"Building America's First University traces the University from its earliest site, chosen by Benjamin Franklin, to the present day. Architectural historians George E. Thomas and David B. Brownlee follow Penn's history from its beginnings through its near failure in the early nineteenth century, its rebirth as a center of innovation in education after the Civil War, and its transformation into a global institution after World War II.

They show how changes in the University's academic scope and direction are visible in its buildings and in the character of the three campuses that have been its home. They weave together the often conflicting interests and goals of trustees, administrators, alumni, and students that have shaped the institution of today - two hundred and fifty years after Benjamin Franklin wrote his Proposals for the Education of Youth in Pensilvania."--BOOK JACKET.