I first heard the tragic story of a ballerina when I was helping at an exhibit the Pittsburgh Mineral and Lapidary Society I belonged to was holding in the grand hall of the Pitt Student Union Building across from the main Cathedral of Learning Building and at one time was known as The Schenley Park Hotel which saw many a famous guest in its day.
Including Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Russel as well as Presidents and holly wood celebritys.
But it also has a sad story of a ballerina .
as shown in a excerpt from Wikipedia
Legends
The Tansky Family Lounge in the William Pitt Union formerly served as the Schenley Hotel's lobby
A ghostly legend passed down among students begins with the story of a
visit by the Russian National Ballet where it took up accommodations in
the historic Schenley Hotel prior to opening its tour of the United
States in Pittsburgh. The
prima ballerina,
tired from travel, decided to rest before the premiere performance,
drifted off, and slept through her curtain call and the whole of the
performance. The companies director, either so incensed by her missing
the premiere, or so impressed by the stage presence of her understudy,
decided to replace the prima ballerina with the young upstart for the
remainder of the tour. The ballerina was so distraught that she took her
own life that night, ashamed and humiliated that she would be replaced
by the young understudy. It is now said if you were to ever take a nap
or fall asleep for whatever reason in the Tansky Family Lounge, also
known as the Red Room, you will always wake up just in time for whatever
exam, class, meeting, appointment, etc. you may have missed. The Prima Ballerina haunts the room to make sure you never succumb to her same
fate.
[16]
Another tale tells of a ghost haunting the Lillian Russell Room, room 437 within the offices of
The Pitt News, in the area of Lillian Russell's former residence when the union served as the Schenley Hotel.
[17]
A notable infamous incident at the Schenley Hotel occurred on July
12, 1950, when a hotel night guard went on a shooting spree that
resulted in the deaths of two men and the wounding of another.
[
Is there anything to the story and legend yes there have been apparitions reported in the Red and other rooms of the Student union but is it students pulling pranks or real paranormal activity ?
Then there is the case of ghosts who have followed their former class rooms to the cathedral of learning at Pitt.
An imposing multi story building built in 1927
Which as it was being built the local nationality's where asked if they would help in the location and donation of class rooms from around the world which would be part of the Cathedrals
and many different nationality arranged to have the class rooms imported to America and they are now viewable in the cathedral of Learning . Except in some rooms its seems the former students and teachers came with them as some are said to be haunted.
as apparitions and strange things have gone on in the rooms.Particularly the Early American Colonial class room
Ghost or not many of the rooms are simple to spectacular like the Ukrainian room
 |
| The Ukrainian room |
SO if your ever in Oakland be sure to check them out and Pitt is not the only haunted place also The Pittsburgh Playhouse is haunted as well which I will talk about in a future article.
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