The Kelly Writers House is a mixed-use programming and community space on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia .
173-516: Founded in 1995 by a group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, the Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia) hosts more than 300 events and projects per year, such as readings, art exhibits, lectures, seminars, film screenings, manuscript exchanges, tutoring programs, and literary celebrations. Most events are open to the public and live-streamed on
346-496: A 1959 Philadelphia ordinance requiring total budget for new construction or major renovation projects in which governmental resources are used to include 1% for art to be used to pay for installation of site-specific public art, in part because many alumni collected and donated art to Penn, and in part because of the presence of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design on the campus. In 2020, Penn installed Brick House ,
519-729: A 24-hour particle pollution rating of D in the American Lung Association 's 2017 State of the Air report, which analyzed data from 2013 to 2015. The city was ranked 22nd for ozone, 20th for short-term particle pollution, and 11th for year-round particle pollution. According to the same report, the city experienced a significant reduction in high ozone days since 2001—from nearly 50 days per year to fewer than 10—along with fewer days of high particle pollution since 2000—from about 19 days per year to about 3—and an approximate 30% reduction in annual levels of particle pollution since 2000. Five of
692-650: A March 2017 university statement. In 2007, Penn acquired about 35 acres (14 ha) between the campus and the Schuylkill River at the former site of the Philadelphia Civic Center and a nearby 24-acre (9.7 ha) site then owned by the United States Postal Service . Dubbed the Postal Lands, the site extends from Market Street on the north to Penn's Bower Field on the south, including
865-514: A Tree Campus USA since 2009 and formally recognized as an accredited ArbNet Arboretum since 2017. Penn maintains an interactive website linked to Penn's comprehensive tree inventory, which allows users to explore Penn's entire collection of trees. The second arboretum, Morris Arboretum , which serves as the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , is 92 acres and includes over 13,000 labelled plants from over 2,500 types, representing
1038-495: A bachelor's degree or higher. 23.9% spoke a language other than English at home, the most common of which was Spanish (10.8%). 15.0% of the populations foreign born, roughly half of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens. 3.7% of the population are veterans. The median household income was $ 52,889 and 22.8% of the population lived in poverty. 49.5% of the population drove alone to work, while 23.2% used public transit, 8.2% carpooled, 7.9% walked, and 7.0% worked from home. The average commute
1211-403: A budget of $ 371 million. The Philadelphia Parking Authority is responsible for ensuring adequate parking for city residents, businesses, and visitors. Philadelphia's architectural history dates back to colonial times and includes a wide range of styles. The earliest structures were constructed with logs , but brick structures were common by 1700. During the 18th century, the cityscape
1384-467: A city on the Delaware River to serve as a port and place for government. Hoping that Philadelphia would become more like an English rural town instead of a city, Penn laid out roads on a grid plan to keep houses and businesses spread far apart with areas for gardens and orchards . The city's inhabitants did not follow Penn's plans, however, and instead crowded the present-day Port of Philadelphia on
1557-468: A class on "Topography of Testimony" by fellow Matt Abess, a project to create a literary scrapbook of Philadelphia by fellow Moira Moody, and a documentary about two HIV positive Philadelphia women created by fellow Roz Plotzker. Visit the Junior Fellows Program website for a complete list of junior fellows and their projects. The Brodsky Gallery is an art gallery positioned on the ground floor of
1730-431: A clay house. At the installation, Penn president Amy Guttman proclaimed that "Ms. Leigh's sculpture brings a striking presence of strength, grace, and beauty—along with an ineffable sense of mystery and resilience—to a central crossroad of Penn's campus." The Covenant , known to the student body as "Dueling Tampons" or "The Tampons," is a large red structure created by Alexander Liberman and located on Locust Walk as
1903-577: A communitarian and capacious place, Writers House is ideal spot for the exchange of ideas, with robust space, too, in the virtual realm for electronic texts and electronic publishing. Read the original mission statement, authored by Shawn Lynn Walker and the Writers House Planning Committee in the notes. The Writers House community has many members that are affiliated with the House in a variety of ways. The largest group of people affiliated with
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#17329097903622076-621: A complete schedule of the Writers House programs this year, consult the calendar. Some of the regular programs are listed below: The Writers House Fellows Program is a reading series and a class offered by the University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of a semester, students in the Kelly Writers House Fellows Seminar read from the works of three Fellows who are each writers of great distinction. Each Fellow visits Writers House for an intense two-day series of events, including
2249-754: A degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and a degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Also, the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences allows its students to either double major in the sciences or submatriculate and earn both a BA and an MS in four years. The most recent Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) was first offered for the class of 2016. A joint program of Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and
2422-406: A feature piece of about 3,000 words as well as a handful of shorter articles. The Little Black Book is a magazine publication and social group that focuses on the wholeness and well-being of Black women on Penn's campus. It is a forum through which Black women can discuss their concerns and opinions on a range of topics that include sexuality, emotional health, and financial growth. Penn Appetit
2595-547: A gateway to the high-rise residences "super block." It was installed in 1975 and is made of rolled sheets of milled steel. A white button, known as The Button and officially called the Split Button is a modern art sculpture designed by designed by Swedish sculptor Claes Oldenburg (who specialized in creating oversize sculptures of everyday objects). It sits at the south entrance of Van Pelt Library and has button holes large enough for people to stand inside. Penn also has
2768-545: A grant for the year to support his or her proposed program. The funding can be used for any purpose—paying visiting speakers, expenses for the program including food, materials, equipment, etc.—as long as the program concludes with a presentation for the Writers House community at the Writers House. The program encourages recent Penn graduates with a history of involvement in the Writers House community to remain close to it and gives them an opportunity to pursue their literary interests beyond their college career. Past programs include
2941-492: A grid pattern between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers that is aligned with their courses. The original city plan was designed to allow for easy travel and to keep residences separated by open space that would help prevent the spread of fire. In keeping with the idea of a "Greene Countrie Towne", and inspired by the many types of trees that grew in the region, Penn named many of the east–west streets for local trees. Penn planned
3114-523: A group of Philadelphians organized to erect a great preaching hall for George Whitefield , a traveling Anglican evangelist , which was designed and constructed by Edmund Woolley . It was the largest building in Philadelphia at the time, and thousands of people attended it to hear Whitefield preach. In the fall of 1749, Benjamin Franklin , a Founding Father and polymath in Philadelphia, circulated
3287-462: A group of volunteers made up of faculty, students, staff and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania founded the Kelly Writers House. The group, the Writers House Planning Committee, also known as the "Hub", aimed to create a central space where students of the University of Pennsylvania and members of the greater Philadelphia writing community could "organize, promote, and share" creative writing activities. Penn alumnus Paul Kelly funded renovations to
3460-706: A growth in its population in 2007, which continued with incremental annual increases through the present. A migration pattern has been established from New York City to Philadelphia by residents opting for a large city with relative proximity and a lower cost of living . Philadelphia's geographic center is about 40° 0′ 34″ north latitude and 75° 8′ 0″ west longitude. The 40th parallel north passes through neighborhoods in Northeast Philadelphia , North Philadelphia , and West Philadelphia including Fairmount Park . The city encompasses 142.71 square miles (369.62 km ), of which 134.18 square miles (347.52 km )
3633-622: A joint effort between former mayors John F. Street and Michael Nutter . The zoning changes were intended to rectify incorrect zoning maps to facilitate future community development, as the city forecasts an additional 100,000 residents and 40,000 jobs will be added by 2035. The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) is the largest landlord in Pennsylvania. Established in 1937, the PHA is the nation's fourth-largest housing authority, serving about 81,000 people with affordable housing, while employing 1,400 on
