Pittsburgh Athletic Association

Pittsburgh Athletic Association

Pittsburgh Athletic Association
Location 4215 5th Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°26′42″N 79°57′17″W / 40.44500°N 79.95472°W / 40.44500; -79.95472Coordinates: 40°26′42″N 79°57′17″W / 40.44500°N 79.95472°W / 40.44500; -79.95472
Area 0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built 1909-1911
Architect Benno Janssen
Architectural style Venetian High Renaissance
Part of Schenley Farms Historic District (#83002213)
NRHP Reference # 78002338 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP December 15, 1978
Designated CP July 22, 1983[1]
Designated PHLF 1970[2]

The Pittsburgh Athletic Association is a private social club and athletic club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Its clubhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard in the city's Oakland district, it faces three other landmark buildings: the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning and William Pitt Union as well as the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial.

The club was organized in 1908 by real estate developer Franklin Nicola. Architect Benno Janssen (1874—1964) used a Venetian Renaissance palace as a prototype for his design, perhaps Palazzo Grimani or Libreria on Piazza San Marco. He completed the structure in 1911.

The Pittsburgh Athletic Association is a nonprofit membership club chartered in 1908. It has run into financial difficulties recently and had its liquor license temporarily suspended for not paying Allegheny County drink taxes. Recently, the electricity and water has been cut off to the PAA.

It used to offer comprehensive athletic facilities, sports lessons, spa services, fine dining, and overnight accommodations. Some of the building's more interesting features include a pool on the third floor, full basketball and squash courts, a 16 lane bowling alley, and a room dedicated to former University of Pittsburgh football coach Johnny Majors. The club has several annual events, the most popular including an Easter brunch, a lobster dinner, and collegiate boxing events.

In film

In 2009, the film Love & Other Drugs, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hank Azaria, filmed a scene in the Pittsburgh Athletic Association's bowling alley.[4]

The movie filmed in the bowling alley was "She's Out of My League".

See also

References

[5] [6]

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. "Internet Archive: Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation: PHLF Plaques & Registries". 2007-01-27. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Pittsburgh Athletic Association" (PDF). 1973. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  4. Navratil, Liz (2009-09-18). "Jake Gyllenhaal on campus". The Pitt News. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  5. "Pitt students forced to abandon rented rooms at Pittsburgh Athletic Association". www.post-gazette.com. Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  6. "Pittsburgh Athletic Association's liquor license revoked". www.post-gazette.com. Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2017.

Media related to Pittsburgh Athletic Association at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.