Historic Site Directory

Pennsylvania Hospital, founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin, was Colonial America's first hospital. After considerable concern over finding a proper site, its managers chose the square bounded by Eighth, Ninth, Spruce and Pine Streets. Most of the block was purchased in 1754, and the remainder was secured through a grant from the Penn family several years later. Because the need for a small provincial hospital was considered vital, a private house on High (Market) Street near the southwest corner of 5th Street was rented as the first hospital while the site was being selected and the new building constructed. That temporary location was occupied until 1756, when the new structure opened to receive patients. At that time the hospital stood in the country, four or five city blocks from the edge of town, and could be reached only over unpaved streets. Not until the end of the century did homes and other buildings begin to appear nearby.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States