Naval Hospital Philadelphia, Bounded by South Twentieth Street, Hartrafnt Street, South Broad Street & Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Significance: A functioning United States Navy medical facility between 1935 and 1993, Naval Hospital Philadelphia consists of approximately 45 buildings and structures that document its construction between 1932 and 1935 as a coherent Art Deco-style complex, and its subsequent rapid expansion during World War II. The surviving eight buildings of the original hospital complex, the main Naval Hospital building (HABS No. PA-6206-A), the Corpsmen's Quarters (Building 2), the Nurses' Quarters (Building 3; HABS No. PA-6206-B), the Garage (Building 4), the Sewage Pumping Station (Building 7), the Commanding Officer's Quarters (Building A; HABS No. PA-6206-H), the Medical and Surgical Officers' Quarters (Building B/C; HABS PA-6206-I), and the Executive Officer's Quarters (Building D), all incorporate the same Art Deco elements. These buildings and their associated landscaped grounds compose a noteworthy institutional complex of Art Deco buildings designed by the locally prominent architectural firm of Karcher and Smith.
The remaining building composing the hospital complex reflect the facility's rapid enlargement during World War II. These buildings, in addition to the original complex, participated in Naval Hospital Philadelphia's significant wartime mission as the center for amputation, orthopedic, and prosthetic services for all naval personnel residing east of the Rocky Mountains. The Hospital also served as the principal treatment center for blind and hearing-impaired veterans of the Navy, Marines Corps, and Coast Guard. Naval Hospital Philadelphia also pioneered prosthetic research, development, and manufacturing of custom-built permanent artificial limbs for naval amputees.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1444
Survey number: HABS PA-6206
Building/structure dates: 1935 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1942 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1946 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: after. 1969- before. 1980 Subsequent Work