Gardner Steel Conference Center
Encyclopedia
Gardner Steel Conference Center (GSCC) is an academic building of the University of Pittsburgh
and a contributing property
to the Schenley Farms National Historic District
and a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Historic Landmark.
An Early Modern structure built from 1911-1912 by architects Kiehnel and Elliott
, it originally served as the Central Turnverein, a German-American social and athletic association, and later known as the Central Athletic Association. It served as the site of various athletic contests, including some involving the University of Pittsburgh. During World War I
, it was used to house those in the Student Army Training Corps. Following the war, a severe space shortage at the Dental School
prompted the university to purchase the building in 1920 for use as a dental clinic and infirmary. Known then as the Infirmary Building, a 2500 square feet (232.3 m²) annex was erected in 1922 creating enough space in the building to hold 200 dental chairs.
The Gardner Steel Conference Center, as it is now known, is currently home to classrooms, computer labs, and the Office of Technology Management. In 1995, the School of Engineering
and the Department of Mathematics collaborated on a $250,000 joint project that created a 2300 square feet (213.7 m²) laboratory for the computer instruction of calculus. The Gardner Steel Conference Center is the former home to the Pitt Club, a University of Pittsburgh faculty and staff club defunct since 2003. Previously, it also served for a time as home of the General Alumni Association (now the Pitt Alumni Association based in Alumni Hall
).
The Gardner Steel Conference Center is named after Gardner Steele, a Pitt alumnus and investor in the oil fields of Oklahoma
. He matriculated in 1891 and was a member of one of the first intervarsity football teams and also held the record for the 100 yards (91.4 m) dash while at Pitt. When he died in 1928, he left the bulk of a $300,000 estate to the university.
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Schenley Farms National Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
Historic Landmark.
An Early Modern structure built from 1911-1912 by architects Kiehnel and Elliott
Kiehnel and Elliott
The architectural firm of Kiehnel and Elliot was established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1906. Richard Kiehnel was the designer. Kiehnel was born in Germany. He studied at the University of Breslau, Germany and the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. Kiehnel's first commission in the...
, it originally served as the Central Turnverein, a German-American social and athletic association, and later known as the Central Athletic Association. It served as the site of various athletic contests, including some involving the University of Pittsburgh. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, it was used to house those in the Student Army Training Corps. Following the war, a severe space shortage at the Dental School
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, located in Pittsburgh, PA, is one of Pitt’s six schools of the health sciences and is closely affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center....
prompted the university to purchase the building in 1920 for use as a dental clinic and infirmary. Known then as the Infirmary Building, a 2500 square feet (232.3 m²) annex was erected in 1922 creating enough space in the building to hold 200 dental chairs.
The Gardner Steel Conference Center, as it is now known, is currently home to classrooms, computer labs, and the Office of Technology Management. In 1995, the School of Engineering
Swanson School of Engineering
The Swanson School of Engineering is the engineering school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846, The Swanson School of Engineering is the second or third oldest in the United States.- History :...
and the Department of Mathematics collaborated on a $250,000 joint project that created a 2300 square feet (213.7 m²) laboratory for the computer instruction of calculus. The Gardner Steel Conference Center is the former home to the Pitt Club, a University of Pittsburgh faculty and staff club defunct since 2003. Previously, it also served for a time as home of the General Alumni Association (now the Pitt Alumni Association based in Alumni Hall
Alumni Hall (University of Pittsburgh)
Alumni Hall at the University of Pittsburgh is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark that was formerly known as the Masonic Temple in Pittsburgh. Constructed in 1914-1915, it was designed by renowned architect Benno Janssen of Janssen & Abbot Architects...
).
The Gardner Steel Conference Center is named after Gardner Steele, a Pitt alumnus and investor in the oil fields of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He matriculated in 1891 and was a member of one of the first intervarsity football teams and also held the record for the 100 yards (91.4 m) dash while at Pitt. When he died in 1928, he left the bulk of a $300,000 estate to the university.