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#17329097903623806-553: A large part of Washington University in St. Louis . They were known for having combined the Gothic architecture of the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge with the local landscape to establish the Collegiate Gothic style. The present core campus covers over 299 acres (121 ha) in a contiguous area of West Philadelphia's University City section, and the older heart of
3979-468: A list of all the previous Fellows and recordings of readings and discussions, can be found on the Fellows website. The Kelly Writers House Junior Fellows program was founded by Writers House supporters Ralph and Bette Saul in 1998 to enable recent Penn alumni that had been involved in the Writers House community during their college careers to continue their study of the literary arts. The Junior Fellow receives
4152-601: A moderately sunny climate with an average of 2,498 hours of sunshine annually. The percentage of sunshine ranges from 47% in December to 61% in June, July, and August. The January daily average temperature is 33.7 °F (0.9 °C). The temperature frequently rises to 50 °F (10 °C) during thaws. July averages 78.7 °F (25.9 °C). Heat waves accompanied by high humidity and heat indices are frequent, with highs reaching or exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) on 30 days of
4325-460: A monumental work of art, created by Simone Leigh at the College Green gateway to Penn's campus near the corner of 34th Street and Woodland Walk. This 5,900-pound (2,700 kg) bronze sculpture, which is 16 feet (4.9 m) high and 9 feet (2.7 m) in diameter at its base, depicts an African woman's head crowned with an afro framed by cornrow braids atop a form that resembles both a skirt and
4498-467: A network of friends and donors that supports the Writers House financially. The Writers House Planning Committee, also known as the Hub, is the group that founded the Writers House and was initially responsible for planning the events hosted in the building. The Writers House is uniquely self-run. What began in 1995 as a volunteer committee of 20 people, has grown into a wide network of people who sponsor and enact
4671-409: A number of Penn publications and editorial teams. Publications include: Jacket2 magazine is a poetry and poetics online magazine hosted by the Kelly Writers House. It is published by Writers House faculty director Al Filreis, associate published by Writers House director Jessica Lowenthal, and edited by Julia Bloch and Michael S. Hennessey. The magazine is the new incarnation of Jacket magazine,
4844-726: A pamphlet, " Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania ," his vision for what he called a "Public Academy of Philadelphia". On June 16, 1755, the College of Philadelphia was chartered, paving the way for the addition of undergraduate instruction. Much of Penn's current architecture was designed by the Philadelphia -based architecture firm Cope and Stewardson , whose owners were Philadelphia born and raised architects and professors at Penn who also designed Princeton University and
5017-495: A publications room, an office for the Kelly Writers House Hub, classroom space, and a dining room and kitchen, all open for events and student and Writers House community use. In 1997, Paul Kelly, a University of Pennsylvania alumnus (C'62, WG'64) and investment banker, provided an initial grant that was used to fund renovations to the house itself, a Victorian cottage built in 1851. When the Writers House reopened after
5190-514: A replica of the Love sculpture, part of a series created by Robert Indiana . It is a painted aluminum sculpture and was installed in 1998 overlooking College Green. In 2019, the Association for Public Art loaned Penn two multi-ton sculptures. The works are Social Consciousness , created by Sir Jacob Epstein in 1954, and Atmosphere and Environment XII , created by Louise Nevelson in 1970. Until
5363-549: A retrospective of artist Susan Bee 's work, an event with performance artist Karen Finley, and a reading and discussion with Vanessa Place. The series is group curated and is always free and open to the public. More information can be found on the Feminism/s webpage. Founded in memory of comparative literature professor Charles Bernheimer, the Charles Bernheimer Symposium is an annual symposium organized each year by
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5536-554: A seminar with students in the Fellows course, followed by a public reading and interview, both of which are webcast live and then archived on the Writers House website. Writers House Faculty Director, Professor Al Filreis , directs the Fellows Program and teaches the Fellows Seminar. Past fellows include Joyce Carol Oates (2010), Art Spiegelman (2008), Ron Silliman (2012) and John Ashbery (2002 and 2013). More information, including
5709-587: A student's GPA to be a very important academic factor, with emphasis on an applicant's high school class rank and letters of recommendation. Admission is need-blind for U.S., Canadian, and Mexican applicants. For the class of 2026, entering in Fall 2022, the university received 54,588 applications. The Atlantic also ranked Penn among the 10 most selective schools in the country. At the graduate level, based on admission statistics from U.S. News & World Report , Penn's most selective programs include its law school,
5882-447: A tech incubator. The rest of the site, known as South Bank, is a mixture of lightly refurbished industrial buildings that serve as affordable and flexible workspaces and land for future development. Penn hopes that "South Bank will provide a place for academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs to establish their businesses in close proximity to each other to facilitate cross-pollination of their ideas, creativity, and innovation," according to
6055-850: A time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as "Philadelphia rows". A variety of row houses are found throughout the city, from Federal-style continuous blocks in Old City and Society Hill to Victorian-style homes in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West Philadelphia . While newer homes have been built recently, much of the housing dates to the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, which has created problems such as urban decay and vacant lots. Some neighborhoods, including Northern Liberties and Society Hill, have been rehabilitated through gentrification . As of 2014 ,
6228-636: A town in Finland with a Swedish majority. In 1655, a Dutch military campaign led by New Netherland Director-General Peter Stuyvesant took control of the Swedish colony, ending its claim to independence. The Swedish and Finnish people settlers continued to have their own militia , religion, and court, and to enjoy substantial autonomy under the Dutch. An English fleet captured the New Netherland colony in 1664, though
6401-416: A virtual Kelly Writers House on Second Life. Every month between September and April the Writers House also records a broadcast called Live at the Kelly Writers House, which includes poetry, music and spoken-word art. The Writers House uses electronic mailing lists extensively to facilitate communication within and between various groups of people that are affiliated with the House. Listervs are also used as
6574-621: Is Penn's weekly undergraduate magazine that provides a forum for the expression of ideas and opinions, in the forms of creative fiction and poetry, reviews and critiques, as well as art. First Call is committed to a strict policy of not censoring opinions. They print provoking commentary on the university community as well as Penn's society as a whole and remain committed to providing top-notch writing that will sometimes anger, sometimes inspire, but always challenge our community to think about its ambitions, its beliefs, and its ethical and professional standards. The F-Word: A Collection of Feminist Voices
6747-399: Is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of nine colonial colleges and was chartered prior to the U.S. Declaration of Independence when Benjamin Franklin , the university's founder and first president, advocated for an educational institution that trained leaders in academia, commerce, and public service . Penn identifies as
6920-438: Is a food magazine that includes all types of food writing: feature food stories, personal narratives related to food, political/opinion columns, food poetry, restaurant reviews, and more. They are also looking to include photography or other artistic work in the magazine. The goal of the publication is to expand the types of food writing done on campus, as well as to explore the food issues surrounding Penn and Philadelphia. In 2010
7093-463: Is a literary journal on campus, created to fill the feminist void at Penn. Their mission is to provide an outlet for writing or art pertaining to feminism (broadly defined as respect for all individuals regardless of gender or sexual affiliation). The Green Couch is a seasonal publication devoted to the genre of literary journalism. There are no meetings and submissions are welcome from undergrads, graduate students, and alumni alike. Each issue includes
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7266-565: Is a place for anyone interested in writing, regardless of his or her academic or professional path, a place to share a common identity through writing. As described in the original mission statement, the main goals of the house are to provide information about events and projects to those that are interested in participating in writing-related activities, to reserve space for engaging writers and students of writing in such activities, and to develop and sustain an environment in which disparate groups can work together with common goals and purposes. As
