America's oldest hospital. Another of Benjamin Franklin's
legacies. It seems a trifle peculiar to send someone on a
walking tour of a medical facility. But in the case of
Pennsylvania Hospital, the oldest such institution in the land,
history, architecture, and landscaping combine in making yet
another of Benjamin Franklin's legacies a singular destination.
The indefatigable Franklin raised money to help found the
hospital in 1751, in conjunction with Dr. Thomas Bond. When the
United States declared independence from Great Britain, the
hospital was already 25 years old. Franklin also served on the
hospital's original Board of Managers, as well as being its
first secretary and second president. The hospital's original
home was the Pine Building, still a section of the hospital,
which was built in three sections over 50 years. The primary
architect, Samuel Rhodes, a member of the Carpenters' Company,
took his inspiration from the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
Initially, the basement was used to house the insane