Chalfant Hall
By Leepaxton at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Location:
915 Ridge Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Description:
Located on Pittsburgh’s North Shore at 915 Ridge Avenue, Chalfant Hall is a historic mansion now serving the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) Allegheny Campus. Originally built around 1900, the building was once the private residence of Henry Chalfant (1867–1928), a prominent attorney and partner in the steel manufacturing firm Spang, Chalfant & Co. In recognition of its architectural and historical significance, it was designated a Historic Landmark by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation in 1981—the same year CCAC acquired the property.
Architecturally, Chalfant Hall is a fine example of the grand domestic style associated with Millionaire’s Row in the Allegheny West neighborhood. The structure features three to four stories of brick construction, detailed woodwork, and elegant classical styling that was typical of upper-class residences at the turn of the 20th century. Its presence on Ridge Avenue reflects a time when this area of the city was home to many of Pittsburgh’s wealthiest industrialists and professionals.
In recent years, CCAC undertook a comprehensive renovation of the 17,500-square-foot building, transforming it into the Center for Teaching & Learning—also referred to as the Center for Faculty Innovation. The project began in early 2022 and was completed in May 2024. The restored Chalfant Hall now houses state-of-the-art instructional spaces, a digital learning lab, testing facilities, faculty offices, conference rooms, and infrastructure to support virtual instruction and collaborative teaching models.
Today, Chalfant Hall stands as a successful example of adaptive reuse—preserving the architectural integrity of a historic mansion while equipping it for the demands of 21st-century education. It serves as a central hub for faculty development, innovation in pedagogy, and community engagement, reaffirming CCAC’s mission to blend tradition with forward-thinking educational practices.