7439-453: Is a reading series put on by poets Emily Pettit and Michelle Taransky. The series features the work of poets from Philadelphia and beyond, and also students from the University of Pennsylvania. The series began in 2009 with readings from poets Cecilia Corrigan , Heather Christle, and Natalie Lyalin and has since featured, among others, readers from members of the Kelly Writers House hub, and from Philadelphia-based poet CAConrad. Please visit
7612-552: Is a space in which students learn to design printing projects, hand-set moveable type, ink and clean press, and produce hand-printed broadsides. There are two broadside series, one of which features the work of visiting poets, and one called the Hub Series, which features the poetry of members of the Writers House community. The Robinson Press serves to remind writers that writing is a communal activity that requires practical skills and hard work to bring it to readers. The colophon symbol of
7785-695: Is a yearly event at the Kelly Writers House that emphasizes the importance of clarity in writing about finance and economics. Past events include discussions with Larry Summers and Andrew Ross Sorkin . Supported generously by Penn parents Gary and Nina Wexler, the Wexler Family series promotes all kinds of programs related to Jewish life and culture. Wexler series visitors have included novelists Joseph Skibell and Sam Munson, and poets published in Zeek magazine. The Writers House provides meeting space in its Publications Room, web space, advice, and occasionally pizza for
7958-430: Is an interdisciplinary series that explores structural and cultural solutions to gender hierarchies through art, criticism, political action, and community building. It acknowledges the diversity in contemporary feminist voices and "aims to amplify the multiplicity of voices engaged in critique of the gender hierarchy. Past events include, among others, a lunch program with Eileen Miles, an evening with Make/Shift magazine,
8131-461: Is highly variable. Some winters have only light snow while others include major snowstorms. The normal seasonal snowfall averages 22.4 in (57 cm), with rare snowfalls in November or April, and rarely any sustained snow cover. Seasonal snowfall accumulation has ranged from trace amounts in 1972–73, to 78.7 inches (200 cm) in the winter of 2009–10. The city's heaviest single-storm snowfall
8304-487: Is home to five Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. Metropolitan Philadelphia ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its geographic proximity to both the entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems of New York City and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C. Greater Philadelphia is also a biotechnology hub. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange , owned by Nasdaq since 2008,
8477-639: Is land and 8.53 square miles (22.09 km ), or 6%, is water. Natural bodies of water include the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, lakes in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park , and Cobbs , Wissahickon , and Pennypack creeks. The largest artificial body of water is East Park Reservoir in Fairmount Park . The lowest point is sea level and the highest point is in Chestnut Hill , about 446 feet (136 m) above sea level on Summit Street near
8650-512: Is located east of the Highline Green and stretches from Walnut to South Streets . Penn maintains two arboreta. The first, the roughly 300-acre (120 ha) Penn Campus Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, encompasses the entire University City main campus. The campus arboretum is an urban forest with over 6,500 trees representing 240 species of trees and shrubs, ten specialty gardens and five urban parks, which has been designated as
8823-440: Is often ranked as the nation's best city for professional sports fans. The city has a culturally and philanthropically active LGBTQ+ community . Philadelphia also has played an immensely influential historic and ongoing role in the development and evolution of American music, especially R&B , soul , and rock . As of 2022 , the Philadelphia metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of US$ 518.5 billion and
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#17329097903628996-578: Is one of the largest contiguous urban park areas in the U.S. The two parks, along with the Colonial Revival , Georgian and Federal -style mansions in them, have been listed as one entity on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972. Within the Köppen climate classification , Philadelphia falls under the northern periphery of the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa ). Within
9169-607: Is still a relevant cultural force in America. The series brings together emerging and established poets for readings and discussions in order to create an ongoing dialog on those issues. Emergency began in the fall of 2006 with support from the Kerry Sherin Wright Prize for Programming at the Kelly Writers House. Curated by Julia Bloch and Sarah Dowling, the series continues to the present day. Full recordings of past readings are available on PennSound. Whenever We Feel Like It
9342-595: Is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States , with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census . The city is the urban core of the larger Delaware Valley , also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the nation's eighth-largest metropolitan area and seventh-largest combined statistical area with 6.245 million residents and 7.366 million residents, respectively. Philadelphia has played an extensive role in United States history . The city
9515-433: Is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading. 30th Street Station , the city's primary rail station, is the third-busiest Amtrak hub in the nation, and the city's multimodal transportation and logistics infrastructure also includes Philadelphia International Airport , a major transatlantic gateway and transcontinental hub; the rapidly-growing PhilaPort seaport ; and Interstate 95 ,
9688-758: Is the undergraduate division of the School of Arts and Sciences . The School of Arts and Sciences also contains the Graduate Division and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies , which is home to the Fels Institute of Government , the master's programs in Organizational Dynamics, and the Environmental Studies (MES) program. Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania. Other schools with undergraduate programs include
9861-456: The 2020 U.S. Census , there were 1,603,797 people residing in Philadelphia, representing a 1.2% increase from the 2019 census estimate. The racial composition of the city was 39.3% Black alone (42.0% Black alone or in combination), 36.3% White alone (41.9% White alone or in combination), 8.7% Asian alone, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 8.7% some other race, and 6.9% multiracial. 14.9% of residents were Hispanic or Latino. 34.8% had
10034-759: The Battle of Brandywine in Chadds Ford Township , on September 11, 1777, during the Philadelphia campaign , the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia was defenseless and the city prepared for what was perceived to be an inevitable British attack. Because bells could easily be recast into munitions, the Liberty Bell , then known as the Pennsylvania State Bell, and bells from two Philadelphia churches, Christ Church and St. Peter's Church , were hastily taken down and transported by heavily guarded wagon train out of
10207-458: The Beaux-Arts building include a rotunda and gardens that include Egyptian papyrus . Penn maintains a website providing a detailed roadmap to small museums and galleries and over one hundred locations across campus where the public can access Penn's over 8,000 artworks acquired over 250 years, which includes paintings, sculptures, photography, works on paper, and decorative arts. The largest of
10380-612: The British Army , which was then the world's most powerful military force. Since the Declaration's July 4, 1776, adoption, its signing has been cited globally and repeatedly by various peoples of the world seeking independence and liberty. It also has been, since its adoption, the basis for annual celebration by Americans; in 1938, this celebration of the Declaration was formalized as Independence Day , one of only eleven designated U.S. federal holidays . After George Washington 's defeat at
10553-809: The Declaration of Independence , seven who signed the United States Constitution , 24 members of the Continental Congress , three presidents of the United States , 38 Nobel laureates, nine foreign heads of state , three United States Supreme Court justices, at least four Supreme Court justices of foreign nations, 32 U.S. senators , 163 members of the U.S. House of Representatives , 19 U.S. Cabinet Secretaries , 46 governors , 28 State Supreme Court justices, 36 living undergraduate billionaires (the largest number of any U.S. college or university), and five Medal of Honor recipients. In 1740,
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#173290979036210726-594: The Delaware River watershed , western Long Island , and the Lower Hudson Valley . Most Lenape were pushed out of the region during the 18th century by expanding European colonies, exacerbated by losses from intertribal conflicts. Lenape communities were weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox , and conflict with Europeans. The Iroquois occasionally fought the Lenape. Surviving Lenape moved west into
10899-667: The Eastern Mediterranean during the Greek and Roman periods, including modern Alaşehir , mentioned as the site of an early Christian congregation in the Book of Revelation . As a Quaker , Penn had experienced religious persecution and wanted his colony to be a place where anyone could worship freely. This tolerance, which exceeded that of other colonies, led to better relations with the local native tribes and fostered Philadelphia's rapid growth into America's most important city. Penn planned
11072-566: The Great Migration from the South . By the 20th century, Philadelphia had an entrenched Republican political machine and a complacent population. In 1910, a general strike shut down the entire city. In 1917, following outrage over the election-year murder of a Philadelphia police officer, led to the shrinking of the City Council from two houses to just one. In July 1919, Philadelphia
