The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) teaches graduate students holistic approaches to medicine — utilizing a whole person approach, “treating people, not just symptoms.” Lacking on-campus housing since the school moved to its present location on Philadelphia’s City Line Avenue in 1957, PCOM existed as a commuter school with limited campus life accommodations.
The school understood a longstanding need for student housing on campus. Busy medical students have limited time and must focus on studies: living on campus allows more concentrated academic time while promoting collaborative learning. And PCOM’s peer schools can provide housing that enriches campus life. So when Overmont House — a 1971 apartment building for elderly residents at the edge of PCOM’s campus — became available, the College purchased the building to convert it into the campus’s first residential hall.
VSBA was retained to design this transformation. The structure is a 12-story tower with a masonry envelope and repetitive interior layout. Built with a modest budget, it was highly efficient but spartan in its allocation of space, quality of construction, and finishes. The building hadn’t been well maintained, the exterior envelope needed repair, building systems needed replacement, and small apartments were cramped with low floor to ceiling heights. How could VSBA — working with these constraints and a tight budget — transform the building into a modern, gracious campus facility?
We started by rethinking the residential units. We reimagined them as studio and one-bedroom apartments with different configurations. We opened up their layouts to create more airy, light-filled spaces. The new fully-furnished units included contemporary kitchens, plenty of storage space, and many modern amenities.
Beyond the units, every floor includes laundry facilities and shared study spaces. The building’s lower level and first floor offer a commons with student lounges, mail room, package retrieval system, and individual and group study rooms (some with integrated audiovisual tech).
We renovated the building’s exterior masonry, replacing flashings and damaged masonry at relieving angles, and replaced the roofing (adding insulation). A new free-standing entry canopy serves as a portico for the renewed building and link to the rest of campus. The canopy announces the building’s title — Meta Christy House — named for Meta L. Christy, DO, PCOM Class of 1921, the first African American osteopathic physician in the nation.