The Story Behind the Construction of the Cathedral of Learning

When John Gabbert Bowman became the University of Pittsburgh's 10th Chancellor in 1921, he faced a debt of $1.24 million and an urgent need to accommodate the burgeoning post-WWI student population. His plan to create a soaring educational structure-whose estimated cost was an unheard of $10 million-met with powerful community opposition as well as design problems.Unrelenting demands on architect Charles Zeller Klauder to design the building "higher, no that's not it, higher" eventually resulted in a 535-ft. Gothic tower. It was hailed as "the world's tallest schoolhouse." This is the story of Chancellor Bowman's determined efforts over 15 years, which survived the 1929 stock market crash, then generated renewed support from the public, local immigrant communities, industry and government.