UNIVERSITY HISTORY
Timeline
of University History
1740 |
Trust formed to establish a Charity School in Philadelphia at Fourth and Arch Streets |
1749 |
The Academy is founded, with Benjamin Franklin named its President |
1750 |
The Trustees of the Academy buy the building of the Charity school |
1751 |
Academy opens in January. Free Charity School opens in September |
1755 |
College chartered with the Reverend William Smith as the Provost |
1757 |
|
1765 |
Medical School established |
1775 |
The Continental Congress attends Commencement |
1778 |
Continental Congress meets in College Hall |
1779 |
The College is taken over by the State of Pennsylvania and renamed the University of the State of Pennsylvania |
1784 |
Louis XVI donates books to the University Library |
1789 |
College of Philadelphia is reactivated |
1790 |
Law lectures given by James Wilson, one of the four original Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court |
1791 |
By an Act of Legislature, the University of the State of Pennsylvania and the College of Philadelphia, are united as the University of Pennsylvania |
1802-1829 |
University occupies the House built for the President of the United States, purchased by the University in 1800 |
1813 |
The Philomathean Literary Society founded |
1829-1872 |
University occupies two new buildings, at Ninth and Chestnut Streets, designed by William Strickland |
1842 |
Cricket becomes Penn's first organized sport |
1849 |
Delta Phi founded, the University's first Greek-letter fraternity |
1850 |
Law School founded |
1852 |
|
1862 |
Penn Glee Club founded |
1863 |
Scientific "Lazzaroni" under Professor Alexander Dallas Bache brings about foundation of the National Academy of Sciences Student Record, yearbook first published by the Class of 1865 |
1870 |
Purchase of the Almshouse farm in West Philadelphia as the new site for the University, under Provost Charles Janeway Stillé |
1872 |
Classes held in College Hall on the new campus in West Philadelphia Department of Science established |
1873 |
Athletic Association founded Medical Hall (later Logan and then Claudia Cohen Hall) |
1874 |
|
1875 |
University Magazine, first student news publication |
1876 |
First Pennsylvania intercollegiate football game. A team from Yale was the opponent |
1877 |
Robert Hare Medical and Dental Laboratory |
1878 |
School of Dental Medicine founded |
1880 |
|
1881 |
|
1882 |
|
1884 |
School of Veterinary Medicine founded Biological Hall (later McFarlane Hall of Botany Hall) Pennsylvanian founded (later the Daily Pennsylvanian.) |
1885 |
First Athletic Field on campus Eadweard Muybridge's photography studio |
1887 |
University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology founded Maternity Hospital and Mortuary Chapel (HUP) |
1888 |
Red & Blue magazine founded |
1889 |
First earned Ph.D. awarded The Mask and Wig Club founded |
1890 |
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology begun Botanical Gardens |
1891 |
Lea Institute of Hygiene (later Smith Chemistry Laboratory and Lea Laboratory of Hygiene) Nurses Hall University Library (now Anne and Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Library) |
1892 |
Wistar Institute founded |
1893 |
Graduate School of Education founded |
1894 |
Agnew Memorial Pavilion (HUP) William Pepper Laboratory of Clinical Medicine (HUP) Pepper Maternity Hospital (HUP) Quadrangle Dormitories |
1895 |
Dental Hall (later Fine Arts, now Hayden Hall) Franklin Field First of the Quadrangle dormitories Mechanical (Engineering) Laboratory and Central Heat and Power Plant |
1896 |
Houston Hall, first student union in America, opened |
1897 |
Museum of Science and Art (now The University Museum) |
1900 |
Association of American Universities established, with the University as one of the fourteen founding members Law School building (later Lewis Hall, now Silverman Hall) Music Building and Morgan Building (Arts and Sciences, built 1892, acquired 1900) |
1904 |
John Morgan Building (Medicine) Weightman Hall |
1905 |
White Training House (now the Dunning Coaches' Center) |
1906 |
Towne Building (SEAS) |
1909 |
School of Social Work founded |
1910 |
Leidy Laboratories of Biology (Arts and Sciences) |
1912 |
Veterinary Medicine Old Quadrangle |
1915 |
Thomas W. Evans Museum and Dental Institute Duhring Wing |
1920 |
School of Fine Arts founded |
1922 |
Franklin Field Stadium |
1923 |
Moore School of Electrical Engineering founded |
1925 |
Bennett Hall (now Fisher - Bennett Hall) |
1926 |
Moore School Building acquired Palestra |
1928 |
Anatomy Chemistry Building (Medicine) Hutchinson Gymnasium Irvine Auditorium |
1930 |
Thomas Sovereign Gates named first President of the University |
1932 |
|
1933 |
|
1935 |
School of Nursing founded |
1940 |
Cret Wing of Chemistry Laboratories (Arts and Sciences) |
1944 |
George William McClelland becomes President of the University |
1948 |
Harold Edward Stassen becomes President of the University |
1950 |
School of Law's 100th Anniversary |
1952 |
Engineering and Applied Science and 100th Aniversary Faculty Senate organized |
1953 |
William Hagan DuBarry becomes Acting President of the University Gaylord Probasco Harnwell becomes President of the University |
1954 |
The Ivy League established, with the University as one of the eight founding members David Rittenhouse Laboratory (Arts and Sciences) |
1958 |
Chemistry Laboratories, 1958 Wing |
1959 |
Annenberg School for Communication founded Ringe Squash Courts Skinner Hall (now Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall) |
1960 |
Women’s Residence Hall (later re-named Hill College House) |
