Editing Girard College (section)

== Founder's Hall ==

Founder's Hall represents Greek Revival architecture at its most ambitious, a full-scale Corinthian temple that served as classroom building, chapel, and architectural symbol of the institution's aspirations. Thomas Ustick Walter's design adapts the form of an ancient Greek temple—a rectangular cella surrounded by a colonnade—to educational purposes, creating interior spaces within a form traditionally solid. The 34 Corinthian columns, each 55 feet tall and six feet in diameter, create a peristyle of unprecedented scale in American architecture. The building's white marble construction, rare for structures of this size, contributes to its classical effect.<ref name="walter">{{cite book |last=Gilchrist |first=Agnes |title=Thomas Ustick Walter: Architect of the United States Capitol |year=1950 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The interior contains three floors of rooms organized within the temple form, with a central hall running the building's length on each floor. These spaces served various educational functions—classrooms, library, chapel—that Girard's institution required. The architectural challenge of fitting practical rooms within temple form demanded considerable ingenuity, with natural light introduced through skylights and roof monitors that do not compromise the exterior's classical purity. The building's survival in excellent condition makes it an unparalleled document of Greek Revival ambition.<ref name="gallery"/>