Hill-Physick House
In a rowhouse city, the Hill-Keith-Physick House literally stands apart: a large free-standing mansion surrounded, at a distance, by its smaller, inter-connected neighbors. The house was built in 1786 by Henry Hill (1732-1798), whose substantial family fortune came from importing Madeira wine. Hill occupied the house only briefly, struck down by yellow fever in 1798. The house was then purchased by Abigail Physick, who in 1815 deeded it to her famous brother, Dr. Philip Syng Physick (1768-1837), who lived in it until his death.
The house is a superb example of the Federal style, with a taut-skinned brick façade, almost no protruding ornament, and a delicate, spidery fanlight over the door. Inside, the principal rooms were redecorated in the more muscular Greek Revival style in the early nineteenth century.
Physick, known as the “father of American surgery,” was trained first at the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania), and then in London and at the University of Edinburgh, where he earned his medical degree in 1792. He was appointed surgeon at the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1794 and professor at the University of Pennylvania in 1805. A popular teacher, he focused on observation and the development of practical surgical methods.
Physick entertained the nation’s celebrities in his home, and his patients included Dolly Madison, the daughters of President John Adams, Chief Justice John Marshall, and President Andrew Jackson.
The house remained in the Physick family until its sale in 1895 to Elise and Charles Penrose Keith, who lived here until their deaths (in 1938 and 1940). It is now owned and operated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.
Contact Information:
Kayla Anthony, Executive Director, [email protected]
215-925-7866
https://www.philalandmarks.org/hillphysick
Photo credit: VISIT PHILADELPHIA®