Stephen Girard Building at 21 South 12th Street, Philadelphia

The College’s first home, 1899–1900

Through the vision of Mason Wiley Pressly, DO, and Oscar John Snyder, DO, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s legacy began. At least a dozen medical schools and hospitals were on the scene in 1899 when the physicians set their sights on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a mecca for medical education. They incorporated the Philadelphia College and Infirmary of Osteopathy (PCIO) in January 1899.

Drs. Pressly and Snyder sought a space for the College’s first home and found it in two rooms of the Stephen Girard Building, a new 13-story office tower located at 21 South 12th Street. Located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, the building was considered at the time to represent the Beaux-Arts and to be among the most elegant office structures in the nation. Built in 1896, the Girard Building and the entire city block (bordered by Market, Chestnut, 11th and 12th Streets) was once entirely owned by Stephen Girard, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, banker and philanthropist. He purchased the land from John Dunlap, an Irish printer known for publishing the first copies of the Declaration of Independence.

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About Digest Magazine

Digest, the magazine for alumni and friends of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications. The magazine reports on osteopathic and other professional trends of interest to alumni of the College’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and graduate programs at PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia.