Upper campus residence halls (University of Pittsburgh)

40.445526°N 79.962574°W / 40.445526; -79.962574

The upper campus provides dramatic views of the lower campus, including the Cathedral of Learning, seen here from a location near K. Leroy Irvis Hall.

The upper campus residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh include Sutherland Hall, Panther Hall, K. Leroy Irvis Hall, the fraternity housing complex, and the Darragh Street Apartments. Among the newest residence facilities at the university, these buildings reside on the upper campus located near many of the school's athletic facilities. The upper campus resides approximately 200 feet (61 m) above the lower campus that lies along Forbes and Fifth Avenues, providing dramatic views along the hilltop and slopes.[1] Planning for upper campus student housing originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but stalled due to community and political opposition until the early 1990s with opening of Sutherland Hall, the first major student residence constructed by Pitt in 29 years.[2][3]

Sutherland Hall
View of Sutherland Hall at the University of Pittsburgh from the Petersen Events Center prior to the construction of Panther Hall

Sutherland Hall is a residence hall of the University of Pittsburgh and is located on the upper campus next to the major athletic facilities and the Petersen Events Center. The $24 million[4] ($43.8 million in 2022 dollars[5]) structure opened in 1992.[6] It is named for famed Pitt football coach Jock Sutherland.

Accommodations

Sutherland Hall, providing a view of the entire University (minus much of lower campus, which is shielded by Panther Hall and K. Leroy Irvis Hall), houses 739 students, a majority of which are first-year students as well some of the sports teams, such as the football team. It comprises a ten-floor West wing and an eight-floor East wing, adjoined by a commons building. The air-conditioned rooms are mostly doubles with semi-private baths, but there are also 6 and 8 person suites. There are two identical lounges on each floor; one is typically used as a TV lounge while the other is typically used as a study room.

The East and West wings of Sutherland Hall share a commons area complete with The Perch (a small dining hall), Hill o' Beans coffee cart, The Market at Sutherland (a small convenience store), a computer center, multiple small lounges, and a student mail center. There is a laundry facility and lobby area with a TV on the ground floor of each wing. The East wing also has a small gym while the West wing has a kitchen and a recreation room complete with a ping pong table. [7]

Living Learning Communities
Sutherland Hall commons building

The Healthy Living Living Learning Community and the University Honors College program for first-year men and women are located in Sutherland Hall.[8] A resident director, an assistant hall director, a program coordinator, and 16 resident assistants are on staff.[9] Previously, a Math and Physical Science Living Learning Community had been located in Sutherland.

In 2008, a $3.3 million renovation of The Perch, Sutherland Hall's main food service area which serves as the primary dining venue for students on Pitt’s upper campus, created an area similar to the Market Central dining area in Litchfield Towers and introducing made-to-order services inducing Red Hot Chef, Hilltop Grille, Mato's deli, and an ice cream and breakfast bar.[10][11]

Jock Sutherland

K. Leroy Irvis Hall
K. Leroy Irvis Hall, a residence hall at the University of Pittsburgh

K. Leroy Irvis Hall, formerly known as Pennsylvania Hall when opened in 2004, is one of the newest residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh. Designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, its construction cost $22.1 million.[12] It is located on the upper campus adjacent to the Petersen Events Center, having nine floors and housing 420 men and women, primarily upperclass students, in air-conditioned four-person suites and doubles with private baths. An open lounge and laundry facilities are on every floor, and the commons area contains The Pennsylvania Perk coffee cart, a fitness center, a meeting room, and a student mail center.

K. Leroy Irvis Hall houses Living Learning Communities for the French Language and Culture, the Italian Language and Culture, Leadership, and Pre Law.[8] A resident director, a program coordinator, and seven resident assistants are on staff.[13]

K. Leroy Irvis Hall sits on the site of the former medical school building, called Pennsylvania Hall, constructed in 1910 (dedicated in January 1911) and demolished in late November 1998.[14][15] It was one of only four buildings of the school's original acropolis campus plan to be constructed.[16]

On June 30, 2017, the University passed a resolution to rename the residence hall from Pennsylvania Hall to K. Leroy Irvis Hall in honor of K. Leroy Irvis.[17]

Panther Hall
Panther Hall at the University of Pittsburgh

Panther Hall, opened in 2006, is one of the newest residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh. Designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, its construction cost $33.2 million.[18] It is located on the upper campus adjacent to the Petersen Events Center and just west of K. Leroy Irvis Hall, it is ten-floors and houses 511 men and women, primarily upperclass students, in air-conditioned rooms that are a combination of three- and five-person suites, and doubles with private baths.

