Girard College

Girard College is a boarding school in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, occupying 17 hectares of land. The campus displays buildings in the Greek Revival style, featuring tall columns and facades of cut stone that define the appearance across the grounds.

Stephen Girard died in 1831 and left instructions in his will to establish a school for male orphans, which welcomed its first students in 1848. The institution gradually opened to wider groups, admitting Black students from 1968 and girls from 1984.

The school takes its name from French merchant Stephen Girard, who intended his endowment to provide education and housing for orphans. Students follow a structured routine that balances communal living with weekly family contact.

The school sits in the Fairmount neighborhood, several blocks north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and west of Broad Street. The grounds are enclosed by a high wall that creates a clear boundary between the campus and the surrounding neighborhood.

The founder specified in his will that a three-meter wall be built around the entire property to keep distractions away. This enclosure still separates the campus from the urban environment today, following the original instruction from the 19th century.

Location: Philadelphia

Inception: 1833

Official opening: 1848

Website: http://girardcollege.com

GPS coordinates: 39.97400,-75.17400

Latest update: December 20, 2025 14:30