Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy

The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy, also known as the Medical Services Building, is an historic school building which is located in the Rittenhouse Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy, April 2010
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy is located in Philadelphia
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy is located in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy is located in the United States
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy
Location419 S. 19th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°56′45″N 75°10′20″W / 39.94583°N 75.17222°W / 39.94583; -75.17222
Arealess than one acre
Built1930
ArchitectBissell & Sinker; Yeatman, Georgina P.
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.03000528[1]
Added to NRHPJune 13, 2003

It was designed by Georgina Pope Yeatman, who was one of only four women to be licensed as architects by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the early part of her career. Yeatman later went on to become the first woman ever to be appointed to the post as director of architecture for the city of Philadelphia, which was the third largest city in Pennsylvania during the 1930s.[2][3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

History and architectural features

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A three-story, five-bay, U-shaped brown brick building, which was designed in the Art Deco style by Georgina Pope Yeatman[4] of the Bissell & Sinkler architecture firm, the Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy was built in 1930 as a two-story building. A third story was added in 1939.[5]

The front facade features sculptural iron panels, sandstone carvings, and two-story brick pilasters with decorative caps. The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy occupied the building into the late-1950s, after which it housed medical offices associated with the University of Pennsylvania.[5] It has been converted to apartments.

Notable alumni of the school included Kamala Nimbkar and Muriel Zimmerman. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Philadelphia's First Woman Cabinet Member." St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 12, 1936, p. 61 (subscription required).
  3. ^ "Girl Is Philadelphia's Flying City Architect." St. Petersburg, Florida: St. Petersburg Times, February 6, 1937, p. 27 (subscription required).
  4. ^ "Philadelphia's First Woman Cabinet Member," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 12, 1936, p. 61.
  5. ^ a b "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Cynthia Rose Hamilton (December 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-16.