1961 |
Medical Science Research Laboratory (Medicine) |
1962 |
Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library Annenberg School for Communication building Graduate School of Education building Richards Medical Research Laboratories (Medicine) |
1963 |
Institute of Contemporary Art founded Gittis Hall and Pepper Hall (Law) |
1964 |
Graduate School of Education's 50th Anniversary Blockley Hall (Medicine) Goddard Laboratories (Arts and Sciences) Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter built (Arts and Sciences and SEAS) Mayer Residence Hall (now part of Stouffer College House) Gladys Rosenthal Building (Veterinary) |
1965 |
Power Transmission Laboratory (now the Edison Building, SEAS) |
1966 |
School of Medicine's Bicentennial Caster Building (Social Policy and Practice) Dietrich Graduate Library addition to Van Pelt Library Graduate Research Wing of the Moore School (SEAS) Stiteler Hall (School of Arts and Sciences) Richard L. Solomon Laboratories of Experimental Psychology (Arts and Sciences) |
1967 |
Franklin Building Meyerson Hall (Design) |
1969 |
Robert Wood Johnson Pavilion (Medicine) |
1970 |
Martin Meyerson becomes President of the University Class of 1920 Commons Class of 1923 Ice Rink Levy Center for Oral Health Research (Dental Medicine) McNeil Building Rodin, Harnwell and Harrison College Houses (“Superblock”) Sansom East and West (“Graduate Towers”) Stiteler Hall built (Arts and Sciences) |
1971 |
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Museum Academic Wing Penn's first College House, Van Pelt Manor (later renamed Gregory College House) DuBois College House |
1972 |
Stouffer College House Freshman seminar program begins Affirmative Action program for women and minorities begins Three scientists with the University ties receive Nobel Prizes Claire M. Fagin Hall (Nursing) Mabel Pew Myrin Pavilion (Medicine) Vance Hall (Wharton) Williams Hall (Arts and Sciences) |
1973 |
Chemistry Laboratories, 1973 Wing |
1974 |
Faculty of Arts and Sciences begun, combining the College, the College for Women, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Social Sciences departments of the Wharton School |
1975 |
Penn Tower (Medicine) |
1977 |
Robert P. Levy Tennis Pavilion |
1978 |
School of Dental Medicine’s 100th Anniversary Edward J. Stemmler Hall (Medicine) |
1980 |
Ryan Veterinary hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Veterinary) |
1981 |
F. Sheldon Hackney becomes President of the University Wharton School's 100th Anniversary Eisenlohr Hall (built 1912) becomes the official residence of the University President |
1983 |
Medical Office Building, 51 North 39th Street Steinberg Addition to Steinberg-Dietrich Hall (Wharton) |
1984 |
Veterinary Medicine's 100th Anniversary Albert M. Greenfield Intercultural Center |
1985 |
School of Nursing's 50th Anniversary |
1986 |
Steinberg Conference Center (Wharton) |
1987 |
3401 Walnut Street |
1989 |
Clinical Research Building (Medicine) |
1990 |
School of Design's 100th Anniversary Institute of Contemporary Art, new home on 36th Street Lauder-Fischer Hall (Wharton) |
1992 |
Elliott and Roslyn Jaffe History of Art Building (Arts and Sciences) |
1993 |
Claire M. Fagin becomes Interim President of the University Biddle Law Library – Nicole E. Tannenbaum Hall (Law) |
1994 |
University inaugurates its first woman President, Judith Rodin. Rodin is a graduate of the College for Women, Class of 1966, the first University alumnus to be named President in 50 years Elliot and Rosly Jaffe History of Art Building Stellar - Chance Laboratories (Medicine) |
1995 |
Presbyterian Hospital purchased |
1996 |
Melvin and Claire Levine Hall/Weiss Tech House (SEAS) |
1997 |
Pennsylvania Hospital purchased Roy and Diana Vagelos Laoratories (Arts and Sciences and SEAS) |
1998 |
Public Safety, 4040 Chestnut Street |
1999 |
Biomedical Research Building 2 (Medicine) Inn at Penn and University Bookstore |
2000 |
Module 7 Utility Building |
2001 |
Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall Left Bank Penn-Alexander School (Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander School) |
2002 |
150th Anniversary of SEAS Jon M. Huntsman Hall (Wharton) Pottruck Health and Fitness Center Robert Schattner Center (Dental Medicine) |
2003 |
Hill Square Hillel at Steinhardt Hall |
2004 |
Amy Gutmann becomes President of the University and in her Inaugural address, she announces the Penn Compact, the cornerstone on which her administration will be built: increasing access, integrating knowledge, and engaging globally and locally |
2005 |
250th Anniversary of the College Translational Research Laboratory (Medicine) McNeil Center for Early American Studies |
2006 |
Penn Connects, new master plan for the University, in anticipation of the acquisition of the major expansion of the campus to the east Vernon and Shirley Hill Pavilion (Veterinary Medicine) Carolyn Lynch Laboratory (Arts and Sciences) Skirkanich Hall (SEAS) |
2007 |
The University acquires a major vacant space along the Schuylkill River “Making History”, a 5-year campaign for Penn’s future Domus apartments The Hub |
2008 |
School of Social Policy and Practice’s 100th Anniversary Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (Medicine) The Radian |
2009 |
Annenberg School’s 50th Anniversary Annenberg Public Policy Center |
2010 |
Translational Research Center (Medicine) George A. Weiss Pavilion at Franklin Field |
This list is an updated adaptation of the Chronology found in Martin Meyerson's and Dilys Pegler Winegrad's Gladly Learn and Gladly Teach, 1978.