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University Archives and Records Center Penn's First Campus, 1740-1801
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College, Academy and Charitable SchoolThe College, Academy and Charitable School classrooms were housed in the former Whitefield building at Fourth and Arch Streets from 1751 through 1801. This building was even larger in size than the State House (now Independence Hall). It had been built with the intention of serving as a church for the English preacher and evangelist, George Whitefield; but as interest and financial support for Whitefield's ministry waned, the building was sold to the Trustees of the Academy. Robert Smith became the "House Carpenter" who was charged with the renovation of the structure for use as a school. The first Academy and Charity School classes were held in this building in 1751, although reconstruction continued until 1755. The "New Building" was added to this site in 1763, housing the Charity School on the ground floor and dormitory rooms on the upper floors. Shortly before the American Revolution a third building was added to the campus, a three-story residence built for Provost William Smith at the corner of Fourth and Arch Streets. Even after the University of Pennsylvania moved to Ninth Street, the Academy and Charity School continued at this site until 1877, and the University retained ownership of the property until after World War I. However, by 1845 the original buildings had been replaced by a church, two new school houses and several commercial buildings. Medical SchoolEarly classes in the Department of Medicine, founded in 1765, were not held at the Fourth and Arch Street Campus, but in Surgeons' Hall, on Fifth Street near Walnut Street.
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