The University of the Arts
- Architect
- John Haviland
- Year
- 1987
- Style
- Greek Revival
- City
- Philadelphia, PA
The University of the Arts grew out of two 19th-century institutions — the Philadelphia Musical Academy, founded in 1870, and the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, founded in 1876 — which merged over the following century into a single arts university on Center City's Avenue of the Arts. On May 31, 2024, administrators announced without warning that the university would close, shutting its doors just a week later on June 7, 2024, after years of financial trouble that had gone largely unaddressed.
the building
Six schools under one roof. At its close, the university comprised six schools — Art, Dance, Design, Film, Music, and the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts — along with graduate and professional programs, the product of decades of mergers among Philadelphia's specialized arts academies.
A children's school since 1900. A Saturday School offering art classes for children had run since 1900, one of the institution's longest-standing programs before the 2024 closure.
the style
The building is executed in the Greek Revival style, a form associated with civic and cultural architecture across early 19th-century Philadelphia.
More on Greek Revivalthe architect
The building was designed by John Haviland, a significant figure among early 19th-century Philadelphia architects.
significance
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The University of the Arts closed abruptly on June 7, 2024, just a week after administrators announced the shutdown on May 31, ending an institution whose roots stretched back to 1870 and 1876, though its precarious finances had been known for some time.
nearby
- Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
- Drake Hotel
- Clarence B. Moore House
- Academy of Music
- Dr. Joseph Leidy House
- Church of St. Luke and The Epiphany (Philadelphia)