News & Insights

Before serving Pitt students as the William Pitt Union, this historical building had served as the Hotel Schenley, which opened in 1898.  In 1983, the WTW team renovated and restored the building to become the William Pitt Union, while still preserving the classic and historical elements of the building.
 


A new entrance was created, the upper floors were transformed from hotel rooms to staff offices and student organization space, the existing ballroom was restored to its original grandeur and color scheme, and a Food Court was added on the lower level. The Union also includes various retail areas and event and meeting spaces in a variety of sizes. The end result is an authentic, complex restoration/adaptive reuse of the original structure. 





This union project was a critical starting point for the Student Life focused practice that WTW has nurtured and expanded over the last 40 years.



Since the original renovation, the WTW team has been privileged to continue working at the Union, including another renovation in 2014 that transformed the third floor into a haven for the mind, body, and soul.