The 2025 badge contest ended in a tie. I was alternating the badge but I kept losing track. You’re free to use the combined badge or either Teagan’s or Ritva’s individual badge.
I’m continuing the exploration of the Nationality Rooms inside the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. I decided to include two rooms in today’s post because they don’t have an immigration story like the rooms I featured earlier. I also don’t have any photos of my own from the Norwegian Room because it was locked the day we visited. I was able to find some photos from the Pitt website and other online locations. To read the introduction to this series, click here.
The University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787, but the French were already in Pittsburgh. It’s the reason I selected the photo featured today. The bridge in the center on the left which crosses the Allegheny River is the Fort Duquesne Bridge. The one on the right, crossing the Monongahela River is the Fort Pitt Bridge. The little bit of land in between, colloquially know as “The Point” (also where the Ohio River begins) is the home of Point State Park. One of the attractions in the park is the blockhouse from Fort Pitt, a British fort that was established during the U.S. Revolution. Before then, the French had established Fort Duquesne on the site in 1754. During the French and Indian War the site become a major conflict point, with the British eventually capturing the land (the French burned their fort) and establishing Fort Pitt. While the French lost control of the land, their initial presence was a pivotal beginning to the area’s history, with traces of their cultural influence remaining.
Norwegian history in Pittsburgh is much less of a story. Originally, a group of Norwegians settled the Ole Bull Colony in Potter County in the mid-19th century. The colony failed for a variety of reasons and most surviving Norwegians moved west. However, Norwegians in the community agreed to establish and maintain the Norwegian Nationality Room which promotes Norwegian culture through events and public programming. While the initial colony didn’t succeed as a settlement, it represents a notable attempt to establish a Norwegian community in Pennsylvania. I included the close-up of the tapestry for Katy Trails. The room is described by the university:
The Norwegian Room is in a folkstyle-inpsired architecture, giving the effect of being inside a person’s 18th century house. The instructional front of the Room portrays a bedroom area, decorative flower painting known as rosmaling abundantly appears in this area.
The student area features a fireplace, a sloped ceiling, and various artifacts and decorations that reveal adaptations to environmental conditions in the far northern latitude.
Pitt.edu
You can click on any of the photos to see a larger image in a slide show. That goes for the French Room photos, too.
I was able to visit the French room, which is also described by the university:
The French Room is in a post 18th century Empire style, which reflects a time of great French influence upon world events. Ancient civilizations are alluded to in the gilded architectural details, which infer the French Empire’s relationship to these lasting historical influencers upon European thought, architecture and culture.
A tapestry fragment of the 16th century on the rear wall is part of the unicorn mythology, symbolic of chivalry and resurrection. Various medallions in the display case picture prominent French authors, musicians, and painters.
Pitt.edu
A tapestry fragment of the 16th century on the rear wall is part of the unicorn mythology, symbolic of chivalry and resurrection. Various medallions in the display case picture prominent French authors, musicians, and painters.
I hope you’re enjoying the tour of these rooms. I also hope you will take a few minutes to visit the doors offered by other participants. They submit doors from around the world, and I always find them amazing. If you aren’t able to see them all today, come back on Sunday for the Weekly Recap.
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