Barbelin Hall

Barbelin Hall was completed in 1927 and was originally known as College Hall. The building was renamed in 1960 after the first President of Saint Joseph's College, Father Felix J. Barbelin. Barbelin Hall is the iconic face of Saint Joseph's University with its massive bell tower and Gothic architecture. In earlier years, Barbelin was home to the science department and held several laboratories and lecture halls. Currently, the College of Arts and Science occupies Barbelin Hall along with numerous classrooms and offices.

Introduction

The history of Saint Joseph’s University cannot be complete without the inclusion of Barbelin Hall. Barbelin has been a symbol and defining structure for the University since its move to City Avenue, which became official on November 13th, 1927 (Saint Joseph’s University). The instantly identifiable Barbelin Hall is characterized by Gothic architecture, open archways, and a “U” shaped structure. Initially, Barbelin was built to accommodate the classrooms and offices of all Saint Joseph’s students and faculty members, and it continues to hold classes and faculty departments even since SJU’s expansion in the 1960s and 1970s. To this day, Barbelin Hall endures as a defining feature of the SJU community and remains a foundational piece of Saint Joseph’s University’s identity, as it was nearly one hundred years ago at its dedication. 

The Move to City Avenue & College Hall’s Dedication

Saint Joseph’s College (which would later become the University), chose to relocate to City Avenue in 1922 from its prior location on 17th and Girard Streets (Croce, 1). The commencement of the architecture and building process soon went underway as Fr. Burchard Villiger selected Francis Ferdinand Durang as the architect for the project, based on his prior work on St. Joe’s Prep as well as the nearby Church of the Gesu (Croce, 5). The man they chose to build Barbelin itself was a fairly recent graduate of the College at the time in John McShain. This job ended up being integral for McShain’s prolific construction career, as this was his first significant project, leading him to gain the moniker years later of being “The Man Who Built Washington '' (Croce, 6). The construction would continue over the next four years culminating with its completion in November of 1927 (Croce, 6).          

The dedication of College Hall was conducted in a week-long celebration from November 6th to November 13th, of 1927 (Saint Joseph’s University Archives). To further celebrate this momentous occasion, the College invited an honorary guest who at the time was one of the biggest names in America, Charles Lindbergh. Charles Lindbergh of course was remembered for his aviation feats with The Spirit of St. Louis, and he became widely popular throughout the United States in the 1920s due to those feats (Saint Joseph’s University Archives). One of the men who orchestrated Lindbergh’s visit and the dedication of Barbelin Hall was Father Matthew Fortier S.J who was also a professor at Fordham University at the time and was present at Lindbergh’s arrival to the airport as well with other school officials and Jesuits. Father Fortier, through an exchange of letters with Lindbergh, was key in getting him to be a part of this dedication and further included an honorary degree for Lindbergh as well (1927 Scrapbook, page 37). What’s intriguing to note is that the college would present Lindbergh with a degree in Aeronautics even though the College did not have an Aeronautics program (Saint Joseph’s University Archives). The event proved to be as momentous as expected, as the crowds enveloped what would become Barbelin Hall’s quadrangle. Ten thousand people were said to be in attendance for the event that day and thus this ceremony kicked off a key foundational moment in the history of Saint Joseph’s on City Avenue. Of course, Lindbergh himself turned out to have substantial faults himself being a proponent of Eugenics as well as a suspected Nazi sympathizer (Saint Joseph’s University Archives). While these are details that simply cannot be ignored, it is still significant that he was present here at such an important event in the school’s history. Indeed, this dedication ceremony cemented St. Joseph’s College’s place on City Avenue for decades to come. 

Gothic Architecture

Barbelin Hall is famously known for its Gothic architecture, gargoyles, and inscriptions. Along the Blocked Minor Tower at the main entrance of Barbelin Hall on City Avenue there are four distinct limestone carvings that represent the year of construction. The carvings symbolize a cultural transition during the 20th century that represent modernization and innovation In addition to cultivating 20th century American culture, these carvings also signify the separation from the Prep school to a new college campus. Starting from left to right, the first carving is of Andy Gump. The Gumps was a popular comic strip that ran from 1917 until 1959. The comic portrayed the clumsy character Andy Gump, the father of a middle-class family. The popular cartoon symbolized the goofy and light-hearted era of cartoon culture in American society. The next carving portrays the Greek god of music, Pan. Seen playing the saxophone, the carving of Pan represents the Jazz Age. The idea sparked from a popular movie released in 1927, The Jazz Singer, that transformed the motion picture industry. Pan signifies the age of Jazz and the “Golden Age of Hollywood”. At the top of the pillar there is the third carving that depicts a human face which represents the evolution of Modern art from classical forms. The last carving on the right illustrates two students at the wheel of a car. The appearance of a spontaneous adventure symbolizes the rise of the Automotive Age and innovation of the Henry Ford Model A that was unveiled in 1927(Croce, 8).

