Bruce Hall (University of Pittsburgh)

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This article is about the hall of residence at the University of Pittsburgh. For alternate uses, see Bruce Hall (disambiguation)

Bruce Hall is a residence hall, part of the Schenley Quad, at the University of Pittsburgh. It houses 196 men and women, mostly upper-classmen, in four- and six-person suites. The building was once part of the Schenley Apartments. When the University acquired the building, it was named for the first chancellor after the University was renamed from the Pittsburgh Academy to the Western University of Pennsylvania, Robert Bruce^[1].

1 Basement and First Floor
2 Second Floor
3 Third Floor
4 Fourth through Eleventh Floors
5 Twelfth Floor
- 5.1 The Ghost of 1201 Bruce Hall
6 External link
7 References

[edit] Basement and First Floor

The basement and first floor of Bruce Hall are actually on the street level with Forbes Avenue, and are rented out to Copy Cat and Seven Eleven.

[edit] Second Floor

The second floor is the main entrance for residents, as well as the location of the University of Pittsburgh Residence Life offices.

[edit] Third Floor

The third floor houses the sorority Theta Phi Alpha.

[edit] Fourth through Eleventh Floors

The fourth through eleventh floors are entirely student suites. Each floor has 6 suites, 5 4-person suites and 1 six-person suite. The 6-person suites on the upper floors have an exceptional view of the Cathedral of Learning out of the common room's windows.

[edit] Twelfth Floor

The twelfth floor is home to the University's catering service, as well as a meeting room in suite 1201 reserved for activities held by the President or Vice President of the University^[2]. It was usually impossible to get to the twelfth floor without an elevator key, although recently access to the twelfth floor has not been as restrictive as in the past.

[edit] The Ghost of 1201 Bruce Hall

Many students and university employees, as well as various outside sources, believe that a ghost or two haunts the 1201 suite of Bruce. The owner of the Schenley Apartments lived with his family on the twelfth floor. Rumor has it that his mistress and/or wife committed suicide in the 1201 by either hanging herself or throwing herself out the window. Students have reported hearing footsteps in the starwells and the halls, as well as a woman's voice. Others have stories of the elevators not stopping on their floor, and continuing up to the twelfth floor and refusing to go back down^[3]. The current residents (academic year 2006-2007) of the suite below 1201, suite 1101, have attempted to investigate the situation further, but have found most of the doors on the twelfth floor locked after hours.