University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

Page 27 text:

 Stern endeavor which no arduous task can shake To the hidden fount of truth attains!” These words, as Schiller wrote them in German, arc emblazoned in red, gold, and blue letters, on the walnut panel above the professor's dias in the German Room. Together with a quotation from Goethe, which is above the bookcase at the other end of the room, it typifies the spirit which the room, in early German Renaissance style attempts to catch. Walnut paneling, richly carved, inlaid, forms the basic treatment of the large room. On the wooden ceiling beams, which separate the ceiling paneling, arc placed the colored crests of fourteen prominent German cities. Carved crests—those of the two oldest German universities, Heidelberg, 1385, and Leipzig, 1409—surmount the entrance arches, which arc supported by carved walnut columns. Above the blackboards and panels runs an archtravc in which arc carved the names of twenty famous philosophers, poets, artists, musicians, mathematicians, and scientists who have contributed to the greater German culture. The furniture in the room is made of walnut. The floor consists of quartered oak planks pegged, rather than nailed, down. Visitors have found the most interesting feature of the German Room to be the six intarsia panels or inlays which are on the doors and cabinets of the room. On the doors are scenes from Rothenburg and Nuremburg, while the closet panels show scenes of four famous characters from German literature: Lorelei, Parsifal, Siegfried, and Hcidcn Roslein. The six wrought iron chandeliers follow the general Renaissance style of the room and were made in Germany. In each alcove at the ends of the room arc two wrought iron wall brackets. The German Room was designed by the Pittsburgh architect, Frank Linder. 23

Page 26 text:

Fritz Ucbcrlc. John Loibl. Peter Fitchcr. Henry Meuschke. Rcinhard Ullrich. Solidity and rich dignity arc the outstanding features of the German room. Notable in the classroom is the inlay work in the doors of the four corner cabinets depicting well-known characters in German literature. Handsome walnut paneling covers the walls and ceiling; the sturdy furniture is of the finest burled walnut.

Page 28 text:

.■nrrfn SunJt : Rev. Louis Varga, John Beneze, Dr. Samuel Gomory, F. J. Fullavtar. Mrs. Joseph Urban. George Zimmerman, Mrs. Louis deMarkus. The Hungarian Room displays a striking contrast with a ceiling of brilliantly decorated squares offset by fine-grained oak veneer walls. Ornamentation is worked into the veneer walls by use of specially-grained panels and inserts of typical Hungarian carvings. The wood door is also heavily-carved. Hungarian embroidered window drapes add a dash of color to the somber strength of the room. The chairs arc upholstered in blue leather, and arc carved with distinctive Magyar motifs. 24