The old College Hall displays several Latin phrases above archways throughout the building. At the main entrance of Barbelin Hall under the gothic arch appears the carved inscription, “Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum” (May the Lord watch over thine entering in and thy going forth). Following that same arch, is another limestone carving of “The Michievous Student” on the left and “The Watchful Professor” on the right. Intentionally positioned under the Watchful Professor is the inscription “Conserva Eorum Istam Immaculatam in Aeternum (Preserve your house immaculate forever) (Croce, 8). The open center of Barbelin is guarded by the Courageous Lion situated at the top of the staircase in the northwest corner of the Quad. As the guardian of Barbelin Hall, the Courageous Lion exudes the characteristics of strength, courage, and fortitude. The distinguishable gargoyle found in the Barbelin Quadrangle is the Bat Gargoyle, and it is the only creature designed to function as a spout to divert water from the building, making it the only genuine gargoyle on the building. In the north and east corner of the Barbelin Quad, there are eight of the thirteen Jesuit Presidents that served between 1851 and 1927 (Croce, 12). The sculpted busts of the past presidents are easily recognizable as they have been modeled after their period photographs. Felix J. Barbelin (the namesake of College Hall) can be found in the first position on the east cornice in a group of three; he is depicted wearing a biretta. On the City Avenue side of Barbelin lining the east window group of the second floor holds a limestone carving featuring a creature holding a frog and another creature holding a distilling tube. These carvings symbolize the disciplines of biology and chemistry. Initially, this part of College Hall held the science departments.

The Many Uses of College/Barbelin Hall

College Hall and eventually Barbelin Hall has taken on several purposes since its dedication in November of 1927. When the move to City Avenue first took place, College Hall was intended to be the primary building for the college’s academics as well as student life. Along with having the President’s and Dean’s office located within the building, College Hall housed science labs and reading areas for students in its northern portion (Contosta, 109). On the southern part of the building, it included a cafeteria and even a place for students to mingle and interact with one another (Contosta, 109). In the immediate years following College Hall’s dedication, there was a desire to expand the college’s size on City Avenue; however, insufficient funding and the onset of the Great Depression made this expansion challenging. Nonetheless, the College was able to secure a significant amount of money from the estate of John E. Lonergan and thus an extension of College Hall came to fruition in the form of the “John E. Lonergan School of Mechanics”in 1933 (Contosta, 116-117). The Lonergan School, by the wishes of the Lonergan Estate, was to house more rooms for the science programs as that was a stipulation for receiving the funding in the first place. 

The College saw a huge boost in enrollment after World War II and thus College Hall wasn’t capable of accomodating the massive influx of students coming into its classrooms. This necessitated the construction of the “cardboard” classrooms which was a makeshift building constructed to handle the growing population of the school (Contosta, 185). These “cardboard” classrooms eventually met their end on November 11th, 1960 as the College began further expanding with new, permanent academic buildings other than just Barbelin Hall such as Bellarmine Hall (Contosta, 197). With the further expansion of the school throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s, Barbelin became the main location for the College of Arts & Sciences housing departments such as History, Economics, and Political Science, among many others (The Hawk, 1).

First President of Saint Joseph's College: Father Felix J. Barbelin

Beloved Barbelin hall was named after Father Felix Joseph Barbelin who was a Jesuit priest who had a great influence on the Catholic community in Philadelphia. Barbelin was pushed into religious life at a young age. At the age of 19 is where Barbelin began to study as a priest, he attended a seminary in France which was owned by his uncle. Barbelins' ties to Saint Joseph’s come from him being stationed as pastor at Saint Joseph's church in Philadelphia. Barbelin served there for more than a quarter century where the church became the head of Catholic influences for the city. Barbelins influence over catholics in the city of Philadelphia later led to “College Hall” at Saint Joseph's college being named after Father Joseph’s Barbelin. The building was eventually named “Barbelin Hall” in the early 1920’s. This was in honor of Joseph’s Barbelin being the first president of Saint Joseph's college which would eventually turn into Saint Joseph's University. He served two separate terms as the president of the university. 

Conclusion

Barbelin Hall has been and always will be the staple of Saint Joseph's University. When walking through the beautiful campus of the university or just passing by almost everyone stops to take in the beautiful sight of Barbelin Hall. Located right in the center of the Philadelphia side of campus this building will always hold importance to the University and its students.Although there was some controversy behind Lindbergh being in attendance 10,000 people gathered to introduce the building when it was first introduced to the new City Ave campus.Prior to the building getting its name it was known as college hall but it would eventually get its name from Father Felix Joseph Barbelin who was the first president of Saint Joe’s college. That name stuck as we still know the building as Barbelin Hall today. 

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