Syria Mosque was a 3,700-seat performance venue located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated on October 26, 1916, the building was originally built as a "mystical" shrine for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago. It was recognized as one of the best examples of Exotic Revival architecture.
Photo of Syria Mosque taken c. 1913-1920 by Edward J. Shourek.
A brick of the Syria Mosque building (center), exhibited in the Bayernhof Museum alongside an Edison cylinder phonograph (left) and Edison home phonograph (right)
Oakland is the academic and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and one of the city's major cultural centers. Home to three universities, museums, hospitals, shopping venues, restaurants, and recreational activities, this section of the city also includes two city-designated historic districts: the mostly residential Schenley Farms Historic District and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center Historic District, as well as the locally-designated Oakland Square Historic District.
Image: Oakland
Image: Cathedral of Learning stitch 1
Image: Schenley Park 1
Image: Carnegie Mellon University as seen from the Cathedral of Learning
