[1][4][5] Designed by Pittsburgh-based architects Rutan & Russell in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, the Schenley Hotel catered to local and visiting well-to-do people.

[9] Outfitted with marble accents, ornate chandeliers and Louis XV architecture, the Schenley quickly became the place to stay or eat in Pittsburgh for prominent travelers.

[10] Actors Sarah Bernhardt, Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy all stayed at the Schenley.

[12] The Schenley was not just the place to stay in Pittsburgh as the twentieth century began, it was where the young ladies of society "came out," where couples married, and where one could dine on the "haute cuisine" of the day.

Babe Ruth, Casey Stengel, Ty Cobb, and Rogers Hornsby all signed the guest register; baseball trades were finalized by club owners over dinner.

Surrounded by hospitals, educational facilities, concert halls, and private clubs with no parking to serve the hotel's mobile guests by the 1950s, it also faced new competition from Pittsburgh's Renaissance I.

[10] The turn-of-the-century character of the main floor was also restored through careful restoration of the Louis XV mirrored ballroom, as were the lower lounge that had enclosed the original Bigelow Boulevard-side porch thirteen years after the hotel was originally built, and the marbled-wall former hotel lobby, now called the Tansky Family Lounge, which includes the "stairway to nowhere," a remnant of a previous renovation.

[17] A ghost story passed down among students begins with the tale of a visit by the Russian National Ballet, which booked accommodations in the historic Schenley Hotel prior to opening its tour of the United States in Pittsburgh.

The company's 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 a younger dancer for the remainder of the tour.

One of the most notable facilities is the Louis XV-style William Pitt Union Ballroom on the main floor, which features vaulted ceiling, mirrored walls, two grand crystal chandeliers, and detailed moldings and artwork that are faithful restored to the condition of the Hotel Schenley.

[20] The William Pitt Union is also the home to the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame (dedicated in 1984[21]), the C. M. Kimbo Art Gallery, a dance studio, meeting and conference rooms, university offices, and, on the lower level, a food court.

[23] In 2007, the recreation room on the ground floor of the union was renovated and by resolution of the Pitt Student Government Board, and was then renamed "Nordy's Place" in honor of Chancellor Mark Nordenberg.

[30] A $1.93 million renovation of the Assembly Room, which included uncovering three large windows to allow in natural light, as well as a stage extension and technology upgrades, was completed in 2013.