La Salle University

19th century The campus of LaSalle University looking toward Connelly Library Peale House on Belfield, the former Office of the President of La Salle La Salle College was founded in March 1863 as an all-male college by Brother Teliow and Archbishop James Wood of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia . It was first located at St. Michael's Parish on N. 2nd Street in the Olde Kensington section of Philadelphia. La Salle soon moved to the building vacated by St. Joseph's College at 1234 Filbert Street in Center City Philadelphia . In 1886, due to the development of the Center City district, La Salle moved to a third location, the former mansion of Michael Bouvier, the great-great-grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , at 1240 North Broad Street .

In 1930, due to space constraints, La Salle moved to its current campus at the intersection of 20th Street and Olney Avenue in the Logan neighborhood of the city. The new location had a suburban feel with ample land, but was linked to the city by trolleys and the newly constructed Broad Street Subway . The 1930s proved to be a tumultuous decade for La Salle, which was nearly bankrupt after being unable to sell the 1240 North Broad Street property. The main academic building on campus, College Hall was unable to be finished due to a lack of funds, and the college nearly closed in the late 1930s. The college's closing was prevented by a 75th Anniversary Fund Drive in 1938, spearheaded by Philadelphia businessman John McCarthy. Funds raised from this drive also enabled La Salle to purchase a tract of land to the east of 19th Street, where Philadelphia had intended to build a city college. During World War II , La Salle nearly closed again due to a lack of students, and the football team was disbanded due to a lack of players, but the college experienced a period of growth in the late 1940s. Several new buildings were constructed in the 1940s and 1950s, including a new library, student union , and a science building. It was also during this time that the first student residence halls were constructed at La Salle, mostly on land purchased from the former Belfield Country Club. Additional student housing was provided by purchasing or renting local homes, such as the house known as "The Mansion", on David and Logan Blain's Belfield Estate . During the 1960s, the high school section moved out due to the lack of space after many years of sharing the same campus with the College. In 1970, La Salle admitted women to its regular classes, becoming a fully co-educational institution. A year later, La Salle opened Olney Hall (now known as Hayman Hall), [ a ] its main academic building.

It also continued to expand its property throughout the 1970s and 1980s, buying land along Chew Avenue in the Germantown section of the city, along with the Belfield Estate in 1984, and to the south of main-campus, the orphanage run by the Sisters of St. Basil the Great. In 1984, La Salle was granted University status.

Founder's Hall from the corner of Wister and Chew streets in 2015 College Hall from the corners of 20th & Olney In 2007, La Salle acquired the former Germantown Hospital, now West Campus, and constructed The Shoppes at La Salle shopping center across the street in 2008. The construction of the Shoppes at La Salle and addition of The Fresh Grocer ended a decades-long food desert in Germantown. [ 4 ] In the Fall of 2005, the $26 million first phase of this master plan was completed with the construction of Tree Tops Cafe (dining hall) and St. Basil Court (Residence Hall). [ 5 ] St. Basil's houses approximately 430 students. Three of the building's wings feature "suites", in which four students share two bedrooms and one bathroom. The fourth wing's rooms have the traditional one-room for housing two students with communal bathrooms. The facilities have lounges, study rooms, and special purpose rooms. [ 6 ] A $2.5 million athletic field renovation was completed in the Fall of 2006. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] In May 2007, the university purchased adjacent Germantown Hospital for $10 million. The 24 acres (97,000 m 2 ) acquired has become "West Campus", and increased the campus size by 25 percent. [ 9 ] A $15 million shopping center and supermarket complex opened in Fall 2008 across from the Germantown Hospital. [ 10 ] In 2015, Hanycz led consolidation and prioritization efforts, ultimately firing a couple dozen prominent staff members and administrators. The university even cut six undergraduate majors, which were mostly in the foreign language department. However, just a year after her arrival, the school stated that it would decrease tuition by 29 percent. The reasoning for the significant tuition cut was to make La Salle more attractive and accessible for students from more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. [ 11 ] The Shoppes at La Salle was formerly home to the university's softball field and other recreational areas.