Naval Hospital Philadelphia

Philadelphia, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

The Philadelphia Naval Hospital, a striking 15-story Art Deco tower that opened in 1935, was the first high-rise hospital building constructed by the United States Navy. Rising 15 stories and clad in yellow brick and brown terra cotta, the steel-framed structure stood at the center of a 56-building campus arranged in classical Beaux-Arts fashion, with lower flanking structures. At its dedication, the facility offered 650 beds and 352,000 square feet of space representing state-of-the-art naval medical care. During World War II, it served as the primary center for amputation, orthopedic, and prosthetic services for Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard veterans east of the Rocky Mountains. Notable interior details included anodized aluminum heater grates depicting ships in full sail, set in marble panels, and dolphin-shaped air intakes. Declining usage and structural limitations led to closure in 1993 under the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1988. The building was demolished on June 9, 2001.

Movement

Art Deco architecture

Type: hospital, hospital building, former hospital
Place: Philadelphia, United States

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Location

39.90720, -75.17860