11245-537: The Liberty Bell , and hosting the Second Continental Congress during which the nation's 56 founders formed the Continental Army and elected George Washington as its commander in 1775, and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. For nine months, from September 1777 to June 1778, the city fell under British occupation during the war's Philadelphia campaign . In 1787,
11418-591: The National Science Foundation . Its endowment is $ 21 billion, making it the sixth-wealthiest private academic institution in the nation as of 2023. The University of Pennsylvania's main campus is located in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia , and is centered around College Hall . Notable campus landmarks include Houston Hall , the first modern student union , and Franklin Field ,
11591-442: The Preakness Stakes . Penn library system has grown into a system of 14 libraries with 400 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and a total operating budget of more than $ 48 million. The library system has 6.19 million book and serial volumes as well as 4.23 million microform items and 1.11 million e-books. It subscribes to over 68,000 print serials and e-journals. The university has 15 libraries. Van Pelt Library on
11764-505: The School of Engineering and Applied Science , the Wharton School , and the School of Nursing . Among its graduate schools are its law school , whose first professor James Wilson participated in writing the first draft of the U.S. Constitution , its medical school , which was the first medical school established in North America, and the Wharton School, the nation's first collegiate business school. In 2023, Penn ranked third among U.S. universities in research expenditures , according to
11937-417: The School of Nursing and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) . The current president is J. Larry Jameson (interim). The University of Pennsylvania Police Department (UPPD) is the largest, private police department in Pennsylvania, with 117 members. All officers are sworn municipal police officers and retain general law enforcement authority while on the campus. The official seal of
12110-427: The Second Continental Congress , which adopted the Declaration of Independence in what was then called the Pennsylvania State House and was later renamed Independence Hall. Historian Joseph Ellis , in 2007, described the Declaration of Independence, written predominantly by Thomas Jefferson , as "the most potent and consequential words in American history," and its adoption represented a declaration of war against
12283-424: The Trewartha climate classification , Philadelphia has a temperate maritime climate ( Do ) limited to the north by the continental climate ( Dc ). Summers are typically hot and muggy. Fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is moderately cold. The plant life hardiness zones are 7a and 7b, reflecting an average annual extreme minimum temperature between 0 and 10 °F (−18 and −12 °C). Snowfall
12456-653: The U.S. Constitution was ratified in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Convention . Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until 1790, and it served as the nation's first capital from May 10, 1775, until December 12, 1776, and on four subsequent occasions until 1800, when construction of the new national capital in Washington, D.C. was completed. Philadelphia maintains extensive contemporary influence in business and industry , culture , sports , and music . With 17 four-year universities and colleges in
12629-402: The fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States , though this representation is challenged by other universities since Franklin first convened the board of trustees in 1749, arguably making it the fifth-oldest. The university has four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate and professional schools. Schools enrolling undergraduates include the College of Arts and Sciences ,
12802-582: The rest of the Thirteen Colonies . Since the Penn Museum was founded in 1887, it has taken part in 400 research projects worldwide. The museum's first project was an excavation of Nippur , a location in current day Iraq. Penn Museum is home to the largest authentic sphinx in North America at about seven feet high, four feet wide, 13 feet long, 12.9 tons, and made of solid red granite. The sphinx
12975-448: The world's 54th-largest urban park . Philadelphia is known for its arts, culture , cuisine , and colonial and Revolutionary-era history; in 2016, it attracted 42 million domestic tourists who spent $ 6.8 billion, representing $ 11 billion in economic impact to the city and its surrounding Pennsylvania counties. With five professional sports teams and one of the nation's most loyal and passionate fan bases, Philadelphia
13148-490: The 1980s. Historic areas such as Old City and Society Hill were renovated during the reformist mayoral era of the 1950s through the 1980s, making both areas among the most desirable Center City neighborhoods. Immigrants from around the world began to enter the U.S. through Philadelphia as their gateway, leading to a reversal of the city's population decline between 1950 and 2000, during which it lost about 25 percent of its residents. Philadelphia eventually began experiencing
13321-649: The 2 square miles (5.2 km ) of Center City to the roughly 134 square miles (350 km ) of Philadelphia County . In the latter half of the 19th century and leading into the 20th century, immigrants from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Italy, and African Americans from the southern U.S. settled in the city. Philadelphia was represented by the Washington Grays in the American Civil War . The African-American population of Philadelphia increased from 31,699 to 219,559 between 1880 and 1930, largely stemming from
13494-481: The Arts Cafe to perform and discuss their work. Made possible by Mitch and Margo Blutt, the symposium has brought in singer-songwriters Rosanne Cash , Suzanne Vega , Steve Earle and Patti Smith . Cheryl J. Family Fiction Programming, supported by Writers House board member Cheryl J. Family, brings in young and emerging fiction writers to the Writers House for reading and discussion of their work. Writers featured in
13667-450: The Delaware River and subdivided and resold their lots. Before Penn left Philadelphia for the final time, he issued the Charter of 1701 establishing it as a city. Though poor at first, Philadelphia became an important trading center with tolerable living conditions by the 1750s. Benjamin Franklin , a leading citizen, helped improve city services and founded new ones that were among the first in
13840-785: The Hillcrest Foundation; the Alice Cooper Shoulberg Scholarship Fund for the Support of Creative Publishing; the Roxanne and Scott Bok Endowed Visiting Writers Series Fund; the Parents of the Class of '99; Anonymous Donor—to support the annual print publication of Xconnect; Harold Rosenberg; and Paul Kelly. The Kelly Writers House has a large online presence. All readings and events are recorded and made available for free download on
14013-609: The Institute for Research in Cognitive Science. The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice , commonly known as Penn SP2, is a school of social policy and social work that offers degrees in a variety of subfields, in addition to several dual degree programs and sub-matriculation programs. Penn SP2's vision is: "The passionate pursuit of social innovation, impact and justice ." Philadelphia Philadelphia , colloquially referred to as Philly ,
14186-623: The Kelly Writers House. The gallery, made possible by Michael and Heidi Brodsky, features up to six exhibits a year. It also hosts interdisciplinary events such as poetry readings, film screenings, and artist technique demonstrations. Past exhibits include That's What She Said: Female Voices in Embroidery , Spin Glasses and Other Frustrated Systems , Poem Posters: Small Press Broadsides , Umlaut Machine: Selected Visual Works by Christian Bok , Hiroyuki Nakamura , Susan Bee: A Retrospective , and State of
14359-740: The Middle East, Mesoamerica , Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa and indigenous artifacts of the Americas. Its most famous object is the goat rearing into the branches of a rosette-leafed plant, from the royal tombs of Ur . The Penn Museum's excavations and collections foster a strong research base for graduate students in the Graduate Group in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World . Features of
14532-469: The Penn campus is the university's main library. The other 14 are: Penn also maintains books and records off campus at high density storage facility. The Penn Design School 's Fine Arts Library was built to be Penn's main library and the first with its own building. The main library at the time was designed by Frank Furness to be first library in nation to separate the low ceilings of the library stack , where
14705-738: The Robinson Press, three mismatched chairs modeled after chairs in the Writers House Arts Cafe, reminds them of the communal nature of both writing and the Press itself. In 2005, when the university began discussion of how to best celebrate the Ben Franklin tercentenary, the Writers House collaborated with both the Van Pelt Library and the Department of Fine Arts to help establish what has become
14878-565: The School of Engineering and Applied Science, VIPER leads to dual Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Engineering degrees by combining majors from each school. For graduate programs, Penn offers many formalized double degree graduate degrees such as a joint J.D./MBA and maintains a list of interdisciplinary institutions, such as the Institute for Medicine and Engineering, the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management and International Studies, and
