Philadelphia Naval Asylum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Philadelphia Naval Asylum, later the Naval Home, was a hospital, the Philadelphia Naval School, and a home for retired sailors for the United States Navy from 1834 to 1976, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Located on over 20 acres, the central building, Biddle Hall, was completed in 1833. Biddle Hall, the Surgeon's residence and the Governor's residence were all designed by architect William Strickland. They are considered some of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
One of the uses of the Naval Asylum was for the Philadelphia Naval School, an academy for midshipmen that was a precursor of the United States Naval Academy. Beginning in 1838, midshipmen approaching examinations for promotion were assigned to the school for 8 months of study. William Chauvenet was placed in charge of the school in 1842 and formalized much of the study. When the Naval Academy was formed in 1845, four of the seven faculty members came from the Philadelphia school.
The name was changed to Naval Home in 1889. In 1976 the Naval Home relocated to Gulfport, Mississippi, after it was determined that the Philadelphia facility could not be economically expanded and modernized.
The property was sold to residential developer Toll Brothers in 1988. The main building was the victim of arson in 2003. It has since been restored and designed as luxury condomiums.
