The Legacy Center Archives & Special Collections in partnership with the Drexel Founding Collection and representatives from the health sciences are developing exhibits and galleries throughout the Health Sciences Building that represent the 175+ years of rich history of the College of Medicine including its significance for women in medicine and its role as the foundation for all the Drexel health science programs focusing on the following themes:

• Service
• Inclusivity
• Innovation 

The wall murals that are currently installed were designed as temporary exhibits as we develop more comprehensive content that includes portraits and sculptures that are currently in place at Queen Lane as well as historical materials.

Timeframe

We are underway with fundraising, design and content development. Our goal is to complete the permanent exhibits by the end of 2024 or at the start of 2025, in time for the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. A detailed timeline is below.

Support

If you are interested in making a gift in support of this project, please reach out to Margaret Graham, Legacy Center director, Mary Waring, Institutional Advancement, or you can donate directly at this link for designated donations to the Legacy Center. 

Who is doing the work?

The HSB Advisory Group for Art and Historical Exhibits is guiding the process. In addition to Legacy Center and Drexel Founding Collections staff, the group is composed of staff, faculty, and students representing the three schools that occupy HSB (College of Medicine; College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP); and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences) as well as staff from the College of Medicine Communications and Marketing Department, Institutional Advancement, and Facilities and Real Estate. A co-op student designed the existing temporary exhibits and will continue to be involved with the project. An outside design firm will design the main exhibits.

Project status as of May 1, 2024

Permanent exhibits are planned for the following locations, most of which have temporary exhibits currently installed. In most cases the temporary exhibits will remain in place until the permanent plan is executed.

First floor

Content of the current mural exhibits will be updated with the amphitheater photograph backgrounds retained and the fabrication means will be upgraded. Content will be made accessible for all abilities through virtual content hosted at minimum on a website; possibly through an app. The virtual content will also showcase additional related content, deepening the user experience.

Second floor

The current mural exhibit will be replaced with a history gallery composed of portraiture, archival material and artifacts reflecting all three schools that occupy the building, centered around themes of innovation, service, and inclusivity. The exhibit will be designed by an external firm incorporating archival materials, art and artifacts from the collections.

A secondary small exhibit space will support the display of 2-dimensional contemporary content provided by the three schools who are residents of the building. 

Third floor

The tentative plan is to update the current College of Nursing and Health Professions mural exhibit with additional and/or different content.

Fifth floor

The tentative plan is to create a mural exhibit reflecting the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with a possible second mural reflecting more about the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Ninth floor

In the alcove facing the elevator lobby, a history gallery will display artifacts, art, and historical documents around the theme of Student Life, centered on the statue of Dr. June Klinghoffer.

Status: The statue of Dr. Klinghoffer has been moved into this space and a temporary graphic will soon accompany it. The permanent exhibit is in development and will be dedicated to the story of student life at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, Hahnemann Medical College and Drexel University College of Medicine. The exhibit will be designed by an external firm incorporating archival materials, art and artifacts from the collections.

The current wall mural reflecting inclusivity at the College of Medicine will be upgraded following the recommendations of the online surveys, the project's advisory group, and student listening sessions. With more content and improved design and materials, the new mural will be larger in scale and provide more context on the individuals portrayed.

Timeline

• August 7, 2023: Installation of current temporary graphics throughout HSB 
• December 13, 2023: Kick-off meeting for permanent installations  
• April 24, 2024: Installation of Dr. June Klinghoffer sculpture on 9th floor 
• May/June 2024: Design and content development for overall project 
• Summer 2024: Upgrades of existing murals on 9th floor 
• Fall 2024: Fabrication and installation of new history galleries on 1st, 2nd and 9th floor 
• January 2025: Completion of Art & Historic Exhibits in the Health Sciences Building in time for 175th anniversary of Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania