Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy

Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy, April 2010
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Location	419 S. 19th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°56′45″N75°10′20″W / 39.94583°N 75.17222°W / 39.94583; -75.17222
Area	less than one acre
Built	1930
Architect	Bissell & Sinker; Yeatman, Georgina P.
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	03000528 [1]
Added to NRHP	June 13, 2003

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.

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

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. 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.

School of Occupational Therapy

The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy which opened in October 1918 was one, of five founding programmes in America. By June 1919, 50 women had graduated to serve as Reconstruction Aides in military hospitals treating servicemen injured in World War 1. Helen Willard was Director of the School for 35 years, between 1935 and 1964. ^[6] Notable alumni included Margaret Barr Fulton, Kamala Nimbkar, Constance Owens and Muriel Zimmerman.

See also

• Philadelphia portal

• Helen S. Willard
• Georgina Pope Yeatman

Gallery

• 
  Iron panel

References

1. "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. Cynthia Rose Hamilton (December 2002). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 4, 2026. (Downloading may be slow.)
6. Peters, Christine; Martin, Peggy; Mahoney, Wanda (January 1, 2017). "The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy: A Centennial Lesson". Journal of Occupational Therapy Education (JOTE). 1 (1). doi:10.26681/jote.2017.010108. ISSN   2573-1378.