had died or moved away and so the committee was forced to reestablish once again. In Spring 1950, John F. Casey, Jr. became chairman of the Irish Room committee and construction of the room began. Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence gave his support for the room and the committee was able to successfully fundraise the remainder necessary to complete the room and its furnishings.
The Irish Classroom was designed in the Irish Romanesque style which was most popular in the sixth through twelfth centuries, particularly in religious buildings. While the room itself is of the size and shape of oratories built early in this timeframe, the ornamentation of the limestone and oak furniture is more typical of decorations found later in this period. The cornerstone for the room to the left of the blackboard is an original block from the Abbey Clonmacnoise near Athlone, Ireland. The room desks and chairs are carved in designs from the Book of Kells and other Irish illuminated manuscripts. The room was presented to the University of Pittsburgh in a ceremony on May 18, 1957, which was attended by Mayor Lawrence and Irish Ambassador John Joseph Hearn.
The Irish Room Committee remained active after the room's dedication. They hosted lectures about Ireland, as well as special guests of Irish descent, like actor and Pitt alumnus Gene Kelly, and visitors from Ireland. The Committee also continues to fundraise and award scholarships for students who wish to study in Ireland. During the latter half of the twentieth century, these initiatives were lead by committee chairman James Knox.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Cathedral of Learning (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Irish Room
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program. Irish Room Committee -- Administration
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Council
University of Pittsburgh -- Funds and scholarships
