University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program. Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee
Collection Number
UA.40.05
Extent
5 Linear Feet(10 boxes)
Date
1925-2013
Abstract
The Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee contains correspondence, photographs, drawings, minutes and publicity relating to the Czechoslovak Room's construction, as well as committee functions subsequent to the room's dedication. After the dedication in 1939, the committee shifted its efforts to the organization of local cultural events and the sponsorship of an annual exchange scholarship. The bulk of the collection dates to the second half of the twentieth century and includes committee correspondence, programs, publicity, essays and other papers relating to its latter role in scholarship and cultural activities. Digital reproductions of all of the photographs are available online.
Language
The language of the material in this collection is primarily English, with some Czech and Slovak.
Author
Carly Lough.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Deposited by Cristina Lagnese in June 2013.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series according to subject. Series I contains four subseries ordered by genre. Series II contains three subseries arranged by genre.
Series I. Room Construction and Dedication
Series II. Committee Administration
History
The Czechoslovak Nationality Room was dedicated in 1939 as one of the original 19 Nationality Classrooms in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. The Nationality Rooms Committees formed at the invitation of Chancellor John G. Bowman and Program Director Ruth Crawford Mitchell, who envisioned the rooms as apolitical monuments to the cultural roots of Pittsburgh. The completion of the Czechoslovak Room, like all Nationality Rooms, was an international effort. Committees in both Pittsburgh and Prague jointly oversaw the room's design, construction and decoration in a traditional, folk-inspired aesthetic. Ruth Crawford Mitchell spearheaded early construction efforts at the University of Pittsburgh, while Alice Garrigue Masaryk advised affairs in Prague, where she engaged architect Bohumil Slama, artists Karel and Marie Svolinsky, and other contributing artisans. After the dedication of its classroom, the Czechoslovak Room committee continued its role as an arbiter of cultural exchange, both locally and internationally. The committee sponsors one of the annual exchage scholarship provided by the Nationality Rooms program. Members also participate in the organization of local cultural events, such as concerts, lectures, memorials, and community gatherings.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Previous Citation
Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1925-2013, UA.40.05, University of Pittsburgh Archives
Preferred Citation
Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1925-2013, UA.40.05, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Carly Lough in June 2013.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital reproductions of the photographs in the collection are available online.
Scope and Content Notes
The Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee collection incorporates correspondence, photographs and minutes documenting the room's construction and dedication, as well as administrative materials from World War II to present, after the dedication of the Czechoslovak Room at the Cathedral of Learning in 1939. During the war, the running affairs of the committee primarily included donation and relief efforts for civilians and soldiers overseas. The bulk of the collection covers the second half of the twentieth century, and is concerned with its participatory and organizational roles in the Nationality Rooms international exchange scholarship program and local cultural events. Materials from the collection represent committee meetings, planning of local Czech and Slovak cultural and memorial gatherings, entertaining national and international dignitaries and visitors, maintaining the classroom and support of the committee scholarship. Included are correspondence, programs, invitations, essays, publicity, transcripts of speeches and remarks, as well as as incomplete sets of minutes and committee newsletters.
Subjects
Corporate Names
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program
University of Pittsburgh. Nationality Rooms Program. Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee
Nationality Rooms (Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Personal Names
Masaryk, Jan
Masaryk, Alice Garrigue
Getting, Milan
Svolinský, Karel
Mitchell, Ruth Crawford
Sláma, Bohumil
Masaryk, T. G. (Tomáš Garrigue)
Genres
Clippings (Information artifacts)
Minutes (Administrative records)
Financial records
Photographs
Correspondence
Architectural drawings (Visual works)
Other Subjects
Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
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