University of Pennsylvania China Bicentennial Wedgwood Plates, 1940 Law School Portico

Artist: William Martin Campbell (1887-1982)

William Martin Campbell drew the sketch of the Law School which appears on this University of Pennsylvania Bicentennial Wedgwood China plate. He was born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in 1887 and earned the degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture (B.S. in Arch.) from the University of Pennsylvania with the Class of 1912.

After graduation he worked for several architectural firms, including John Torrey Windrim‘s firm, which specialized in the Beaux Arts style, and Bissell & Sinkler, which focused on colonial revival architecture. Campbell was soon ready to open his own firm and worked independently for the rest of his career. During World War I, he served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. From 1920 until 1953 he taught classes at the School of Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania. From 1927 until 1966 he taught classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Campbell was very interested in the history of Philadelphia architecture, and he published an article in 1951 that launched the reexamination and revival of the works of Frank Furness.

Subject: The Law School (now Silverman Hall)

The Law School building, now known as Silverman Hall, was built between 1899 and 1900. It was designed by Cope and Stewardson and modeled on the works of Christopher Wren. The building houses the Biddle Law Library as well as classrooms and offices. Silverman Hall was formerly known as William Draper Lewis Hall, named for the man who was responsible for moving the Law School to West Philadelphia and hiring a full-time faculty.

Architects: Cope and Stewardson