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ed, upon a basement about 12 feet high, by 6 Corin-
thian columns, presents an imposing appearance.
Some of the public and philanthropic institu-
tions for which Philadelphia is distinguished
have buildings which are an ornament to the city.
Of these we shall speak in connection with the
institutions themselves. One of the oldest of
these is the Pennsylvania Hospital. It was
founded in 1750, by the exertions of Dr. Franklin
and Dr. Bond. The buildings and grounds occupy
the entire square, between Spruce and Pine,
Eight and Ninth Streets. The front is on Pine
Street. The east wing was erected in 1756, the
west wing in 1796, and the central building in
1804. In the beautiful area in front of the build-
ing is a colossal bronzed statue of William Penn.
In the rear, fronting on Spruce Street, is a small
building containing West's celebrated picture of
Christ Healing the Sick, presented by the painter
to this hospital. The funds of this institution,
derived from individual benefactions and public
endowments, are ample; and its spacious build-
ings furnish accommodations for indigent patients
as well as others. A branch of this hospital is
the Insane Asylum, situated about 2 miles W.
of the Schuylkill, which has spacious buildings,
and is enclosed in beautiful grounds containing
about 40 acres. The United States Marine Hos-
pital, situated on the Schuylkill, below Cedar
Street, is an institution provided for invalid
seamen and officers disabled from the United
States service. It has an elegant and extensive
edifice, built of white marble, consisting of a
centre building of 146 feet in front, and 175 feet
deep, and 2 wings; the -whole presenting a
front of 386 feet. The front of the centre build-
ing is embellished with a fine Doric portico of 8
columns. The whole building can receive about
400 residents. The Almshouse, designed for the
poor of the city and the adjoining districts, is
situated on the western bank of the Schuylkill,
opposite Cedar Street, and furnishes from its
windows a fine view of the city and surrounding
country. The edifice, in the form of a parallelo-
gram, covers and encloses an area of 10 acres;
and the front on the Schuylkill, with its portico
of 8 columns, 30 feet high, presents an imposing
appearance. The Pennsylvania Institution for
the Deaf and Dumb has extensive buildings on
the corner of Pine and Broad Streets. The
Pennsylvania Institution for the Blind is situated
on Race Street, near Schuylkill Third Street.
The main edifice occupies a lot of 247 feet on
Race Street, and 220 feet on Third Street, having
beautifully decorated ground in the front and rear.
There are many other charitable and humane
institutions in Philadelphia, which are less ex-
tensive, but very important in their place. Few
cities in the world are better supplied, in propor-
tion to their magnitude, with the means of alle-
viating human want and suffering.
Among the literary institutions, one of the
oldest and most respectable is the university of
Pennsylvania. It comprises three departments,
the academical, the collegiate, and the medical.
The medical school connected with this univer-
sity is the oldest and largest in the Union, hav-
ing between 400 and 500 students. The univer-
sity buildings are situated upon Ninth Street,
between Market and Chestnut, and consist of
two handsome edifices, 112 feet by 85, surrounded
by open grounds, and enclosed in front by an
iron railing. Jefferson Medical College, founded
in 1825, has ample buildings on Tenth Street,
between Chestnut and Walnut. The Pennsyl-
vania Medical College is located on Filbert
Street, above Twelfth. It was founded in 1839.
Philadelphia is distinguished above all other
cities in the country as the emporium of medical
science and instruction. |
Among the literary institutions of Philadelphia,
the Girard College for Orphans holds a distin-
guished place. It was founded by the late Ste-
phen Girard, who died in 1831, and bequeathed
a large amount of his real and personal estate
in trust to the “ mayor, aldermen, and citizens
of Philadelphia,'' for the establishment of an in-
stitution for the support and education of “ poor
male white orphan children,'' belonging either to
that city, or to the state of Pennsylvania, or to
the cities of New York and New Orleans, in the
order of preference here observed, until the num-
ber so provided for should be full. Of. the prop-
erty bequeathed, $2,000,000, and more if neces-
sary, were to be expended “ in erecting a perma-
nent college, with suitable outbuildings, suffi-
ciently spacious for the residence and accommo-
dation of at least 300 scholars, with the requisite
teachers,'' &c., “ the said college to be constructed
with the most durable materials, and in the most
permanent manner, avoiding needless ornament,''
&c. The will contained specific directions with
regard to the structure and dimensions of the
college edifice, and also the devise of a lot of land
of 45 acres, on the ridge road in the N. E. part
of the district of Spring Garden, as a site for
its location. The buildings which have been
erected are five in number, of which the centre
building is the grand college edifice, and the two
others upon each side are designed for the resi-
dences of the pupils and their instructors. The
college edifice is one of the most superb build-
ings in the country. Its length is 218 feet, its
width 160 feet, and its height 90 feet. It is
surrounded by 34 columns of the Corinthian
order, 55 feet high, including the capital and
base, and 6 feet in diameter, standing 15 feet
distant from the body of the building. These
columns stand upon bases 3 feet high and 9 feet
in diameter, and are crowned with gorgeous
Corinthian capitals, upon which rests a full
entablature. The entrances are at each end of
the building, through lofty doors, decorated with
massive architraves and sculptured cornices. The
interior, excepting the portions required for the
vestibules and stairs, is divided into four spacious
rooms in each of the two stories, which are used
for the purposes of giving instruction to the
different classes of the pupils. No wood is used
in the construction of this edifice, excepting for
the doors. The other four buildings are each
125 feet long, by 52 feet wide, and two stories
high, above their basements. The most eastern,
including four distinct houses, is the one occupied
by the families of the professors. The orphans
are received into the college at any age between
6 and 10 years, and they may continue, if it is
deemed desirable, until they are 18 years of age.
When they leave, they are to be apprenticed by
the city authorities to some useful trade or busi-
ness. The institution is in full operation, with
above 300 pupils in 1852. The amount of appro-
priations for defraying the current expenses of
the institution for the year 1851 was $62,900.
Of this sum $30,500 was for the clothing and
subsistence of the pupils. |
