MEDICINE AND THE ARTS
The Art of Architecture in Historic Louisville Medical Schools
Fig . 2 The 1840 Clinical Amphitheater at City Hospital ( seen on left side of figure ).
Fig . 1 The first University of Louisville building , which housed the School of Medicine from 1838 to 1909 .
Fine architectural design combines artistic and functional elements . The artistic elements express vision and mission , and the functional ones enable them . Artistry in medical architecture expresses the nobility and high callings of the profession , often through style elements from classical Greek and Roman temples , or from early European Churches . The functional components serve instructional purposes . In 19 th century academic medical structures , this is exemplified by semicircular amphitheaters for lectures , and by glass cupolas or skylights to illuminate the amphitheaters and anatomy laboratories below . These were especially necessary before gas or electrical lighting . The 19 th century medical schools of Louisville illustrate these style and design elements especially well . Fortunately , the finest example has been preserved – the 1891-1894 Louisville Medical College building , which became the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1910 , the Greater Louisville Medical Society offices in 1970 , and the Ronald McDonald House in 2016 .
The University of Louisville ( UofL ) was founded in 1837 as a
18 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE by GORDON R . TOBIN , MD
medical school , without other associated colleges . Its origin followed a high-profile public rivalry between Lexington and Louisville over which city provided the best resources for medical teaching , especially cadavers for anatomical dissection and hospitals for clinical experience . A fierce dispute in the state ’ s existing medical school at Transylvania University in Lexington during 1836-1847 , led to half of its faculty migrating to Louisville to establish a new school – now named University of Louisville . This migration of faculty was encouraged by Louisville ’ s civic leaders and was welcomed by Louisville ’ s government , whose leaders gave the faculty a block on Chestnut Street between 8 th and 9 th , which they named “ College Square .”
The First University of Louisville Building
On the southwest corner of 8 th and Chestnut Streets , the city erected a home for the school , which was designed by Gideon Shryock , architect of the state capitol and Louisville City Hall ( Fig . 1 ). It was designed in Greek Revival style , as popularized by Thomas Jefferson . The building entrance was framed between Ionic columns , and it was crowned by a large glass-walled spire . The gleaming spire was the city ’ s tallest structure , and it was seen as an inspiring artistic