An open lounge, study area, and laundry facilities are on every floor, and the commons area contains Thirst & 10 coffee cart, a fitness center, a meeting room, and a student mail center.

Panther Hall houses six Living Learning Communities: Civic Engagement and Community Service, the Entrepreneurial Experience, Natural Science Research, Social Science Research, Upper-class Engineering, and Multicultural Affairs.[8] A resident director, a program coordinator, and ten resident assistants are on staff.[19]

Fraternity housing complex
One of the on-campus fraternity housing complex units

The University of Pittsburgh’s fraternities are located in both on- and off-campus housing. The fraternities with on-campus housing can be found on the hill near Sutherland Hall and between Panther Hall and the Falk School. Students commonly refer to the fraternity houses as “the hill houses.”[20] The fraternity housing complex was constructed at a cost of approximately $450,000 ($1.32 million) for each of the eight units that opened in the fall of 1984.[21] Each unit has an occupancy of 25 students. The original eight fraternities that occupied the complex were Delta Tau Delta, Sigma Chi, Phi Kappa Theta, Zeta Beta Tau, Pi Kappa Alpha, Theta Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Delta Sigma Delta.[21] Currently, seven of Pitt’s undergraduate fraternities occupy the buildings on the hill.[20]

Darragh Street Apartments
Darragh Street Apartments

The Darragh Street Apartments are an on-campus apartment complex consisting of four four-story buildings that provide preferred housing for Pitt's medical students adjacent to the medical school's Scaife Hall, Salk Hall, and the main hospitals of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Designed by Renaissance 3 Architects,[22] the housing complex totals 99,400 square feet (9,230 m2) and contains 184 beds in one- and two-bedroom garden-style apartments. The complex was completed September 2007 for $18.2 million. The construction of the medical student housing on Darragh Street allowed the University to renovate Ruskin Hall, the former medical school residential complex, for undergraduate housing.[23][24]

References
  1. University of Pittsburgh Facilities Management Division; MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc. (2010-01-29), Proposed Institutional Master Plan Update University of Pittsburgh (Final Draft) (PDF), University of Pittsburgh, pp. 43–45, retrieved 2011-01-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "The University of Pittsburgh and the Oakland Neighborhood: From Conflict to Cooperation, or How the 800 Pound Gorilla Learned to Sit with -- and not on -- its Neighbors" (PDF). Sabina Deitrick and Tracy Soska. 2003. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  3. Perry, David C. and Wiewel Wim (eds) (2005). The University as Urban Developer: Case Studies and Analysis. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. ISBN 0-7656-1641-6. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. Barnes, Tom (1995-01-25). "Pitt plans dormitory on 5th Ave". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  5. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. "Tour Pitt: Sutherland Hall". Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  7. "Sutherland Dining". www.pc.pitt.edu. Archived from the original on 2006-02-19.
  8. Panther Central: Residence Hall Living (PDF). University of Pittsburgh. 2011. p. 23. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  9. "University of Pittsburgh: Panther Central". www.pc.pitt.edu. Archived from the original on 2003-12-19.
  10. "Pitt Property and Facilities Committee Approves $120 Million in Construction and Renovation Projects". University of Pittsburgh News Services. April 13, 2008.
  11. "Kimberly K. Barlow & Peter Hart, What's New? Places, University Times, Vol 41, No. 1, Aug 28, 2008; University of Pittsburgh". Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  12. University Times
  13. Pennsylvania Hall Overview, University of Pittsburgh, www.pitt.edu
  14. Documenting Pitt
  15. University Times
  16. Alberts, Robert C. (1986). Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987. University of Pittsburgh Press. xi. ISBN 0-8229-1150-7.
  17. "Building Renamed to Honor K. Leroy Irvis". Pitt Wire. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  18. "New dorm, purchase of University Club approved". University Times. 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  19. New Residence Hall
  20. "Fraternity Complex". University of PIttsburgh Housing Services. August 9, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  21. Gillespie, Mary; Mann, Larry, eds. (1984). Panther Prints, 1984. Vol. 79. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. pp. 18, 320–321. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  22. Tedco: Darragh Street Housing, 2006, accessdate=2008-08-15
  23. "Database Not Open". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  24. "Database Not Open". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
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