Guides: Archives & Special Collections Exhibits: Hungarians in Pittsburgh (Fall 2023-Present)

Hungarians in Pittsburgh

Date of Exhibition: Fall 2023-Present

Curators: Dan Pannell (Curator for Slavic, European, and Eurasian Studies and Archive of European integration) and Clare Withers (Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection Curator)

Location: Archives & Special Collections exhibit gallery, 3rd floor Hillman Library, University of Pittsburgh 3960 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Description: Pittsburgh's Hungarian community dates to the 19th century when ethnic Hungarians emigrated from the Habsburg Empire to southwestern Pennsylvania seeking employment in the region's mines and steel mills. This exhibit celebrates the traditions and contributions of Hungarian Pittsburghers with an exploration of steel industry through the iconic Joes Magarac in popular culture and the creation of the Hungarian Nationality Room.

Hungarians in Pittsburgh

Larger than Life Representations of Tireless Workmen, Pittsburgh (Pa.) City Photography photographer; 1918

The Contradictory Story of Joe Magarac

Folksongs and Nationhood, Under direction of Randy Sparks, producer; 1964
Comics as Cultural Transmission, United States Steel, corporate producer; 1955
Magarac and the Working Man, Unattributed, author, illustrator; 1950

Working Conditions of Low Wage Laborers

Safety Measures, Wilson Company; 1920-1930
The Cost of Mill Work, Duquesne Works; 1935-1936
“Carnegie Steel Company Considers Safety Constantly," Carnegie Steel Company; 1917
Hard Hat; 1950s

Cultural Contributions of an Immigrant Community

List of Donors for the Hungarian Room in the Cathedral of Learning, George Meszaros, Julius Toth, et. al., members of the Arranging-Committee of the Hungarian/Magyar Day of Western Pennsylvania; 1927
Concert Program for the Budapest University Chorus, The Hungarian Concert Committee, organizer; 1937
Program for the American Magyar Progressive Association’s Fourth Annual Dinner dedicated to the Hungarian Nationality Room, American Magyar Progressive Association, organizer; 1936
Signed concert program for Hungarian violinist Francis Arányi’s concert given at Town Hall in New York City, Concert Management Arthur Judson, Inc., organizer; 1937
Concert program for Hungarian violinist Alexander Harsanyi’s concert given at Town Hall in New York City, Concert Management Arthur Judson, Inc., organizer; 1936
Newspaper feature on Pittsburgh’s Hungarian refugees from the 1956 Revolution, William Gill, Press staff writer; 1957
Newspaper article on Pittsburgh’s Hungarian refugees from the 1956 Revolution, Nick Flocos, journalist; 1957
Letter from Coloman Revesz soliciting a donation from the American Service Institute, Coloman Revesz, National President, William Penn Fraternal Association; 1956
Newspaper article on the merger of the Verhovay and Rákóczi Associations, Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, newspaper; 1955

Hungarian Room Committee
The Committee for the Hungarian Nationality Classroom was established to coordinate the development of the Hungarian Classroom in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh
Guide to the Hungarian Nationality Room Committee Collection, 1926-1964 UA.40.11
The records of the Committee for the Hungarian Nationality Classroom, 1926-1964, include correspondence and financial statements surrounding the establishment of the Hungarian Classroom in the Nationality Rooms Program in the Cathedral of Learning. The records include architectural drawings, memos, and minutes as well as publicity material highlighting events preceding and succeeding the opening of the classroom.
Guide to the American Service Institute Records, ca. 1920-1961 AIS.1963.01
The American Service Institute was founded in Pittsburgh in 1941 with the purpose of working through the organized structure of the Pittsburgh community to promote better understanding and appreciation among people of all cultural and national backgrounds. The American Service Institute was in existence from 1941 through 1961. The records include material from the 1920s through 1961. The records include minutes and committees, unpublished studies and reports, ASI community projects, immigration and naturalization files, ASI publications, ASI programs, general information on local organizations, material on local community projects, the aged population, youth immigration records, and customs and traditions of cultural groups.

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Hungarians in Pittsburgh

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