OVERBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND HISTORY

In the early 19th century, there was little opportunity for children who are blind or visually impaired to be involved in educational programs.  Methods for teaching the blind were being used in Europe but had not yet reached the United States.

But a dynamic and creative atmosphere existed in Philadelphia that permitted a school for the blind to blossom. It was during this time that John Vaughan and Roberts Vaux - leaders who were active in the political development of the city of Philadelphia - worked together to bring Julius Friedlander to America. Friedlander had been trained to work with the blind in Germany and brought with him the methods of instruction that he had used there. It was Friedlander's dream to start a school for the blind and with the help of influential leaders in Philadelphia, he made his dream a reality In 1832 with the founding of the Pennsylvania Institution for Instruction of the Blind, now known as Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB). From 1832 until his death in 1838, Friedlander developed services for students in his own home, constructed the first school building at 20th and Race Streets, boosted enrollment to 33 students, and witnessed the production of the first embossed book in the country, the Gospel of Mark, and the publication of the first magazine for the blind, Lux in Tenebris. 

Several remarkable leaders followed Friedlander. One of them was William Chapin, who became principal at Overbrook in 1849 and stayed until 1890. Chapin is credited with starting the kindergarten, opening a store on Walnut Street to sell goods manufactured by OSB students, and publishing the first embossed dictionary for the blind. Within the first three years of his employment, he developed comprehensive plans for education, advocated for employment opportunities, and establish a residence for blind individuals who were working. 

Edward Allen succeeded Chapin in 1890 and guided the building of the current campus on Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia. On July 26th, 1896, the 26.3 acre Elizabeth Pleasonton property in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia was purchased for $5,000 an acre (approximately $133,000 total). The site offered proximity to the Overbrook station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and accessibility to streetcar lines. The former farm was selected so that students would have a state-of-the-art school, clean air, and a place for physical activity. The new Spanish Renaissance-style rotunda building with its unforgettable entrance on the corner of Malvern Avenue was completed in 1899. It was renamed Overbrook School for the Blind in 1946. 

The rotunda building, with a domed ceiling and arched openings on the second floor, has always been a gathering place for students and staff. The terrazzo floor and marble steps help create many beautiful sounds. For years, students have enjoyed hearing echoes and even singing in this beautiful entrance. Two cloisters, one for boys and another for girls, were designed to provide outdoor play spaces and gathering areas for the students. 

Additional buildings and facilities were added to the campus as the school grew. White Hall, the principal's residence on campus, was built in 1899 and was named honor of Bishop William D. White. Today, White Hall and its next-door neighbor, Friedlander Hall, are both used as a dormitory and transitional apartment program for older students. 

Following the tradition of valuing physical education, OSB opened the first indoor swimming pool for the blind in 1907. In 2009, the indoor pool was demolished to make way for the Kappen Aquatic Center, the first and only LEED Platinum-certified natatorium in the United States. The Aquatic Center boasts a six-lane, 25-yard competition pool and an activity pool that provides multi-sensory experiences for swimmers of all ages. In addition, the Nevil Field House opened in 1963, providing students with a bowling alley, basketball court, indoor track, and two large locker rooms. 

Sadly, in 1960, a fire broke out in the school, and two firemen lost their lives as a result of the blaze. None of the students were injured. Two bronze plaques were placed in the sidewalk in front of OSB to commemorate the two fallen firemen. The fire destroyed the exterior of the original auditorium which was rebuilt in 1964.

As enrollment at OSB grew, additional classroom space was needed which led to the addition of Nevil Center in 1971. Students, staff, and board members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony in 1994 for the Nevil Bridge and Elevator which made the campus more accessible. 

Last year, Overbrook School for the Blind celebrated the opening of the M. Christine Murphy Horticulture and Education Center, a LEED gold-certified, state-of-the-art greenhouse. With sustainability in mind, the greenhouse is tracking to achieve a Zero Energy Building Certification, thanks to solar panels installed on the Nevil Field House. OSB Installed a 50 kW Photovoltaic (PV) system to offset the energy used by the Horticultural Center. The PV system will generate more than 85,000 kilowatt-hours (kWH) in the first year of production meaning that the panels will produce as much or more energy than it takes to run the Center. 

Over the years, buildings have been renovated to the needs of the students. Ramps, elevators, and modernized classrooms and apartments provide students of today with the same opportunities for activity and Independence.

In 2007, Overbrook School for the Blind opened a modest museum devoted to its own history and the history of educating the blind in the United States. It is located in a suite of rooms in the rotunda building. 

The Architecture of Overbook School for the Blind

Cope and Stewardson, one of the most influential and prolific architecture firms of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, was chosen to design Overbrook School for the Blind in 1896. Highly regarded for the formative additions they designed for the campuses of Bryn Mawr College, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania, Cope and Stewardson were hired when OSB moved to its new home at 64th Street and Malvern Avenue in Philadelphia.

Cope, who had spent his honeymoon in Spain the year before, worked with the school director on the design of a Spanish Renaissance-styled building. From 1897 to 1900, the architects developed what they called a monastery plan, a complex of low buildings and quadrangles with interior cloisters and gardens. At the entrance of the school, they built a stunning administrative building, with a gently rising central dome flanked by open towers. White terra cotta details and other highlights distinguish the entrance building, and yellow stucco and gleaming red tile roofs surround the entire campus.

The architecture was considered so innovative at the time that the architects were invited by the United States government to display their plans at the Paris Exposition in 1900. The campus forms the eastern boundary of Overbrook Farms, a National Historic District.