O'Hara Student Center
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O'Hara Student Center
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The O'Hara Student Center at the University of Pittsburgh
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| Coordinates | 40°26′41.29″N 79°57′26.01″W / 40.4448028°N 79.9572250°WCoordinates: 40°26′41.29″N 79°57′26.01″W / 40.4448028°N 79.9572250°W |
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| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | Charles Bickel |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Part of | Schenley Farms Historic District (#83002213) |
| Added to NRHP | July 22, 1983 |
The O'Hara Student Center, formerly the Concordia Club, is a three-story, 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) building on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh on O'Hara Street in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District and the City of Pittsburgh Oakland Civic Center Historic District. The building was acquired by the university in mid-December, 2009. and has since been renovated to house academic and student activity programs.
On January 21, 1874, a group of prominent German Jews, mostly members of the Rodef Shalom Congregation, met for the purpose of organizing a private club in Pittsburgh, "to promote social and literary entertainment among its members." The small group establishing the Jewish social club voted to host it at a private residence on Pittsburgh's North Side and voted Judge Josiah Cohen to be its first president. The popularity of the Club called for a move to larger quarters on Stockton Street on the North Side. It was at this location that a conference of eighteen rabbis met at the Club in November 1885 to sign the defining document of American Reform Judaism termed the Pittsburgh Platform. The creation of this document is commemorated by a historical marker placed by the state of Pennsylvania near the location of the Club at the time. The Club's growing acceptance encouraged a second move to the present quarters in Oakland, designed by a leading Pittsburgh architect, Charles Bickel. Characterized by the press as "a handsome facility," the new quarters opened formally on December 25, 1913.
The membership rolls of the club over the years included Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss, industrialist Leon Falk Jr., and department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann. Eventually, the club began including eastern European Jews, and in more recent years membership was open without regard to gender, race, ethnicity or religion.
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