15051-536: The Sciences in Philadelphia in a merger, and The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College . Wistar Institute , a cancer research center, is also located on campus. In 2014, a new seven-story glass and steel building was completed next to the institute's original brick edifice built in 1897 further expanding collaboration between the university and the Wistar Institute. The Module 6 Utility Plant and Garage at Penn
15224-753: The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777, and the city later served as the meeting place for the Constitutional Convention , which ratified the Constitution in Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Philadelphia served as capital of the United States for much of the colonial and early post-colonial periods, including for a decade, from 1790 to 1800, while Washington, D.C. ,
15397-507: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania serves as the signature and symbol of authenticity on documents issued by the corporation. The most recent design, a modified version of the original seal, was approved in 1932, adopted a year later and is still used for much of the same purposes as the original. The official seal of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania serves as the signature and symbol of authenticity on documents issued by
15570-617: The Union: Photography by Linh Dinh . Write On! is a children's literacy program run by the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Lee Elementary and Penn Alexander schools in West Philadelphia. The weekly program presents a safe, fun, and educational extracurricular activity for students in grades 4 to 8. Students work in small groups under the supervision and guidance of student coaches from
15743-578: The United States after Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Philadelphia's neighborhoods are divided into six large sections that surround Center City: North Philadelphia , Northeast Philadelphia , South Philadelphia , Southwest Philadelphia , West Philadelphia , and Northwest Philadelphia . The city's geographic boundaries have been largely unchanged since these neighborhoods were consolidated in 1854. However, each of these large areas contains numerous neighborhoods, some of whose boundaries derive from
15916-501: The Writers House Events. The Writers House Planning Committee now consists of a 90-member volunteer group of undergraduate and graduate students, Penn faculty, staff, and alumni whose intellectual energy and collective spirit guides the House. The House also has a growing staff, including 15 student workers, a live-in resident intern, several part-time assistants, a program coordinator, and director, and faculty director, who oversee
16089-727: The Writers House Medialinks archive. Events are often broadcast live on the web using KWH-TV, which depending on the event, makes it possible for audience members not physically present to participate in the event. Those broadcasts are then made available through the Writers House KWH-TV Reruns archive. Some Kelly Writers House series are run entirely online, such as the KWH Seminars in Second Life, in which faculty director Al Filreis leads seminars in modernist poetry in
16262-507: The Writers House Program Coordinator. Past symposiums include a printing workshop with Johanna Drucker (2008), three events focused on food writing (2009), a conversation about crime fiction (2009), and a "local lunch conversation" with Philadelphia businesswoman and advocate Judy Wicks. The Blutt Singer-Songwriter Symposium is an annual event at the Kelly Writers House that brings in highly regarded singer-songwriters into
16435-406: The Writers House are students of the University of Pennsylvania , particularly those that attend creative writing classes at the Writers House. Other affiliated groups with the Writers House include Philadelphia residents, elementary school students, faculty and staff of the University of Pennsylvania, literary magazines, visual artists, collaborating organizations, administrative staff members, and
16608-405: The Writers House for readings and discussions with students and members of the public. Kelly continues to make annual gifts to the house. The Kelly Writers House aims to support and promote all activities related to the literary arts and to be a central and established location for writers, writing groups, and students of writing. Not affiliated with one particular school or major, the Writers House
16781-459: The Writers House"—alumni, Penn parents, Philadelphians, and other literary-minded and generous people interested in creative enterprise. The Writers House is also sustained by members of the Writers House Planning Committee (known as "the Hub"), the core group of writers and writing activists who plan events, offer ideas for new initiatives, and dedicate their time to literary activities. In 1995, University of Pennsylvania professor Al Filreis and
16954-617: The art galleries is the Institute of Contemporary Art , one of the only kunsthalles in the country, which showcases various art exhibitions throughout the year. Since 1983, the Arthur Ross Gallery , located at the Fisher Fine Arts Library , has housed Penn's art collection and is named for its benefactor, philanthropist Arthur Ross . Every College House at the University of Pennsylvania has at least four members of faculty in
17127-522: The books and the outer ring is the Latin motto of the university, "Leges Sine Moribus Vanae." Penn's "One University Policy" allows students to enroll in classes in any of Penn's twelve schools. Penn has a strong focus on interdisciplinary learning and research. It offers double degree programs, unique majors, and academic flexibility. Penn's "One University" policy allows undergraduates access to courses at all of Penn's undergraduate and graduate schools except
17300-445: The books were stored, from forty-foot-plus high ceilinged rooms, where the books were read and studied. The Yarnall Library of Theology, a major American rare book collection, is part of Penn's libraries. The Yarnall Library of Theology was formerly affiliated with St. Clement's Church in Philadelphia. It was founded in 1911 under the terms of the wills of Ellis Hornor Yarnall (1839–1907) and Emily Yarnall, and subsequently housed at
17473-464: The boroughs, townships, and other communities that constituted Pennsylvania County before their inclusion within the city. The City Planning Commission , tasked with guiding growth and development of the city, has divided the city into 18 planning districts as part of the Philadelphia2035 physical development plan. Much of the city's 1980 zoning code was overhauled from 2007 to 2012 as part of
17646-531: The campus comprises the University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District . All of Penn's schools and most of its research institutes are located on this campus. The surrounding neighborhood includes several restaurants, bars, a large upscale grocery store, and a movie theater on the western edge of campus. Penn's core campus borders Drexel University and is a few blocks from the University City campus of Saint Joseph's University , which absorbed University of
17819-575: The city for its outlying railroad commuting towns and newer housing. The resulting reduction in Philadelphia's tax base and the resources of local government caused the city to struggle through a long period of adjustment, and it approached bankruptcy by the late 1980s. In 1985, the MOVE Bombing of the Cobbs Creek neighborhood by city helicopters occurred, killing 11 and destroying 61 homes. Revitalization and gentrification of neighborhoods began in
17992-517: The city's 17th century founding through the present, Philadelphia has been the birthplace or home to an extensive number of prominent and influential Americans . Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the early 17th century, the Philadelphia area was home to the Lenape Indians in the village of Shackamaxon . They were also called the Delaware Indians, and their historical territory was along
18165-456: The city's director of public safety, but political pressure still prevented long-term success in fighting crime and corruption. In 1940, non-Hispanic whites constituted 86.8% of the city's population. In 1950, the population peaked at more than two million residents, then began to decline with the restructuring of industry that led to the loss of many middle-class union jobs. In addition, suburbanization enticed many affluent residents to depart
18338-399: The city's tallest building. The Comcast Technology Center was completed in 2018, reaching a height of 1,121 ft (342 m), as the tallest building in the United States outside of Manhattan and Chicago. For much of Philadelphia's history, the typical home has been the row house . The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 19th century and, for
18511-511: The city's total park space, including municipal, state, and federal parks in the city, amounts to 11,211 acres (17.5 sq mi). Philadelphia's largest park is Fairmount Park , which includes the Philadelphia Zoo and encompasses 2,052 acres (3.2 sq mi) of the total parkland. Fairmount Park's adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park contains 2,042 acres (3.2 sq mi). Fairmount Park, when combined with Wissahickon Valley Park,
18684-403: The city, Philadelphia is one of the nation's leading centers for higher education and academic research . The city is a national cultural center, hosting more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other city in the nation. Fairmount Park , when combined with adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed , is 2,052 acres (830 ha), representing one of the nation's largest and
18857-676: The city. The Liberty Bell was taken to Zion German Reformed Church in Northampton Town, which is present-day Allentown , where it was hidden under the church's floor boards for nine months from September 1777 until the British Army's departure from Philadelphia in June 1778. Two Revolutionary War battles, the Siege of Fort Mifflin , fought between September 26 and November 16, 1777, and the Battle of Germantown , fought on October 4, 1777, took place within Philadelphia's city limits. In Philadelphia,
