By SUSAN JONES
If you remember the dark, windowless, subterranean ground floor of Hillman Library, you’re in for a big surprise when you go through the new entrance on Schenley Drive.
The three-story glass atrium — designed to resemble a stack of books — opened quietly on May 8, along with other areas that had been closed off since January 2023 during the final phase of Hillman’s reinvention.
A grand opening is being planned for the fall, when all the media suites and other services are ready to go.
But it’s worth making a trip over to the library now to get a view of the (mostly) complete project while it’s not crowded with students.
The ground floor has a vast open area inside the entrance with lounging and standard chairs, as well as tables (many with power ports in the center) and standing work stations to either side. The staircase to the first and second floors has a bright green side facing the entrance. Waterfall-like stairs to the left of the entrance have a ramp embedded in them that leads down to the lower open area.
In total, the library has more than 50 group study spaces that can be reserved, with 16 new areas on the ground floor. Two of the new study spaces look out over the atrium from the first and second floors.
A patio on the roof of the atrium, accessible from the library’s third floor, provides stunning views of the Cathedral of Learning.
There’s still work to be done before students return in the fall, but there’s plenty to see now on all five floors of the reinvented Hillman Library.
The total spending approved for the library project was $130 million, covering all four phases. Work first began in 2017. Phases I to III — the first through fourth floors — were completed under budget, with savings used to offset some of the Phase IV cost, a spokesperson for Business & Operations said in 2023. The final phase included the ground floor, atrium entrance, the core of the building that houses elevators and bathrooms, and infrastructure improvements to mechanical, electrical, lighting and data distribution systems
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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