Perhaps you’ve wondered what innovations sprung from this building. This is the Veterinary Services Building. It played a vital role in shaping veterinary medicine’s history. Let’s delve into its story.
Philadelphia was once the medical capital of the colonies. Two important veterinary associations started here. One was the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture in 1805. The other was the American Veterinary Association in 1854.
Dr. Robert Jennings founded the AVA. He was a pioneer in veterinary education. He started the Veterinary College of Philadelphia in 1852. It might have been the first veterinary school in the U.S. But few students enrolled. Even fewer graduated.
Dr. Jennings and other Philadelphia vets wanted a national group. So, the AVA became the U.S. Veterinary Medical Association. The change happened at a meeting in New York City in 1863. The USVMA became the AVMA in 1898.
The AVMA grew slowly at first. It gained few members each year. Some members were even expelled for not paying dues. The Keystone Veterinary Association in Pennsylvania was larger for many years. So was the Missouri Valley Veterinary Association.
The founding of the School of Veterinary Medicine occurred in 1884. There was a need for well-trained veterinarians. Animal diseases caused devastation in the young country. American cities grew quickly. They needed more and more animal foodstuffs. Livestock populations were also falling due to disease.
Most educated veterinarians came from Europe or England. Others apprenticed with a vet. Some were just “quacks.” They simply put up a sign. Horace J. Smith campaigned persistently for a veterinary school. He was a local farm manager. Smith wrote to Dr. William Pepper at the University of Pennsylvania. He asked about creating a veterinary science professorship.
The medical faculty approved the idea. They wanted an endowment to fund it. The University Trustees agreed. But it took until 1883 to get enough money to build a veterinary department.
The original Veterinary Department building was at 36th and Pine streets. Now, the Medical Laboratories Building stands there. The Veterinary Department stayed there until 1901. Then, they tore it down to expand the Medical School.
From 1901 to 1907, the Veterinary Department moved to a converted car barn. It was on Woodland Avenue. The location was between 38th and 39th Streets. It was not a good space. The first section of the modern quadrangle building opened in 1907. It was at 39th Street and Woodland Avenue. The structure was completed by 1913. A new building opened in 1963. It is now the Rosenthal Building. It faces Spruce Street. It connects to the old quadrangle building.
The Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania opened in 1981. It also connects to the original quadrangle building. The Veterinary School bought land in Chester County in 1952. It became New Bolton Center. This is the school’s rural campus.
New Bolton Center is thirty-two miles from Philadelphia. It has over 1,000 acres. It also has more than 70 buildings. There is a hospital for horses and farm animals. It is the George D. Widener Hospital. There are dorms, classrooms, and meeting rooms. Research and diagnostic labs are there too.
The Veterinary Services Building and its associated institutions helped shaped the profession. Veterinary medicine continues to evolve. It addresses animal health challenges. It also protects public health.