Gardner Steel Conference Center (GSCC) is an academic building of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District and a

Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1966, PHLF established the Revolving Fund fo ...

Historic Landmark. An Early Modern structure built from 1911-1912 by architects

Kiehnel and Elliott The architectural firm of Kiehnel and Elliot was established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1906. The firm did substantial work in Florida, and moved to Miami in 1922. From 1926, it was known as Kiehnel, Elliot and Chalfant. Richard Kiehnel ( ...

, has been noted for its capital ornamentation over the entrance doors, and the wave-like shapes repeated across the cornice which likely derive from the German art nouveau movement

jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

. The building 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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it was used to house those in the Student Army Training Corps. Following the war, a severe space shortage at the

Dental School A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries ...

prompted the university to purchase the building in 1920 for use as a dental clinic and infirmary. Known then as the Infirmary Building, a 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, the Academic Resource Center, and the Innovation Institute. In 1995, the

School of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education ( bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations tha ...

and the Department of Mathematics collaborated on a $250,000 joint project that created a 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 dash while at Pitt. When he died in 1928, he left the bulk of a $300,000 estate to the university.

References

External links

Gardner Steel Conference Center on Pitt's virtual Campus Tour

Office of Technology Management - Innovation Commercialization

Calculus/Engineering Computer Lab
{{Pittsburgh Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks University of Pittsburgh academic buildings Historic district contributing properties in Pennsylvania Kiehnel and Elliott buildings National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh