Barbelin Hall is the most enduring and memorable building on the campus of

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The structure was completed in 1927 and was the first building on the current City Avenue campus known as Hawk Hill. The building is known for its 165-foot tower which has become a symbol of the university. It is often used as a secondary logo for SJU. For some time, the tower was the highest point from sea level in Philadelphia. The building is named for

Felix-Joseph Barbelin The Reverend Felix-Joseph Barbelin, S.J., (30 May 1808 – 9 June 1869) called the "Apostle of Philadelphia",was a 19th-century Jesuit priest influential in the development of the Catholic community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United Sta ...

who served two separate terms as president of what was then known as Saint Joseph's College. Constructed of

Wissahickon schist The Wissahickon Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It is named for the Wissahickon gorge in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. In Maryland formations, the term "Wissahickon" is no longer used. Rocks in this c ...

(a local stone) and limestone, the facade features gargoyles, heads of early presidents of the college, and an array of other limestone carvings. The building was first used for all types of classes and as a residence hall. It is now exclusively used for the College of Arts & Sciences at Saint Joseph's. What is known as Barbelin Quad is located in the middle of the building. The tower overlooks the entire campus including Sweeney Field and the

Haub School of Business The Erivan K. Haub School of Business is the business school of Saint Joseph's University, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1927, the school was named in honor of noted German businessman Erivan Haub in 1988 in recognition of hi ...

in Mandeville Hall. A number of gargoyles can be seen on the building while on Barbelin Quad. Statues and grotesques of heads of former presidents of Saint Joseph's are also located on the edges of the building. In front of Barbelin, overlooking City Avenue, is a statue of

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

References

{{Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University University and college buildings completed in 1927 1927 establishments in Pennsylvania