19030-590: The colonies made it a natural center for America's revolutionaries . By the 1750s, Philadelphia surpassed Boston as the largest city and busiest port in British America , and the second-largest city in the entire British Empire after London . In 1774, as resentment of British colonial practices and support for independence was burgeoning in the colonies, Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress . From 1775 to 1781, Philadelphia hosted
19203-466: The colony. Penn made a treaty of friendship with Lenape chief Tammany under an elm tree at Shackamaxon , in what is now the city's Fishtown neighborhood. Penn named the city Philadelphia, which is Greek for "brotherly love", derived from the Ancient Greek terms φίλος phílos (beloved, dear) and ἀδελφός adelphós (brother, brotherly). There were a number of cities named Philadelphia in
19376-425: The contemporary art, Penn also has several traditional statues, including a good number created by Penn's first Director of Physical Education Department, R. Tait McKenzie . Among the notable sculptures is that of Young Ben Franklin , which McKenzie produced and Penn sited adjacent to the fieldhouse contiguous to Franklin Field . The sculpture is titled Benjamin Franklin in 1723 and was created by McKenzie during
19549-457: The corporation. A request for one was first recorded in a meeting of the trustees in 1753 during which some of the Trustees "desired to get a Common Seal engraved for the Use of [the] Corporation." In 1756, a public seal and motto for the college was engraved in silver. The most recent design, a modified version of the original seal, was approved in 1932, adopted a year later and is still used for much of
19722-402: The country, and the first Black Episcopal Church . The free Black community also established many schools for its children with the help of Quakers . Large-scale construction projects for new roads, canals , and railroads made Philadelphia the first major industrial city in the United States. Throughout the 19th century, Philadelphia hosted a variety of industries and businesses; the largest
19895-486: The creation of five public parks in the city which were renamed in 1824. Centre Square was renamed Penn Square ; Northeast Square was renamed Franklin Square ; Southeast Square was renamed Washington Square ; Southwest Square was renamed Rittenhouse Square ; and Northwest Square was renamed Logan Circle/Square . Center City had an estimated 183,240 residents as of 2015 , making it the second-most populated downtown area in
20068-521: The daily activities of the House, working side by side with our wide network of volunteers. Renovations, funded through the generous support of Penn alumnus Paul Kelly (C'62, WG'64), have readied the Writers House for the 21st century. Ongoing supporters include: The Provost's Office of the University of Pennsylvania; Friends of the Kelly Writers House, including the Williams Carlos Williams Circle; Penn's Vice Provost for University Life;
20241-600: The first modern International Style skyscraper in the United States, the PSFS Building , designed by George Howe and William Lescaze . The 548 ft (167 m) City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until 1987 when One Liberty Place was completed. Numerous glass and granite skyscrapers were built in Center City beginning in the late 1980s. In 2007, the Comcast Center surpassed One Liberty Place to become
20414-474: The first official World's fair in the U.S. Immigrants, mostly from Ireland and Germany, settled in Philadelphia and the surrounding districts. These immigrants were largely responsible for the first general strike in North America in 1835, in which workers in the city won the ten-hour workday. The city was a destination for thousands of Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine in the 1840s; housing for them
20587-546: The former Philadelphia Divinity School. The library's major areas of focus are theology, patristics, and the liturgy, history and theology of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . It includes a large number of rare books, incunabula, and illuminated manuscripts, and new material continues to be added. The campus has more than 40 notable art installations, in part because of
20760-580: The former main regional U.S. Postal Building at 30th and Market Streets, now the regional office for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service . Over the next decade, the site became the home to educational, research, biomedical , and mixed-use facilities. The first phase, comprising a park and athletic facilities, opened in the fall of 2011. In September 2011, Penn completed the construction of the $ 46.5 million, 24-acre (9.7 ha) Penn Park, which features passive and active recreation and athletic components framed and subdivided by canopy trees, lawns, and meadows. It
20933-568: The health care schools (medicine, dental medicine, nursing, veterinary), the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Wharton School. Penn offers unique and specialized coordinated dual-degree (CDD) programs, which selectively award candidates degrees from multiple schools at the university upon completion of graduation criteria of both schools in addition to program-specific programs and senior capstone projects. Additionally, there are accelerated and interdisciplinary programs offered by
21106-473: The house itself, a cottage built as part of a Victorian suburban development project in 1851. The renovations transformed the house, which had for many years been the home of a university chaplain, into a unique multi-purpose community space. What had once been the parlor became the Arts Café, a south-facing room with large windows where classes and many Kelly Writers House events are held. The house also features
21279-479: The information provided, it appears that the magazine primarily featured original content but also included material that was excerpted from or co-produced with other sources. The purpose of this was to introduce new readers to these other materials, which were likely hard to find elsewhere. This approach likely helped the magazine to expose its readers to a wider range of literary material and to support other publications by bringing attention to their work. First Call
21452-478: The internet for worldwide viewing via KWH-TV. All Writers House events are free. Writers House also sponsors or hosts several publications, including student run magazines such as Penn Review , Penn Appetit , and F-word , as well as the international online magazine of poetry and poetics Jacket2 . Partially funded by the Provost's Office of the University of Pennsylvania, Writers House is also supported by "Friends of
21625-604: The intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike at: 40.07815 N, 75.20747 W. Philadelphia is located on the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line that separates the Atlantic Plain from the Piedmont . The Schuylkill River's rapids at East Falls were inundated by completion of the dam at Fairmount Water Works . The city is the seat of its own county . The city is bordered by six adjacent counties: Montgomery to
21798-845: The kids. Write On!'s mission is not only to open the eyes of young students to the world of writing but to help them see that there are many different possibilities for the way they can live their lives. Write On! posts student work on its webpages for collaborative work with Lea Elementary and Penn Alexander schools. Your Language My Ear is a recurring poetry symposium dedicated to contemporary Russian language poetry and its English translation. Featured Russian language poets have included Polina Barskova, Aleksandr Skidan, Dmitry Kuzmin , and many others. American poet and poet-translator participants have included Charles Bernstein , Julia Bloch, Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach [ Wikidata ] , Sarah Dowling, Eugene Ostashevsky , Bob Perelman , Ariel Resnikoff, Matvei Yankelevich, and others. As of summer 2020,
21971-551: The last occurrence of such a temperature being July 21, 2019. The lowest officially recorded temperature was −11 °F (−24 °C) on February 9, 1934. Temperatures at or below 0 °F (−18 °C) are rare, with the last such occurrence being January 19, 1994 . The record low maximum is 5 °F (−15 °C) on February 10, 1899, and December 30, 1880. The record high minimum is 83 °F (28 °C) on July 23, 2011, and July 24, 2010. See or edit raw graph data . Philadelphia County received an ozone grade of F and
22144-540: The late 1970s and continues into the 21st century with much of the development occurring in the Center City and University City neighborhoods. But this expanded a shortage of affordable housing in the city. After many manufacturers and businesses left Philadelphia or shut down, the city started attracting service businesses and began to market itself more aggressively as a tourist destination. Contemporary glass-and-granite skyscrapers were built in Center City beginning in
22317-607: The loan, both works had been located at the West Entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art , the older since its creation and the Nevelson work since 1973. Social Consciousness was relocated to the walkway between Wharton's Lippincott Library and Phi Phi chapter of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity house, and Atmosphere and Environment XII is sited on Shoemaker Green between Franklin Field and Ringe Squash Courts. In addition to
22490-526: The magazine won Penn PubCo awards for Best Design, Best Leisure Article, and Best Overall Magazine. Devoted to the literary and visual arts, Penn Review is the premier mainstream magazine on Penn's campus. It publishes poetry, fiction, creative non fiction, and other original literary works. The magazine accepts all forms of visual art, including documentation of 3-D, time-based, and site-specific work. University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as Penn or UPenn )
