November 15, 2013
I always enjoy returning to my alma mater, the University of
Pennsylvania, for professional occasions. I am not a big fan of class reunions,
preferring to meander solo down Locust Walk, the “main street” of the campus,
retracing my footsteps as a college student.
The campus was at its peak glory
in the late fall.
The photographs here show many of the campus landmarks that
were present “back in the day,” with the exception of the Wynn Plaza (named for
Steve Wynn, the casino magnate, who is apparently an alumnus and was the
roommate of Stuart Weitzman the shoe designer).
Everything is more beautiful
than it was in the 70s, thanks to some big time philanthropy.
Even Ben Franklin looks better with age!
My favorite building on campus was always the Furness Fine Arts Building, designed by Frank Furness and built in 1888. I used to study in its library for inspiration and also to avoid other pre-med students. This is a stunning red brick, brownstone and terra cotta structure that is largely unaltered from its original design. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What I did not
show, however, are the dramatic changes on the medical side of the campus,
where Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania (HUP) seem to be competing to see who can build the newest and
biggest hospital and research facilities.
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