New Apartment
Pros: Huge. Okay layout. Balcony (which will be transformed into a potted vegetable garden). Cavernous walk-in closet (good for storage). Close to bus stop, trails (bike, walking), scenic wooded areas. Most amenities (dishwasher, garbage disposal, etc). Not student housing.
Cons: Electric stove (no!). In a creepy developmenty area. Building allows people with dogs. Expensive on-site laundry. Balcony faces a parking lot. Stairwell smells funny.
I’m going to buy nice furniture on credit, with four years of 0% APR. (This is the despicable allure of having a real job.)
“The Acropolis Plan”, University of Pittsburgh, 1909
This 1909 design for Pitt’s campus, inspired by the acropoleis of antiquity, is remarkably beautiful, as you can see from this huge photo from Pitt’s digital library. (Not a joke, click for amazing architectural hugeness.)
They only completed four of the buildings from the plan: Thaw Hall, Pennsylvania Hall, State Hall, and the Mineral Industries Building. I believe only Thaw and Mineral Industries are still extant. However, the latter is relatively hidden (and possibly renamed) while the former has been mutilated beyond recognition. The plan was abandoned because the new chancellor wanted a massive, phallic Cathedral of Learning instead. (What a nimrod!) Check out more Pitt acropolis-related photos here.
I had hoped to make a lengthy, uber-informative post about this missed opportunity, but don’t think I’ll get around to it. So here is a limerick I composed instead!
The Belated Lament for Messieurs P&H
Back in the day,
in Pittsburgh, PA,
before the Cathedral of Learning,
Palmer and Hornbostel
designed halls ‘n’ hostels;
their élan – fo’ sho’ – it was burning.To be placed in Pittsburgh’s metropolis,
they fashioned a Greco-Roman acropolis,
four buildings, completed,
then their project, defeated,
the abandonment sure was dolorous. =(
Bibliography:
University of Pittsburgh Digital Research Library. Full Record for University of Pittsburgh Archives (ASC): ACRP01.UA. Univeristy of Pittsburgh. 2 June 2008.
