My Goal

     The University of Pittsburgh has been a landmark in Allegheny County since it's official charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 28, 1787.  Before that date the Pittsburgh Academy, (as it used to be known) which was founded by Hugh Henry Brakenridge, was a preparatory school.

The Pittsburgh Academy

     With western expansion in the United States increasing at this time, new higher education facilities were needed and so what became known as the Western University of Pennsylvania was established.  The school was originally planned to be a related institution to the University of Pennsylvania, which was already well established in Philadelphia, but it’s strong commitment to a liberal arts curriculum made it stand out as a truly separate entity.  It has been a staple of the city of Pittsburgh since these days, and their impact on each other has been astounding.  The University of Pittsburgh (as it was renamed in the summer of 1908) and the city for which it’s named have progressed and evolved with each other over the years.

                                               
     In 1909 the school began to move to from it’s original location on what is now considered the North Side, to an area that would come to be known as the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.  From there the university blossomed under then Chancellor Samuel McCormick.  As the school implemented itself in the community and took off in it’s own path towards academic success, though not without influence from the great city in which it stood.

Thaw Hall Circa 1913

     This interaction and growth between the city of Pittsburgh and our very own University is definitely an interesting relationship and in fact the focus of this blog.  The posts you’ll find from here on out are intended to present the relevant information gathered through research in a way the texts and historical accounts they come from won’t.  The intent is to provide a more interesting and engaging read, while still displaying cited historical material to an audience interested in the longstanding relationship between the school and city.