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Pittsburgh Athletic Association

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Coordinates: 40°26′42″N 79°57′17″W / 40.44500°N 79.95472°W / 40.44500; -79.95472
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Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Pittsburgh Athletic Association at the University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Athletic Association is located in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Pittsburgh Athletic Association is located in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Pittsburgh Athletic Association is located in the United States
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Location4215 5th Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°26′42″N 79°57′17″W / 40.44500°N 79.95472°W / 40.44500; -79.95472
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1909–1911
ArchitectJanssen & Abbott
Architectural styleVenetian High Renaissance
Part ofSchenley Farms Historic District (ID83002213[1])
NRHP reference No.78002338[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 15, 1978
Designated CPJuly 22, 1983
Designated PHLF1970[2]

The Pittsburgh Athletic Association at the University of Pittsburgh is a historic, Benno Janssen designed building located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened as the home of a private social and athletic club of the same name, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Features

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Completed in 1911, the building is an eight-story, steel frame structure clad in stone and terra cotta in the Venetian High Renaissance style. Architect Benno Janssen used a Venetian Renaissance palace as a prototype for his design, seemingly inspired by the Palazzo Corner della Ca' Grande, Palazzo Grimani di San Luca, and Biblioteca Marciana in Venice, all works of the architect Jacopo Sansovino.[3]

The interior features a lobby with 17-foot high coffered ceilings with medallians and rosettes, stone walls, and a marble fireplace. Other featured spaces include the Pennsylvania Room, originally a billiards room, the Schenley Lounge, which originally featured multiple works of art, the Oakland Room, originally a ladies' reception room, a dining room with Palladian windows, and an oak-paneled grille room with a fireplace and barrel-vaulted ceilings.[4][5]

Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard in the city's Oakland district, the building faces three other landmark buildings: the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning and William Pitt Union (formerly The Schenley Hotel) as well as the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial. The latter, as well as the nearby Twentieth Century Club, were also designed by Benno Janssen.

History

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Club

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The Pittsburgh Athletic Association social club was organized in 1908 by real estate developer Franklin Nicola. Prior to opening of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association building, the club operated out of the Farmer's Bank Building (now razed), downtown at Forbes St (then Diamond) and Smithfield.

The Pittsburgh Athletic Association was a nonprofit membership club which operated until 2017.[6]

It offered comprehensive athletic facilities, sports lessons, spa services, fine dining, and overnight accommodations. Some of the building's more interesting features include a pool on the third floor, full basketball and squash courts, a 16 lane bowling alley, and a room dedicated to former University of Pittsburgh football coach Johnny Majors. The club had several annual events, the most popular including an Easter brunch, a lobster dinner, and collegiate boxing events.

From 1916 to 1920, the PAA fielded an elite amateur ice hockey team featuring such Canadian stars as Herb Drury and brothers Joe and Larry McCormick. The team won the championship of the short-lived National Amateur Hockey League in 1918.[7] When the Olympic Games first included ice hockey in 1920, four of the eleven players on the silver medal-winning U.S. team came from the PAA squad.[8]

At its height, it posted 2,500 members, and was also notable as the place Fred Rogers conducted daily swims.[9] However, in the 2010s the club was facing declining membership, which had dropped to and estimated 200 to 300 members, and faced financial difficulties[10] resulting in a 2017 bankruptcy filing.[11] The lot behind the building was leased and developed into a 10-story hotel.[12]

Sale

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In 2017, the building was purchased by the Walnut Capital group for $11.9 million.[13] In 2021, Walnut Capital completed a $25 million in renovations including restoration of the exterior and interior spaces.[14] Originally, the Pittsburgh Athletic Association club intended to rent approximately 20,000 square feet of space in the renovated building for its own use, but decided not to occupy any space and instead pursue possible mergers with other Pittsburgh-area social clubs, thus ending the club's affiliation with the building that bears its name.[14] The University of Pittsburgh authorized the purchase the building for $34 million and the university acquired the building in June, 2024.[15]

In film

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5th Avenue exterior of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association

In 2009, the film Love & Other Drugs, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hank Azaria, filmed a scene in the Pittsburgh Athletic Association's Grill Room. The 2010 film, She's Out of My League was partly filmed in the bowling alley.[16]

See also

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References

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  • Kidney, Walter C. (1997). Pittsburgh's Landmark Architecture: The Historic Buildings of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. ISBN 0-916670-18-X.
  • Miller, Donald (1997). The Architecture of Benno Janssen. Pittsburgh: Madison Books. ISBN 0-9660-9550-2.
  • Toker, Franklin (1994) [1986]. Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.

[17] [18]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Internet Archive: Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation: PHLF Plaques & Registries". 2007-01-27. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  3. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Pittsburgh Athletic Association" (PDF). October 23, 1978. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Sabatini, Patricia (May 9, 2018). "Details of developer's plans for remaking the Pittsburgh Athletic Association's Oakland clubhouse released". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Pitz, Marylynne (September 7, 2020). "PAA's owner and architect are polishing and restoring the jewel of Oakland". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Sabatini, Patricia (August 8, 2017). "Pittsburgh Athletic Association reviewing 10 proposals for clubhouse in Oakland". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Winged Head Is Winner". The Pittsburg Press. March 10, 1918. Sports sec., p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Howard, Tom, ed. (1921). Official Ice Hockey Guide and Winter Sports Almanac 1921. Spalding's Athletic Library. New York: American Sports Publishing Co. p. 17 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "Pittsburgh Athletic Association". Accidentally Wes Anderson. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Fontaine, Tom (June 30, 2015). "Oakland Hyatt Centric hotel deal could aid Pittsburgh Athletic Association". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Sabatini, Patricia (May 30, 2017). "Struggling Pittsburgh Athletic Association files for bankruptcy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  12. ^ McCart, Melissa; Belko, Mark (February 12, 2019). "Oakland's newest hotel, and a brasserie with a view, is opening Feb. 28". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Sabatini, Patricia (December 6, 2017). "Walnut Capital agreed to pay $11.9 million for Pittsburgh Athletic Association clubhouse". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Belko, Mark (April 27, 2021). "Just in time for Apple? Walnut Capital completes $25M Pittsburgh Athletic Association rehab in Oakland". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Belko, Mark; Aiken, Maddie (April 5, 2024). "'A unique opportunity:' Pitt trustees approve acquisition of Pittsburgh Athletic Association building". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Navratil, Liz (2009-09-18). "Jake Gyllenhaal on campus". The Pitt News. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2009-10-28.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Pitt students forced to abandon rented rooms at Pittsburgh Athletic Association". www.post-gazette.com. Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  18. ^ "Pittsburgh Athletic Association's liquor license revoked". www.post-gazette.com. Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
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Preceded by University of Pittsburgh Buildings
Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Constructed: 1911 		Succeeded by
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