A "Marble"ous Feat of Architecture

In his will, Stephen Girard left many specifications for the construction and operation of Girard College, covering everything from the materials and dimensions of the school’s buildings, the curriculum to be taught, the attire of the students, and every area in between. In terms of construction, Girard specified that the school be composed of a main school building, four outbuildings for student dormitories, and a wall surrounding the entire campus. Each building had its own specifications for the exterior and interior layout.

Founder’s Hall, the original main school building, was to have three floors of four 50 x 50-ft classrooms, arranged in a square. Each floor would have front and rear vestibules on the exteriors of the rooms, with staircases in the east and west corners of both vestibules. The staircases are cantilevered, meaning only one side is embedded into a wall or supporting structure, while the other is seemingly suspended. The marble stairs were built into thick marble slabs, which were installed into the wall and strengthened by the masonry within the wall. While Girard had strict guidelines for the layout of the buildings, he was more lenient on the style of the architecture, only instructing in his will that the design “[attend] chiefly to the strength, convenience, and neatness of the whole”. 

The construction of Girard College garnered a significant amount of attention during its time. With a nearly $2 million budget, Founder’s Hall was the second most expensive building in the United States of its time, after the U.S. Capitol. In 1832, it was announced that the Philadelphia city council would be holding an architectural competition to decide the design and architect of the school. Applicants from all over the United States were given the opportunity to submit, and the following year, Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter was chosen as the architect of Girard College.

Walter’s winning design is significantly different from what was eventually built, thanks in part to Nicholas Biddle. Biddle, a financier who was also a friend of Stephen Girard’s, was selected as president of the Girard College trustees. In this position, he was responsible for overseeing the construction of the school; his admiration for Greek architecture led him to persuade Walter to remodel the school in the style of a Greek temple. Construction of the school began on May 6th, 1833 and took 14 years to complete. Girard College officially opened to the public on New Years’ Day in 1848.

The architecture of Founder's Hall—as well as the school as a whole—has made the campus an appealing setting for film and television shoots. Girard College has served as a filming location for a handful of Hollywood productions, including the 2006 film Annapolis, the 2021 HBO series Mare of Easttown, and the 2022 film Hustle.

Lewis, Michael J. Taylor, Michele Taillon. Monument to Philanthropy: The Design and Building of Girard College (1832-1848). 1998.