22663-430: The main medium of communication for members of online book groups run through the writers house. The groups allow those affiliated to Penn to discuss a chosen book with a member of Penn's faculty or with a member of the Kelly Writers House community. The Writers House hosts over 300 different writing-related programs each year. While many of these are one-time events, others are part of several long-standing series. For
22836-467: The medical, veterinary and dental schools. Undergraduates at Penn may also take courses at Bryn Mawr , Haverford , and Swarthmore under a reciprocal agreement known as the Quaker Consortium . * SAT and ACT ranges are from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Undergraduate admissions to the University of Pennsylvania is considered by US News to be "most selective." Admissions officials consider
23009-462: The nation's first dual-level college football stadium and the nation's longest-standing NCAA Division I college football stadium in continuous operation. The university's athletics program, the Penn Quakers , fields varsity teams in 33 sports as a member of NCAA Division I's Ivy League conference. Penn alumni, trustees, and faculty include eight Founding Fathers of the United States who signed
23182-927: The nation, including a fire company , library , and hospital . A number of philosophical societies were formed, which were centers of the city's intellectual life, including the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture (1785), the Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures and the Useful Arts (1787), the Academy of Natural Sciences (1812), and the Franklin Institute (1824). These societies developed and financed new industries that attracted skilled and knowledgeable immigrants from Europe. Philadelphia's importance and central location in
23355-433: The northwest corner of 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue, the then site of DuPont 's Marshall Research Labs. In October 2016, with help from architects Matthias Hollwich , Marc Kushner , and KSS Architects , Penn completed the design and renovation of the center piece of the project, a former paint factory named Pennovation Works , which houses shared desks, wet labs, common areas, a pitch bleacher, and other attributes of
23528-449: The northwest; Bucks to the north and northeast; Burlington County, New Jersey to the east; Camden County, New Jersey to the southeast; Gloucester County, New Jersey to the south; and Delaware County to the southwest. Philadelphia was created in the 17th century, following the plan by William Penn 's surveyor Thomas Holme . Center City is structured with long, straight streets running nearly due east–west and north–south, forming
23701-468: The past include Adrian Khactu, Samuel Delany , Ben Fountain , J. C. Hallman and Karen Russell . Named in memory of Penn Professor Robert "Bob" Lucid, the Bob Lucid Memorial Program is an annual event at the Kelly Writers House that features a contemporary fiction writer. Made possible by Penn alumns Susan Small Savitsky and Ed Kane, the program has featured writers such as Stuart Dybeck in
23874-537: The past. Created in honor of Caroline Rothstein by her parents Steven and Nancy Rothstein, the Caroline Rothstein Oral Poetry Series is an annual oral poetry program that features slam, spoken-word, sound poetry, and other forms of oral poetry. Past programs include performances by Taylor Mali , Tracie Morris , and Ursula Rucker . Established by Stacey and Jeff Weber, the Weber Symposium
24047-653: The poetry and poetics magazine created and run by poet John Tranter in 1997. Jacket2 pushes the original Jacket from a "2.0 mode" into an interactive magazine that features articles, interviews, commentary, reviews and podcasts. New material is added every day. Contributors include Rachel Blau DuPlessis , Kristin Prevallet , and Marjorie Perloff . As of 2023, the magazine is devoted to "articles, reviews, interviews, discussions and collaborative responses, archival documents, podcasts, and descriptions of poetry symposia and projects"; it does not publish poetry. According to
24220-501: The pre-World War I era (1910–1914). Other sculptures he produced for Penn include the 1924 sculpture of then Penn provost Edgar Fahs Smith . Penn is presently reevaluating all of its public art and has formed a working group led by Penn Design dean Frederick Steiner , who was part of a similar effort at the University of Texas at Austin that led to the removal of statues of Jefferson Davis and other Confederate officials, and Penn's Chief Diversity Officer, Joann Mitchell. Penn has begun
24393-420: The process of adding art and removing or relocating art. Penn removed from campus in 2020 the statue of the Reverend George Whitefield (who had inspired the 1740 establishment of a trust to establish a charity school, which trust Penn legally assumed in 1749) when research showed Whitefield owned fifty enslaved people and drafted and advocated for the key theological arguments in favor of slavery in Georgia and
24566-419: The renovations, the planning committee dedicated the reopening to Kelly's parents Thomas and Rita. Since his initial 1997 contribution Kelly has continued to support the house and its programs, including the Kelly Writers House Fellows Program, an annual project which brings eminent writers such as Susan Sontag , John Ashbery , T. Coraghessan Boyle , David Sedaris , Joyce Carol Oates , and Art Spiegelman to
24739-644: The roles of House Dean, Faculty Master, and College House Fellows. Within the College Houses, Penn has nearly 40 themed residential programs for students with shared interests such as world cinema or science and technology. Many of the nearby homes and apartments in the area surrounding the campus are often rented by undergraduate students moving off campus after their first year, as well as by graduate and professional students. The College Houses include W.E.B. Du Bois, Fisher Hassenfeld, Gregory, Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Hill College House , Kings Court English, Lauder, Riepe, Rodin, Stouffer, and Ware. The first College House
24912-432: The same purposes as the original. The outer ring of the current seal is inscribed with "Universitas Pennsylvaniensis," the Latin name of the University of Pennsylvania. The inside contains seven stacked books on a desk with the titles of subjects of the trivium and a modified quadrivium , components of a classical education: Theolog[ia], Astronom[ia], Philosoph[ia], Mathemat[ica], Logica, Rhetorica and Grammatica. Between
25085-570: The second half of the 19th century. His contemporaries included John McArthur Jr. , Addison Hutton , Wilson Eyre , the Wilson Brothers , and Horace Trumbauer . In 1871, construction began on the Second Empire -style Philadelphia City Hall . The Philadelphia Historical Commission was created in 1955 to preserve the cultural and architectural history of the city. The commission maintains the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places , adding historic buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts as it sees fit. In 1932, Philadelphia became home to
25258-610: The series can be found on the Writers Without Borders series page. 7-Up is an annual series at the Writers House. Seven speakers are invited to speak for seven minutes each on a single concept or topic of the Writers House planning committee's, (the Hub's) choosing. The Hub strives to make sure that the chosen topic is approachable from a variety of angles, possessing many interpretations and allowing each speaker's talk to be entirely unique. Past topics have included "Rock", "Bitter", "Ben", for University of Pennsylvania founder Ben Franklin; and "Gold". A complete list of topics and recordings of
25431-412: The series' PennSound page for complete recordings of all past readings. Speakeasy is a student-run open mic night. Founded in 1997 by Penn alumni, the event, which occurs every other Wednesday throughout the academic year, allows students and community members to read, recite, chant, or sing. Visit the Kelly Writers House calendar for more information about past and upcoming Speakeasy nights. Feminism/s
25604-425: The situation did not change substantially until 1682, when the area was included in William Penn 's charter for Pennsylvania. In 1681, in partial repayment of a debt, Charles II of England granted Penn a charter for what would become the Pennsylvania colony . Despite the royal charter, Penn bought the land from the local Lenape in an effort to establish good terms with the Native Americans and ensure peace for
25777-469: The speakers can be found on the 7-Up Series webpage. Marathon Reading is an annual event at the Writers House where members of the writers house community read a book in its entirety in one sitting. Participants switch off reading sections of the chosen book until it is finished and eat foods associated with the book. Past books include Jack Kerouac's On the Road , Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita , and F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby . The Robinson Press
25950-467: The spine of the north–south highway system along the U.S. East Coast . Philadelphia is a city of many firsts, including the nation's first library (1731), hospital (1751), medical school (1765), national capital (1774), university (by some accounts) (1779), central bank (1781), stock exchange (1790), zoo (1874), and business school (1881). Philadelphia contains 67 National Historic Landmarks , including Independence Hall . From
26123-493: The surrounding Delaware Valley in the early 17th century. The first settlements were founded by Dutch colonists , who built Fort Nassau on the Delaware River in 1623 in what is now Brooklawn, New Jersey . The Dutch considered the entire Delaware River valley to be part of their New Netherland colony. In 1638, Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina , located in present-day Wilmington, Delaware , and quickly spread out in
