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Draft:Turkish Nationality Room

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The Origins of the Turkish Nationality Room

Why a Turkish Nationality Room?

According to former chair of the Turkish nationality room Ömer Akin, the creation and construction of the Turkish Nationality Room was an opportunity to showcase the richness of Turkish culture in the U.S. and foster positive awareness of Turkey’s national heritage. It was also created with the idea of developing an endowment for a Turkish Studies Program at a prominent American University.[1]

Origins of the Turkish Nationality Room

The Turkish nationality room was commissioned in 2001 with support from the Turkish Nationality Room (TNR) Committee and the Pittsburgh Turkish American Association (PTAA). The PTAA is a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania formed in 1973 that focuses on representing Turkish American culture and strengthening ties between Turkey and the United States within the Pittsburgh region. The PTAA has supported the creation of a Turkish Nationality Room since 2000 and assisted with funding for the project.[2]

The TNR Committee was formed in 2001 to begin raising funds and start the design effort for the Turkish Nationality Room. The group is composed of Turkish students and community members invested not only in the creation of the room but also with the motivation of promoting an understanding of Turkish culture at the University of Pittsburgh through organized events and activities[3]. When the TNR Committee set out to construct the room, they were looking to finalize construction of the room by 2010 and acquire a budget of $300,000 over a five year period, and began collecting funds through monetary and artifactual donations.


The Architectural Inspiration of the Turkish Room

Influence of the Traditional House

The main inspiration for this Nationality Room is the model of the traditional house. As stated in the room’s design statement, “The core of the concept to be used in designing the Turkish Nationality Room derives from the “conception of space” that first materialized when Turks as a nomadic people in Central Asia perfected the ideal portable domicile, the Yurt.”[4]. Two important concepts in the traditional Turkish house were functionality, an essential principle that increased the accessibility of various tools or spaces used in everyday life, and family[5]. The hierarchical structure of family shaped the formation of the spaces and conveyed the status of each member. Open space was essential to the traditional house and has similarly upheld its importance in the Turkish nationality Room’s design. The use of wood paneling and decorations became the primary focal point in the room’s design, paneling on the doors, floors, and ceilings.

Importance of Authenticity

Architecture has always been intertwined with cultural expression and a display of history, a field that showcases a region's politics, power, and identity[6]. The Turkish Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning was created to showcase the intricacies of this vast architectural history and the importance of maintaining authenticity. The Turkish Nationality Room committee emphasized this in their room design statement: "The goal of concept design is to find the right expression, proportions, and aesthetics for making an installation that not only has these features but also the indelible spirit of a Turkish room. It should transmit the history and depth of our cultural values and transport them into the 21st century.[7]” This idea was the main focus of the Turkish Nationality committee and has been reflected in the design of the room.

The Construction and Funding of the Turkish Room

Funding and Donations

The creation of the Turkish Nationality Room was made possible through the generosity of numerous donors, both large and small. The project received substantial contributions from individuals, organizations, and the Turkish government. It is crucial to note that without the 53 other donors who contributed more modest amounts, the Turkish Nationality Room Committee would not have been on track to meet its fundraising goal.[8].

Principal Contributors

The Government of Turkey contributed $150,000, while Asim Kocabiyik donated $50,000. The Ablak Family contributed $20,000. Other notable donations included $15,000 from Suleyman Demirel, $10,000 each from the Oguz Family, Suphi & Mubeccel Yavasca, and Heinz Endowments, and $5,000 each from Necla & Murat Bankaci, Edward and Judith Friedman, Malik Tunador, Hulya & Halil Kulluk, and Celal Ece. In addition to these major contributions, 53 other groups or individuals made donations under $5,000, bringing the total contributions to $332,29711.[9]

