Gardner Steel Conference Center (GSCC) is an academic building of the University of Pittsburgh and a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

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, 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, 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 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 that ...

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