26296-406: The symposium has been held three times, with a fourth iteration planned for the 2021–22 academic year. A number of English and Russian publications have resulted from the symposium. Writers Without Borders is the University of Pennsylvania provost's international writers series at the Kelly Writers House. It features poetry, journalism, fiction, drama, memoir, and performance art from writers around
26469-438: The temperate floras of North America , Asia , and Europe , with a primary focus on Asia. Penn also owns the 687-acre (278 ha) New Bolton Center , the research and large-animal health care center of its veterinary school. Located near Kennett Square , New Bolton Center received nationwide media attention when Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro underwent surgery at its Widener Hospital for injuries suffered while running in
26642-522: The ten largest combined statistical areas (CSAs) were ranked higher for ozone: Los Angeles (1st), New York City (9th), Houston (12th), Dallas (13th), and San Jose, California (18th). Many smaller CSAs were also ranked higher for ozone, including Sacramento (8th), Las Vegas (10th), Denver (11th), El Paso (16th), and Salt Lake City (20th). Only two of those same ten CSAs, San Jose and Los Angeles, were ranked higher than Philadelphia for both year-round and short-term particle pollution. As of
26815-460: The university to improve their creative writing, poetry, public speaking, and more. While most time is spent at the Writers House, Write On! has taken some small field trips to other University buildings, local bookstores and coffee shops, and writing-related places in Philadelphia to supplement the program's curriculum. The organization has also participated in the One Book One Philadelphia campaign and has brought local authors in to work and speak with
26988-466: The university's Common Press. Past workshops in collaboration with the Common Press include a workshop on binding and restriction with Carolee Campbell, a workshop with Johanna Drucker, and a workshop on printwork. Please visit the Robinson Press page for more information on past and upcoming projects and workshops. LIVE at the Writers House is a collaboration between the Writers House and radio station 88.5 FM WXPN. The hourly program airs six times during
27161-415: The university's academic year and features readings of poetry, prose, and other spoken-word art in addition to one musical guest. LIVE broadcasts from the Writers House Arts Cafe and is made possible through the support of BigRoc. Full recordings of all LIVE episodes are available online. The Emergency Reading Series addresses issues of "emergence, influence, and community" and the question of whether poetry
27334-499: The university. These undergraduate programs include: Dual-degree programs that lead to the same multiple degrees without participation in the specific above programs are also available. Unlike CDD programs, "dual degree" students fulfill requirements of both programs independently without the involvement of another program. Specialized dual-degree programs include Liberal Studies and Technology as well as an Artificial Intelligence: Computer and Cognitive Science Program. Both programs award
27507-432: The upper Ohio River basin. Following the American Revolutionary War and subsequent formation of an independent United States, the Lenape began moving further west. In the 1860s, the United States government sent most remaining Lenape in the eastern United States to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma and surrounding territories as part of the Indian removal policy. Europeans first entered Philadelphia and
27680-402: The valley. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their war against Maryland colonists. In 1648, the Dutch built Fort Beversreede on the west bank of the Delaware, south of the Schuylkill River near the present-day Eastwick section of Philadelphia, to reassert their dominion over the area. The Swedes responded by building Fort Nya Korsholm , or New Korsholm , named after
27853-483: The world. The series aims to create globally minded conversation and readership, and to give a voice to work that, due to reasons such as cultural turmoil, political unrest, and translation issues, may not otherwise be shared. Past events include discussions about Cuban poetry, a talk with Russian poet Dmtry Golynko, a reading by Brazilian poet Regis Bonvincino and a reading by Chinese poet Zhimin Li. Descriptions of past, current, and future events and more information about
28026-491: The year. The average window for freezing temperatures is November 6 to April 2, allowing a growing season of 217 days. Early fall and late winter are generally dry, with February having the lowest average precipitation at 2.75 inches (70 mm). The dewpoint in the summer averages between 59.1 and 64.5 °F (15 and 18 °C). The highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) on August 7, 1918. Temperatures at or above 100 °F (38 °C) are not common, with
28199-486: Was 30.7 in (78 cm), which occurred in January 1996. Precipitation is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven wet days per month, at an average annual rate of 44.1 inches (1,120 mm), but historically ranging from 29.31 in (744 mm) in 1922 to 64.33 in (1,634 mm) in 2011. The most rain recorded in one day occurred on July 28, 2013, when 8.02 in (204 mm) fell at Philadelphia International Airport . Philadelphia has
28372-560: Was Van Pelt College House, established in the fall of 1971. It was later renamed Gregory House. Fisher Hassenfeld, Ware and Riepe together make up one building called "The Quad." The latest College House to be built is Guttman (formerly named New College House West), which opened in the fall of 2021. Penn students in Junior or Senior year may live in the 45 sororities and fraternities governed by three student-run governing councils, Interfraternity Council, Intercultural Greek Council, and Panhellenic Council. The College of Arts and Sciences
28545-413: Was being constructed and prepared to serve as the new national capital. In 1793, the largest yellow fever epidemic in U.S. history killed approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people in Philadelphia, or about ten percent of the city's population at the time. The capital of the United States was moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800 upon completion of the White House and U.S. Capitol buildings. The state capital
28718-445: Was designed by BLT Architects and completed in 1995. Module 6 is located at 38th and Walnut and includes spaces for 627 vehicles, 9,000 sq ft (840 m ) of storefront retail operations, a 9,500-ton chiller module and corresponding extension of the campus chilled water loop, and a 4,000-ton ice storage facility. In 2010, in its first significant expansion across the Schuylkill River , Penn purchased 23 acres (9.3 ha) at
28891-410: Was developed south of South Street and later occupied by succeeding immigrants. They established a network of Catholic churches and schools and dominated the Catholic clergy for decades. Anti- Irish , anti-Catholic nativist riots erupted in Philadelphia in 1844. The rise in population of the surrounding districts helped lead to the Act of Consolidation of 1854 , which extended the city limits from
29064-505: Was discovered in 1912 by the British archeologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie , during an excavation of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, Egypt , where the sphinx had guarded a temple to ward off evil. Since Petri's expedition was partially financed by Penn Petrie offered it to Penn, which arranged for it to be moved to museum in 1913. The sphinx was moved in 2019 to a more prominent spot intended to attract visitors. The museum has three gallery floors with artifacts from Egypt ,
29237-427: Was dominated by Georgian architecture , including Independence Hall and Christ Church . In the first decades of the 19th century, Federal and Greek Revival architecture were the dominant styles produced by Philadelphia architects such as Benjamin Latrobe , William Strickland , John Haviland , John Notman , Thomas Walter , and Samuel Sloan . Frank Furness is considered Philadelphia's greatest architect of
29410-433: Was founded in 1682 by William Penn , an English Quaker and advocate of religious freedom , and served as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony during the British colonial era . The city went on to play a historic and vital role during the American Revolution and Revolutionary War , serving as the central meeting place for the nation's founding fathers , hosting the First Continental Congress in 1774, preserving
29583-439: Was moved from Philadelphia to Lancaster in 1799, then ultimately to Harrisburg in 1812. Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until the late 18th century. It also was the nation's financial and cultural center until ultimately being eclipsed in total population by New York City in 1790. In 1816, the city's free Black community founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church , the first independent Black denomination in
29756-406: Was one of more than 36 industrial cities nationally to suffer a race riot during Red Summer in post- World War I unrest as recent immigrants competed with Blacks for jobs. In the 1920s, the public flouting of Prohibition laws, organized crime , mob violence, and corrupt police involvement in illegal activities led to the appointment of Brig. Gen. Smedley Butler of the U.S. Marine Corps as
29929-414: Was the textile industry . Major corporations in the 19th and early 20th centuries included the Baldwin Locomotive Works , William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company , and the Pennsylvania Railroad . Established in 1870, the Philadelphia Conveyancers' Association was chartered by the state in 1871. Along with the U.S. Centennial in 1876, the city's industry was celebrated in the Centennial Exposition ,
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