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Home of the Quakers

University of Pennsylvania

Penn's campus spans eras: Frank Furness's fiery red Victorian library, the first student union on any American campus, and Louis Kahn's breakthrough Richards Laboratories all sit within a short walk.

  • 5Buildings
  • 3Traditions
  • 1872Oldest · College Hall
  • 1960Newest · Richards Medical Research Laboratories

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoPhiladelphia International Airport (PHL)

    PHL is about 15 minutes by car from campus. SEPTA's Airport Line train runs to University City station, next to the campus.

  • Getting aroundWalking / SEPTA

    University City is flat and easy to walk. SEPTA trolleys, buses and the Market–Frankford Line connect campus with Center City Philadelphia.

  • Colors and teams

    The university goes by 'Penn' or 'UPenn' for short.

5 buildings to stamp

  1. Fisher Fine Arts Library
    Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Fisher Fine Arts Library

    220 S 34th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

    Frank Furness's red sandstone, brick and terra-cotta giant, part fortress and part cathedral, opened in 1891 as Penn's main library. Today it is the fine arts library and a National Historic Landmark.

    Built
    1891
    Architect
    Frank Furness (Furness, Evans & Co.)
    Style
    Venetian Gothic
    Stories
    8
    Today
    Fine arts library
  2. College Hall
    Photo: Bestbudbrian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    College Hall

    3450 Woodland Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104

    The oldest building on Penn's West Philadelphia campus owes its distinctive green colour to serpentine stone. Its top floor was purpose-built for the Philomathean Society, which still meets there.

    Built
    1872
    Architect
    Thomas W. Richards
    Style
    Victorian Gothic
    Stories
    6
    Today
    President's offices, admissions and classrooms
  3. Houston Hall
    Photo: AttaleianAnatolian, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Houston Hall

    3417 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

    Completed in 1896, this Collegiate Gothic hall was the first student union built on an American college campus, and it is still Penn's student union today.

    Built
    1896
    Architect
    Frank Miles Day, William C. Hays and Milton Bennett Medary
    Style
    Collegiate Gothic
    Stories
    4
    Today
    Student union
  4. Penn Museum
    Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Penn Museum

    3260 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

    A campus landmark of courtyards, gardens, a reflecting pool and a dramatic rotunda, designed by a team of Penn's own architecture faculty. Only a third of the grand original plan was built, and it holds a 13-ton granite sphinx of Ramesses II.

    Built
    1899
    Architect
    Wilson Eyre, Cope & Stewardson and Frank Miles Day
    Style
    Arts and Crafts / Eclectic
    Today
    Archaeology and anthropology museum
  5. Richards Medical Research Laboratories
    Photo: Smallbones, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Richards Medical Research Laboratories

    3700 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104

    The building that made Louis Kahn's career: clusters of laboratory towers flanked by brick shafts for stairs and air ducts, inspired by the medieval towers of Italy. Its clear split between 'served' and 'servant' spaces set new directions for modern architecture.

    Built
    1960
    Architect
    Louis Kahn
    Style
    Modernist
    Today
    Research labs

3 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • The Button

    Claes Oldenburg's Split Button sits on College Green, and student lore says it is the button that popped off Benjamin Franklin's vest, rolled down Locust Walk and split in two. It is a central campus landmark and a popular photo stop.

  • Ivy Day stones on College Hall

    Since 1873 each graduating class has set an engraved Ivy Stone into a campus building, and there are now nearly 200 around campus. Start at College Hall and look for the class-year stones in the walls.

  • Hey Day on Locust Walk

    Each spring, juniors in straw-style hats march down Locust Walk to College Hall to be declared seniors, a tradition dating back to Class Day in 1865. Visitors can watch the procession pass along the walk.

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