Estimated Project Cost

The estimated total cost of the project was $420,000, as outlined in a letter dated January 9, 2005, from Omer Akin, Chair of the Turkish Nationality Room Committee, to Park Rankin, University Architect at the University of Pittsburgh.[10] In August 2006, Akin informed Rankin that he would be completing the architectural work for the room pro bono, stating that a letter of appreciation would suffice as compensation[11]. In November of the same year, it was confirmed that the $46,000 architect's fee was returned to the University and applied to the building fund for the Turkish Room.[12]

Developmental Timeline

2001 - After more than two decades of collaboration between the Pittsburgh Turkish American Association (PTAA) and the Office of Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs (NRIEP) at the University of Pittsburgh, the Turkish Nationality Room was officially commissioned for development.[13]

2005 - The Turkish Nationality Room was first announced to the public on November 13th. [14]

2006 - Omar Akin made trips to the Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul to collaborate with highly skilled artisans. In the aforementioned letter from 2006, Akin noted that work on the project was "developing very well" and that he had made trips to Ankara and Istanbul to meet with craftsmen “craftsmen capable of doing the specialized carpentry, tile, and glazing work” required for the Turkish Nationality Room.[15]

2008 - As reported in Washington County's Observer-Reporter, then-NRIEP Director Maxine Bruhns suggested that the Turkish Room may be completed by the end of 2008.[16] Despite this, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) proved to impede the room's prompt completion, as development continued into the second decade of the new millennium.

2012 - Eleven years after it was commissioned, the Turkish Nationality Room was officially dedicated. This was marked by an opening ceremony on March 6th, wherein members of the Turkish Community in Pittsburgh joined those involved in the commissioning and development of the room in celebration[17]. The completion and subsequent dedication of the room signified a continued effort by the University of Pittsburgh to engender a learning environment where intercultural dialogue and appreciation are not merely promoted but constitutive of the institution's physical foundation.

The Pittsburgh Turkish Community

Community Funding, Goals, and Involvement

Much of the funding for the Turkish Nationality Room came from donations by Pittsburgh residents with Turkish heritage. The Pittsburgh Turkish American Association (PTAA) and the Turkish American Student Association (TASA) were heavily involved in the room’s creation and funding.[18] The PTAA became a member of the international council of the University of Pittsburgh “to represent the Turkish American community in ethnic and cultural events sponsored by the Council and to take initial steps towards building a Turkish room in the Cathedral of Learning”[19] in 1978, although the room was not commissioned until 2001 and not officially completed until 2010.

As a student organization, the University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of TASA’s stated goals are to, “expose, advance and further Turkish culture while promoting friendly relations between different cultural/ethnic groups and Turkish students”.[20] The group’s goals aligned with the stated purpose of creating a nationality room for the Turkish community, and in 2001 they included the Turkish Nationality Room as part of their bylaws.[21] TASA is still active at the University of Pittsburgh today.

The Turkish Room Committee regularly held dinner parties in the early 2000s as an outreach program to introduce the concept of the Turkish Nationality Room to Turkish Pittsburghers and solicit their financial support for its construction. The committee emphasized the importance of local support for the room, especially in demonstrating that there was a strong base of community support to secure funding from donors outside the region. The room’s creation was an attempt to “create a sense of unity within the Turkish American community all across the United States” , as was reported to the Turkish residents of Pittsburgh. Communications about the Nationality Room emphasized the value of preserving Turkish history and culture for years to come and strengthening the bonds of the Turkish community in both Pittsburgh and the United States as a whole. The committee also emphasized “the emotional and physical void that is tangible”[22] when the Nationality Room Program lacked the Turkish Room.

