Pennsylvania Hospital

Pennsylvania Hospital

Type	Teaching hospital
Address	800 Spruce Street
Map	View on Google Maps
Neighborhood	Washington Square West
Phone	(215) 829-3000
Website	Official site
Established	1751
Founder	Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Thomas Bond
Owner	Penn Medicine
Hours	Historic Tours: Mon-Fri 9 AM - 4 PM
Products	Medical care, historic tours
Status	Active

Pennsylvania Hospital(215) 829-3000https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/penn-medicine-locations/pennsylvania-hospital800 Spruce StreetPhiladelphiaPAUS

Pennsylvania Hospital is the oldest hospital in the United States, located at 800 Spruce Street in Washington Square West, Philadelphia. Founded on May 11, 1751, by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital chartered in the American colonies and pioneered numerous medical advances that shaped American healthcare. The hospital's original Pine Building, dating to 1756, is a National Historic Landmark and houses the nation's first surgical amphitheater (1804), first hospital medical library, and first hospital apothecary.

Today, Pennsylvania Hospital operates as a 515-bed teaching hospital and is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine). While continuing to provide modern medical care, the hospital offers free guided tours of its historic Pine Building, allowing visitors to explore the birthplace of American hospital medicine.

History

Founding

Pennsylvania Hospital was founded on May 11, 1751, when the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly passed a bill chartering the hospital. The institution was conceived the previous year when Dr. Thomas Bond, a Philadelphia physician trained in London and Paris, proposed establishing a hospital to care for the city's sick poor.

Bond approached his longtime friend Benjamin Franklin to help raise funds and generate public support. Franklin's involvement proved crucial—he not only championed the cause but developed an innovative funding mechanism: the first matching grant in American history.

Founders

Dr. Thomas Bond (1712-1784) and Benjamin Franklin co-founded Pennsylvania Hospital.

Dr. Thomas Bond Born in Maryland, Bond trained as a physician in London and Paris before establishing a practice in Philadelphia. Influenced by the success of voluntary hospitals in England, Bond envisioned a similar institution for the colonies. When he initially struggled to raise funds, he turned to Franklin for help.

Benjamin Franklin Franklin's genius lay in both fundraising and political strategy. He proposed to the Pennsylvania Assembly that if private citizens could raise £2,000, the government would match the amount. Skeptical legislators agreed, believing the goal unattainable. Franklin exceeded the target, forcing the Assembly to fulfill its pledge and creating a new model for public-private partnerships in philanthropy.

Franklin served on the hospital's original Board of Managers, as its first secretary, and later as its second president. He chose the story of the Good Samaritan as the motif for the hospital seal, reflecting the institution's mission to care for the sick poor "free of charge."

America's First Hospital

Pennsylvania Hospital is America's first chartered hospital and is widely recognized as the oldest hospital in the United States. While other institutions existed earlier in different forms, Pennsylvania Hospital was the first to receive an official charter as a hospital:

• 1729 - Philadelphia General Hospital (an almshouse) was founded, but operated primarily as a poorhouse
• 1736 - Bellevue Hospital in New York opened as a six-bed infirmary
• 1751 - Pennsylvania Hospital received the first hospital charter in the American colonies

Pennsylvania Hospital was the first institution specifically designed and chartered to provide medical care, making it the prototype for American hospitals.

Early Development

The hospital opened in a temporary location on Market Street in 1752, admitting its first patient that year. Construction of a permanent facility began in 1755 under the direction of Samuel Rhoads, a master builder and member of the Carpenters' Company who drew inspiration from the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.

The East Wing was completed in 1756, followed by the West Wing in 1797, and the Center Building in 1804. Together, these sections form the Pine Building, one of the finest examples of 18th-century American colonial architecture.

The Pine Building

The Pine Building is Pennsylvania Hospital's original historic structure, built in three sections between 1756 and 1804. Designed by Samuel Rhoads, the building is named for the pine boards used in its original construction and is considered a masterpiece of Georgian colonial architecture.

The Pine Building houses several nationally significant medical firsts:

Nation's First Surgical Amphitheater (1804) The circular amphitheater on the top floor was designed with tiered seating so medical students could observe surgeries performed in the center. A skylight provided natural illumination for operations. This teaching model influenced the design of surgical theaters throughout America.

First Hospital Medical Library (1762) Dr. John Fothergill of London donated the initial collection of medical texts, creating America's first hospital library. The library still contains rare medical volumes and continues to serve researchers.

First Hospital Apothecary The hospital established the colonies' first hospital pharmacy, where medicines were prepared and dispensed.

The Pine Building underwent a major preservation and restoration completed in 2012. Today, it houses medical offices, scholarly research facilities, conference rooms, and serves as the site for historic tours.

Benjamin Rush

Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was a physician, Founding Father, and signer of the Declaration of Independence who served on the Pennsylvania Hospital staff from 1783 until his death in 1813. Rush is known as the "Father of American Psychiatry" for his revolutionary approaches to treating mental illness.

