University of Pennsylvania - Record Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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Lynx In 1911 Dr. Edgar Fahs Smith succeeded Dr. Harrison as Provost and while he was conservative as to physical expansion, he did do much to further advance scholarship and administration of the Uni- versity. The building that he did see was the new Dental School building, a Surgical Building, a Maternity Building, the Duhring Memorial Stack addition to the Library, which gave' the Library a capacity of over a million volumes, additions to the Museum, and five new dormitories, one being for women students. An important change that Provost Smith brought about was the divi- sion in 1912 of the College into three separate schools-The College, The Wharton School, and the Towne Scientific School-with a dean at the head of each. Then during 1913 and 1914 Dr. Smith brought about the founding of extension schools of the Wharton School of Finance in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Harrisburg, and Reading. Also in 1914 the School of Education was separated from the College and made the fourth undergraduate school with its own dean and faculty. Since that time four other departments have been organized with their own deans-The Moore School of Electrical Engineering, The School of Fine Arts, the Department of Physical Education, Qea. 7 rf? as f 6'-MY Irvine Auditorium. New Furness Wing of the University Library. and the College for Women. There have been several new buildings. The old Heating and Lighting Plant has been moved from its position back of the library, and has been moved down near the river. ln its place the lrvine Auditorium has been built. The men's dormitories have been increased until now there are thirty six in all. Franklin Field has been rebuilt with a large double-decker stadium seating about eighty thousand when the temporary stands are up. Next to Franklin Field has been built the Palestra which is one of the best indoor stadiums in the country, having a seating capacity of lU,UOO. Connecting with the Palestra is the new Hutchinson gymnasium and the new swimming tank. The Old Gymnasium, Weightman Hall, has become the women's gymnasium. Also the Moore School Building, Bennett Hall, the College for Women, and the Christian Association Building have been built. The last and most recent addition to the campus has been the two new wings that were added to Houston Hall in 1939. ln one wing there has been opened a commons for the freshmen. This year, two hundred years after its founding, there is a great deal of difference between the one building on Fourth Street below Arch and the present institution. Today the campus consists of 106 acres along the west banks of the Schuylkill,

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ings and other activities. A location was found for the dormitories in the site of the old athletic field on Spruce Streets between Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Streets. The athletic field stands were razed and moved to their present location. A new field bearing Franklin's name, a gymnasium, and a training house were built. On the old athletic field and a triangular lot adjoining, fifteen dormitories were built, each dormitory facing away from the street and being a separate unit in itself. Finally in October 1896 these buildings were opened, offering accommodations for three hundred and fifty students. To take care of the social needs of the campus, the Houston Club was erected as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Houston in memory of their son, a graduate of the University. lt was completely an Undergraduate Club, controlled and managed by the students and for the students. lt offered rooms for many of the undergraduate organizations, a reading room, billiard tables, bowling-alleys, and a swimming tank. This was the first Student Club in the country and soon many of the other universities followed Pennsylvania's lead by founding similar clubs. Cf course, previous to this there had been various men's fraternities, pubil- cations, the Christian Association, language groups, and dramatic groups like the Mask and Wig Club, as well as the various athletics and the famous Bowl, Pants, and Corner fights, but none of them serve the purpose that the Houston Club did of bringing all students of varying talents into closer fellowship with one another. Traditional Pants Fight. wmv:

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In .- ax nn ---5 1iaxk1ll l?2f5,i'V fx-7 K , I Q Qs liter-ffflsgai-We fi ll llnlllllllllnlllmmm im 6 Faris, AQQ? FNJ Maxtor 4.2 aG Es ' VA INE M0mBU Dormitories. felis X5,.,! Where there are located lO7 buildings tional purposes, including laboratories, museums and hos- pitals. Many buildings are given over to the housing of students in dormitories and fraternity houses. Also located off the camous are the Graduate Hospital, the Phipps Insti- tute, the Flower Astronomical Observatory, the Morris Arbore- tum, and the University Boat House. From the few students and faculty there Were at first, the Universiy has expanded until there are over l5UO members of the faculty and over l7,UUO students taking either full- or part-time Work, making it one of the largest universities in the United States.