Visit From Turkish Officials

Turkish Ambassador Visit

On February 3rd, 2011,Namik Tan, the Republic of Turkey's ambassador to the United States, visited with Pitt Chancellor,[23] visited Pittsburgh to celebrate the opening of the Turkish Nationality Room, which showcases a representation of the cultural heritage of their nation. This visit was significant because it marked the completion of a lot of hard work completed by Pittsburgh's Turkish American community including the PTAA and TASA, the university, and Turkish representatives to make the nationality room a reality. Representatives from Turkey and local Turkish American leaders participated in the visit, which included a formal ceremony with cultural presentations, a meeting with the chancellor, and tours of the newly established room. The ambassador cut the ribbon to the room, signaling its unification with the University’s nationality community and the “value of the partnership of the Turkish-American Communities with the University of Pittsburgh”.[24]






References

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  1. ^ Proposal of Turkish Nationality Room, Design Concept, Box 8, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  2. ^ https://ptaausa.org/about.php
  3. ^ https://nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/committees/turkish-room-committee
  4. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Statement 2001, Turkish Room Binder 1 of 2, Box 17 Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  5. ^ Deniz Demirarslan, "TRANSFORMATION FROM TENT TO ROOM: ROOM OF TRADITIONAL TURKISH HOUSE," IJASOS- International E-journal of Advances in Social Sciences, 2017, xx, doi:10.18769/ijasos.370036.
  6. ^ Daily Sabah with AA, "Evolution of Turkish Architecture from Seljuks to Modern Times," Daily Sabah, last modified July 4, 2024,https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/evolution-of-turkish-architecture-from-seljuks-to-modern-times/news.
  7. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Statement 2001
  8. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Donor Acknowledgement Record, 2005, Turkish Room Binder 2 of 2, Box 17, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  9. ^ Akin, Omar. Omar Akin to Park Rankin, Pittsburgh, PA, August, 2006
  10. ^ Akin, Omar. Omar Akin to Park Rankin, Pittsburgh, PA, January 9, 2005, Turkish Room Binder 2 of 2, Box 17, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  11. ^ Akin, Omar. Omar Akin to Park Rankin, Pittsburgh, PA, August, 2006
  12. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Fund Reallocation Memorandum, November 2006, Turkish Room Binder 2 of 2, Box 1
  13. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Fund Reallocation Memorandum, November 2006
  14. ^ Turkish Nationality Room Fund Reallocation Memorandum, November 2006, Turkish Room Binder 2 of 2, Box 1
  15. ^ Akin, Omar. Omar Akin to Park Rankin, Pittsburgh, PA, August, 2006
  16. ^ Beale, Liza  N., ed. “Rooms Showcase Melting Pot of Nations.” Observer-Reporter. February 20, 2008, sec. Within 60.
  17. ^ Sheridan, Patricia. “University of Pittsburgh Hosts Opening of the Turkish Nationality Room.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 6, 2012. https://www.post-gazette.com/life/seen/2012/03/06/University-of-Pittsburgh-hosts-opening-of-the-Turkish-Nationality-Room/stories/201203060263.
  18. ^ Correspondence to Mr. John Junghans from the Turkish Room Committee and PTAA President, Fundraising Folder, Box 8, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  19. ^ September 1978 PTAA News, Turkish Room 1978-1989, Turkish Room Fundraising Folder, Box 8, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  20. ^ Turkish American Student Association | University of Pittsburgh. “Home - Turkish American Student Association: University of Pittsburgh.” Experience.Pitt, 2024. https://experience.pitt.edu/tasa/home/.
  21. ^ Fundraising Feasibility of the Turkish Nationality Room Draft, Turkish Room Fundraising Folder, Box 8, Nationality Rooms Program Office Files, Third Deposit, 1927-2016, UA.40.01b, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
  22. ^ Fundraising Feasibility of the Turkish Nationality Room Draft, Turkish Room Fundraising Folder
  23. ^ University of Pittsburgh University Marketing Communications Webteam, "Turkish Officials Visit Pitt," Pitt Chronicle Issue Archives | Pitt Chronicle | University of Pittsburgh, last modified April 11, , https://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/story/turkish-officials-visit-pitt.
  24. ^ “Turkish Nationalist Room” Nationality Rooms newsletter. vol. 92 (Fall 2012)Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs, https://documenting.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt
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