UNIVERSITY HISTORY

Penn and West Philadelphia:
The Historical Study

The University community and the scholarly public often turn to the University Archives for information on and interpretation of the history of the University in West Philadelphia and the relationship between the University and its urban environment. The University Archives has therefore established this page as an educational resource to support and advance continuing scholarly work on this topic.

Courses

In the fall semester 2005, Mark Frazier Lloyd, Director of the University Archives, taught a 200-level, post-1800 American history seminar on Penn and West Philadelphia.

Research Papers

Included here are research papers by Archives Director Mark Frazier Lloyd, by Penn students as part of their coursework, and by Summer Research Fellows at the University Archives. These documents and interpretive papers are organized by time period.

• 1870 - 1894: Pre-Modern Penn

• 1894 - 1915: An Expanded Campus Emerges

• 1915 - 1948: The Modern Research Institution

• 1948 - 1975: A Second Great Expansion

• 1975 - Present: Reconciliation and Partnership

Guides to University Archives Collections available on-line include

• Office of the Treasurer University Real Estate Title Papers, 1761 - 2006

• Ruth Branning Molloy Collection, 1852-2002

Related Exhibits

• Mapping Penn: Land Acquisitions, 1870-2007

• Campus Growth, 1870-2009 (slide show)

• A Documentary History of Title to Penn's West Philadelphia Campus 1870-1900

• A Brief History of the "Carriage House"at the Rear of 3905 Spruce Street

• The Closing of the 200 Block of South McAlpin Street and the Construction of the Annenberg School of Communication: Images from the Saahlbach Collection

• West Philadelphia Community History Center