Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

On the hills above Pittsburgh rises the Cathedral of Learning, the focus point of the University of Pittsburgh. The 42-story gothic tower was designed to instil the spirit of learning into the laziest of students. While the structure itself is in need of serious repair work and the infrastructure seriously lags in time, the Cathedral boldly delivers the message of importance of education and learning.

Like so many other monuments in Pittsburgh, it reflects the glory days of the steel capital of the world. The influence of many prominent families of the city is clearly seen in many architectural and cultural elements.

Besides the building itself, the major attractions include the Nationality Rooms. Each of them is designed to reflect the many countries from which people of the city came to work at the steel mills.
This is a picture of the Russian Room.

The Common Room was designed as a study area for students.

One should also take a rickety elevator ride to the 35th floor, the highest floor open to general public. From there take an extra flight of stairs to the 36th floor for the full panoramic view of the surrounding campuses and the city.

Also see article on Wikipedia.