Hill College House
With its sunny interior court, perimeter fence, and fortified moat entrance, Hill poetically evoked an age when women were still protected and Penn acted in the role of in loco parentis. Hill College House is named for Robert Hill (1889).
Designed by Eero Saarinen in 1958, and constructed in 1960, Hill College House is an internationally recognized architectural landmark located at the corner of 33rd and Walnut Streets. Originally a women's dormitory, the building's entry features an allegorical bridge over an ivy filled "moat" and its surrounding spiked metal fence. The living spaces, including five floors of double bedrooms, accommodate 500 students. Student lounges and seminar rooms are built around a vast central atrium that overlooks a dining area on the lower level.
ProgramCompleted in 2017, the renovation of Hill College House addressed the maintenance and system upgrades needed for a modern College House. All bathrooms were converted to individual restrooms and shower rooms, all bedrooms and common spaces were upgraded, air conditioning was installed, and the central kitchen and dining areas were expanded and modernized. The building masonry envelope was repointed and new windows and a new roof were installed.