In Photos: See Ravenhill Mansion, a Historic Jewel on East Falls Campus
The building dates back to the 19th century, and actress Grace Kelly attended school here.
There are many treasures spread across the University’s campuses that you probably didn’t know about … until now.
The term “urban legends” often gets thrown around when talk turns to fantastical stories that veer more toward myth than reality. When it comes to Thomas Jefferson University, though, the phrase “hidden gems” better describes a litany of interesting features of our campuses often hiding in plain sight.
For this episode of the Nexus Podcast, we delved deep into Jefferson’s history – be that physical or via foggy recollections – to get the skinny on unexpected, underappreciated highlights of the world surrounding us.
Sure, some of what we found veers more toward the realm of lore than those which warrant a historical-marker plaque – like how Frank Sinatra used a building on the East Falls campus as a decoy to distract reporters eager to cover his 1951 wedding to Ava Gardner.
Others, like the story behind the “gargoyles” adorning the Paul J. Gutman Library’s exterior and a centuries-old Greek goddess statue in a Center City lobby, are literally right there for those who take the time to notice.
The 2023-24 academic year kicking off in full force offers the perfect opportunity to take a look at (and listen to) the backstories for more than a dozen of Jefferson’s most-intriguing hidden gems.
Don’t hear about a gem that you know about? By all means, drop us a line. We’d love to share even more of these stories in the future.
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