Editing Cathedral of Learning (section)

===Humanities Center===
[[File:HumanitiesCenterPitt.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Entrance to the Humanities Center]]
The University of Pittsburgh's Humanities Center, part of [[University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences|School of Arts and Sciences]], is housed in the Cathedral of Learning's room 602, which was a sixth-floor space once occupied by the [[Darlington Collection|Darlington Memorial Library]]. Following digitization and protective storage of the library's materials, its space was renovated in 2009 by architect Rob Pfaffmann to house the center, which now includes office space for staff and visiting fellows.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/?p=4530 | title=Pitt's New Humanities Center To Foster Collaborative Work | first=Patricia Lomando | last=White | date=January 19, 2010 | newspaper=Pitt Chronicle | location=Pittsburgh, PA | publisher=University of Pittsburgh | access-date=January 20, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617023913/http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/?p=4530 | archive-date=June 17, 2010 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The Humanities Center space retains much of the original character and a number of the antique furnishings originally bequeathed to the university by the Darlington family, and features moldings and green walls that are duplicated from the 18th mansion [[Graeme Park]], a [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania colonial-era]] governor's residence.<ref name="DLibStarret">{{cite book | url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=pitttext;cc=pitttext;rgn=full%20text;idno=00adg0067m;didno=00adg0067m;view=image;seq=13;node=00adg0067m%3A4;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset; | title=The Darlington Memorial Library | first=Agnes Lynch | last=Starret | page=3 | publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press | location=Pittsburgh, PA | year=1938 | access-date=November 18, 2009}}</ref> The Center for Humanities was finished in time for an open house that was part a conference hosted by the center on November 14–15, 2009.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.utimes.pitt.edu/?p=10412 | title= Humanities Center hosts inaugural conference | newspaper=University Times | publisher=University of Pittsburgh | location=Pittsburgh, PA | date=November 12, 2009 | access-date=November 18, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:HumanitiesCenterCoL.jpg|thumb|left|Humanities Center]]
The space served as the home of The Darlington Memorial Library from 1936 until its recent conversion to the Humanities Center.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu:80/cgi-bin/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=pittchancellor;cc=pittchancellor;g=documentingpitt;xc=1;xg=1;rgn=full%20text;idno=1934e36913;didno=1934e36913;view=image;seq=98;page=root;size=s;frm=frameset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813104245/http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=pittchancellor%3Bcc%3Dpittchancellor%3Bg%3Ddocumentingpitt%3Bxc%3D1%3Bxg%3D1%3Brgn%3Dfull%20text%3Bidno%3D1934e36913%3Bdidno%3D1934e36913%3Bview%3Dimage%3Bseq%3D98%3Bpage%3Droot%3Bsize%3Ds%3Bfrm%3Dframeset |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |pages=95–96 |title=Report of the Chancellor to the Trustees July 1, 1934, to June 30, 1936 |date=October 15, 1936 |volume=33 |issue=2 |journal=University of Pittsburgh Bulletin |access-date=November 18, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The library was entered through a memorial vestibule and consisted of a central room with eight alcoves. Among other notable furnishings, it contained a wrought iron entrance gate by [[Samuel Yellin]].<ref name="DLibStarret" /> The library was given to the University of Pittsburgh by the daughters of William McCullough Darlington and Mary Carson Darlington. The initial gift of eleven thousand volumes was made in 1918 by Mary O'Hara Darlington and [[Edith Darlington Ammon]]. This was followed by Mary O'Hara Darlington's bequest in 1925 of the remainder of the family's library and much of the family estate. The Darlington family's tremendous interest in historical research was the force behind creating what was said to be the largest private library west of the Alleghenies. The library collection is particularly rich in material about the [[French and Indian War]] and the history of [[Western Pennsylvania]] and the [[Ohio River|Ohio Valley]], as both William and Mary Darlington researched and published in these areas. While the collection's main focus is on American history and literature, other collection highlights include rare maps and atlases, works on [[ornithology]] and natural history, and early travel narratives. The Darlington's son, O'Hara Darlington, also amassed collections of [[Victorian literature]] sporting books and works of illustrators and caricaturists. The collection also has been enriched over the years by donations from other individuals and organizations, which especially have enhanced its content about the history of the Western Pennsylvania region.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/darlington/darlington.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410223528/http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/darlington/darlington.html | title=Darlington Memorial Library | archive-date=April 10, 2008 | access-date=November 18, 2009}}</ref>

Before renovation of the original library space, its materials were digitized and placed online at The Darlington Digital Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/d/darlington/ | title=The Darlington Digital Library | publisher=University of Pittsburgh | access-date=November 18, 2009}}</ref> The original, sometimes fragile, materials of the library were placed in storage for availability to researchers upon request.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=8825&-Find |title=What's New? Places |last1=Hart |first1=Peter |last2=Barlow |first2=Kimberly K. |newspaper=University Times |publisher=University of Pittsburgh |location=Pittsburgh, PA |date=September 3, 2009 |access-date=September 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609205248/http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=8825&-Find |archive-date=June 9, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> A virtual tour of the Darlington Memorial Library as it previously existed in the Cathedral of Learning is available at the main entrance<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.pitt.edu/images/tours/darlington.mov|title=Darlington Memorial Library main entrance virtual tour|access-date=August 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520032719/http://www.library.pitt.edu/images/tours/darlington.mov|archive-date=May 20, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the main room.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.pitt.edu/images/tours/maindarlington.mov|title=Darlington Memorial Library main room virtual tour|access-date=August 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520032836/http://www.library.pitt.edu/images/tours/maindarlington.mov|archive-date=May 20, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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