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History
The library was built on land that had bordered Forbes Field and was donated in the 1950s to Pitt by coal magnate John H. Hillman, Jr. When Forbes Field was razed in 1971, three other buildings were planned as a cluster for the site: Wesley W. Posvar Hall, David L. Lawrence Hall, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Construction of Hillman Library, designed by Celli-Flynn and Associates, began in June of 1965. Hillman opened on September 6, 1968 and was named for John H. Hillman, Jr. Both the Hillman family and the Hillman Foundation gave millions toward its construction. Max Abramovitz designed the oriel windows which were placed at a bay window angle in order to be inconspicuous on the plane surface of the outer wall while still providing light.[1]. With five floors, seating for 1,539 students, and holding 1.9 million volumes, Hillman is the largest of the 17 libraries on the Pitt campus. In 1996, architect Celli-Flynn and Associates won the Timeless Award for Enduring Design from the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its design of Hillman Library.[2][3]
Tony Smith's 1971 painted steel sculpture Light Up! can be found outside Hillman library in Forbes Quad between the library and Posvar Hall.[4]
Special Collections/Rooms
Hillman Library contains many different collections and reading spaces. Among them are:
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Art
A selection of Audubon prints is on view in the library’s ground floor display case and many graphic and sculptural works are nestled among the stairways and study areas on the building’s upper floors, some of which are on loan from the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Several works of Virgil Cantini are in the library, including a wood and metal sculpture of an arrow-pierced St. Sebastian, located in the first floor stairwell, and a wooden sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding a lamb.[3] Flanking the wall opposite the first floor reference desk are two abstract works: “Modern Warfare” by Kes Zapkus and “Arcing Light” by Albert Stadler. A large bust of Confucius by Chinese artist Li Guangyu and a stone sculpture, “The Sound of Autumn,” by Masayuki Nagare are on the second floor. Near the special collections reading room on the third floor is a selection of early 20th century illustrations in watercolor, charcoal and crayon created to accompany the work of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. Also on the third floor are works by winners of the A.J. Schneider Studio Arts Award, selected from among entries in the annual student exhibition. Winners agree to allow their work to be displayed for one year in the reading room.[6]
Woodruff medal
1936 Berlin Summer Olympics track and field 800-meter gold medalist John Woodruff, an alumni of the University of Pittsburgh, donated his gold medal to the University where it has hung on display for many years. Woodruff's 800m win in the 1936 games was the first for an African-American in front of Adolf Hilter and was achieved in what has been called "the most daring move seen on a track" when he stopped in mid-race in order to break out of a pack of runners and then retook the lead in a sprint to the finish thereby becoming the first American to achieve gold in 800m in 24 years.[4]
Popular culture
Hillman Library is a primary setting for The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a novel by Pitt alumnus Michael Chabon, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.
External links
Panoramic Tours
- Hillman Library First Floor panoramic
- Cup & Chaucer Café panoramic
- K. Leroy Irvis Reading Room 1 panoramic
- Leroy Irvis Reading Room 2 panoramic
- Latin American Reading Room panoramic
- Special Collections panoramic
References
- Alberts, Robert C. (1987). Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-1150-7.
- 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.
- Toker, Franklin [1986] (1994). Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.
- ^ Blake, Sharon S. (2008-5-27). "Library Acquires Five Millionth Volume", Pitt Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ ALA Library Fact Sheet 22 - The Nation's Largest Libraries, American Library Association, 2007-10, accessdate=2008-08-17
- ^ Slattery, Holden (2007-10-26). "Cantini's art beautifies Pitt", The Pitt News. "Cantini has done a great deal of religious renderings, including two wood sculptures located on the first floor of the Hillman Library. ."
- ^ Steele, Bruce; Alumnus, ’36 Medalist John Woodruff Dies at 92, Pitt Chronicle, 2007-11-05, accessdate=2008-08-16
Gallery
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 Virgil Cantini's sculpture of St. Sebastian in the first floor stairwell |
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 Forbes Quad. The side of Hillman Library can be seen on the right. |
| Preceded by School of Information Sciences Building |
University of Pittsburgh Buildings Hillman Library Constructed: 1965-1968 |
Succeeded by David Lawrence Hall |
