Bellefield Hall
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Bellefield Hall at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
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Coordinates | 40°26′43.49″N 79°57′3.34″W / 40.4454139°N 79.9509278°WCoordinates: 40°26′43.49″N 79°57′3.34″W / 40.4454139°N 79.9509278°W |
Built | 1924-1926 |
Architect | Benno Janssen |
Architectural style | Italianate |
Part of | Schenley Farms Historic District (#83002213) |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 22, 1983 |
Designated PHLF | 1992 |
Bellefield Hall is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and is a contributing property to the Schenley Farms Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh across Bellefield Avenue from Heinz Memorial Chapel and the lawn of the university's Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. A 1924 italianate structure by architect Benno Janssen, it originally served as a Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association, but now houses rehearsal spaces, classrooms, offices, and a Digital Recording Studio for the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music, as well as a university gymnasium, fitness center, indoor swimming pool, and a 676-seat auditorium.
Bellefield Hall, constructed in 1924, was designed by architect Benno Janssen by combining the facades of the Italianate Palzzo Piccolomini delle Papesse in Siena with the 18th-century Lee House at Stratford in Virginia for the Flemish-bond brick finish and the high basement.Samuel Yellin was contracted to create the lanterns for the main entrance. Bellefield Hall was originally home to the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association (Y.M.H.A.), whose patrons included Edgar Kauffman and his family, opened in 1926. Originally, the high profile of its attic hid a flat expanse of roof where Y.M.H.A. patrons could sunbathe in total privacy. It also featured full sports facilities, meeting rooms, and a historic concert hall featuring Spanish stalactite ceiling and Jacobean wall moldings in which a host of music luminaries (including Arthur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, and Jean-Pierre Rampal) made their Pittsburgh debuts.