Rush's Background

Rush graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) and received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. He studied in London and Paris before returning to Philadelphia in 1769, where he established a medical practice and joined the faculty of the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).

Contributions to Psychiatry

At Pennsylvania Hospital, Rush implemented humane reforms in the treatment of mentally ill patients, who were previously kept in the hospital's basement under deplorable conditions. His innovations included:

• Advocating for treating mental illness as a medical condition rather than demonic possession
• Improving living conditions for psychiatric patients
• Developing new therapeutic approaches including occupational therapy
• Publishing the first American textbook on psychiatry, "Medical Inquiries and Observations upon the Diseases of the Mind" (1812)

Other Achievements

Beyond psychiatry, Rush was:

• A signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Surgeon General of the Continental Army
• Founder of Dickinson College
• A prominent abolitionist
• An advocate for public education and women's education

Rush's portrait appears on the seal of the American Psychiatric Association.

The Physic Garden

The Physic Garden is a medicinal herb garden located in front of the Pine Building's West Wing. The garden contains plants historically used in 18th-century medicine, representing the hospital's origins when physicians grew their own medicinal ingredients.

History

The Board of Managers first proposed the Physic Garden in 1774 to provide physicians with ingredients for medicines. However, financial difficulties during the Revolutionary War delayed the project for two centuries.

In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration, the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America and the Friends of Pennsylvania Hospital finally realized the original vision. The garden was planted with historically accurate medicinal plants.

What Grows in the Garden

The Physic Garden contains plants once used to:

• Stimulate the heart (foxglove/digitalis)
• Ease toothaches
• Relieve indigestion
• Cleanse wounds
• Treat various 18th-century ailments

Interpretive signage explains the historical medicinal uses of each plant. The garden is accessible during self-guided tours of the hospital.

Historic Tours

Pennsylvania Hospital offers free guided and self-guided tours of the historic Pine Building.

Guided Tours

Schedule: Monday through Friday at 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM Duration: Approximately one hour Cost: Free Reservations: Required; call (215) 829-3370

Guided tours include:

• The historic medical library
• The nation's first surgical amphitheater
• Benjamin West's painting "Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple" (1817)
• Portraits and artworks by Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, and others
• Historical medical artifacts

Self-Guided Tours

Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Cost: Free Registration: Not required

Self-guided visitors can explore:

• The Physic Garden
• The historic Pine Building lobby
• Portrait gallery
• Interpretive displays

Note: Access to the surgical amphitheater and medical library may be limited during self-guided tours.

Location

Pennsylvania Hospital is located at 800 Spruce Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Center City, between 8th and 9th Streets.

Address: 800 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

Getting There:

• SEPTA Market-Frankford Line (The L): 8th Street Station (3 blocks north)
• SEPTA Broad Street Line (The B): Walnut-Locust Station (3 blocks west)
• SEPTA Bus Routes: 40, 42, 47 serve nearby streets
• Walking: 10-minute walk from Independence Hall

The hospital is located in one of Philadelphia's most historic neighborhoods, near Washington Square, the Walnut Street Theatre, and numerous colonial-era sites.

Current Operations

Pennsylvania Hospital is a fully operational 515-bed acute care teaching hospital. While honoring its historic legacy, the hospital provides comprehensive modern medical services including:

• Emergency medicine
• Surgery (including cardiothoracic and orthopedic)
• Obstetrics and gynecology (one of the region's busiest birthing centers)
• Internal medicine
• Psychiatry
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Specialty care services

Pennsylvania Hospital is part of Penn Medicine (the University of Pennsylvania Health System) and maintains its founding mission of providing care to all patients regardless of ability to pay.

Historical Significance

Pennsylvania Hospital pioneered American hospital medicine through numerous firsts:

Year	Achievement
1751	First chartered hospital in America
1752	First patient admitted
1756	Pine Building East Wing completed; Dr. Thomas Bond performs first lithotomy (stone extraction) in the colonies
1762	First hospital medical library established
1783	Benjamin Rush joins staff, begins psychiatric reforms
1804	First surgical amphitheater opens; first hospital apothecary established
1812	First American psychiatry textbook published (by Rush)
1817	Benjamin West's masterpiece installed

The hospital's innovative matching-grant funding model, developed by Franklin, became a template for philanthropic funding used worldwide to this day.

Historic Art Collection

Pennsylvania Hospital houses an important collection of American art:

Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple (1817) Benjamin West's monumental painting was specifically commissioned for the hospital. The 13-by-17-foot work depicts Christ's healing miracles and reflects the hospital's mission of compassionate care.

Portrait Collection Works by Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, and other important American artists depict the physicians, benefactors, and board members who shaped the hospital's history.

The art collection is accessible during historic tours.

See Also

• Benjamin Franklin
• University of Pennsylvania
• Penn Medicine
• Washington Square West
• Healthcare in Philadelphia

External Links

• Historic Tours - Penn Medicine
• Franklin's Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Hospital
• Pennsylvania Hospital Historical Timeline