In October 1886, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy moved into the building on the corner of St. Botolph and Garrison Streets in Boston, MA. This was the first building that the College owned and is considered our first "real" home—we had previously been in a series of leased buildings.
Pictured: Drawing of the St. Botolph building (top) | Map of the St. Botolph location (bottom)
While we moved in October 1886, the building itself wasn't dedicated until the following spring.
Pictured: Invitation to the May 1887 dedication (left) | Photograph of the St. Botolph Building (right)
There was serious opposition to the construction of a new building—longtime College members feared financial ruin and were uncertain about constructing a building solely for the purpose of teaching pharmacy. Instead, they were in favor of renovating an old building in the business section so that office rentals would pay expenses and give necessary space for lecture rooms without cost to the College. However, the new building would allow for more than just lecture halls—if we took on the new building, the curriculum could finally include extensive laboratory work given the access to complete chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories.
Edgar L. Patch (PhG 1872), chair of the building committee, was passionate about the new building and convinced his colleagues to take it on. Patch was heavily involved in the building process alongside architect S. Edwin Tobey and builder John Leavitt—we still have the building plans, Edgar L. Patch’s “scrapbook” of the process here in the archives, as well as Edgar L. Patch's notebooks with some amazing original drawings.
Pictured: Edgar L. Patch (left) | Patch's "scrapbook" of the building plans and process (right)
Pictured: Edgar L. Patch's drawings of the front of the building (left) and of the Garrison Street Elevation (right)
As a result of the new building, the faculty was enlarged, and additional elective courses were offered including advanced qualitative analysis, advanced quantitative analysis, proximate organic analysis, toxicology, urinalysis, and microscopy.
Pictured: Students in the Bacteriological Laboratory (left) | Students in the Analytical Laboratory (right)
The Twenty-First Annual Catalogue of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, 1887-1888 contains both an excellent description of the building, as well as the finalized floor plans for the building.
The College is located at the corner of St. Botolph and Garrison Streets, opposite the Massachusetts Charitable Association Building, on ton Avenue. The building is 60 x 80 feet, and three stories and basement high, the basement being 12 feet stud, and each of the other 16 feet stud. It stands on a lot 80 x 102 feet. with broad streets on two sides, a wide passage-way in the rear, and twenty feet of unoccupied land on the remaining side.
The building is well arranged for light and ventilation, is heated through-out by steam, and is provided with all conveniences necessary to the comfort of the students.
It is in close proximity to the new Boston Public Library, Harvard Medical School, Institute of Technology, Art Museum, Natural History Rooms, Young Men's Christian Association, and other places of interest and instruction.
It is reached from all the northern depots by means of Columbus Avenue cars and the walk down West Newton Street, or by taking Huntington Avenue cars at Tremont House.
The Providence and Albany Railroads cross each other near the building, necessitating the stopping of all trains, and making it very convenient for students living on the line of either of these roads.
The main entrance is on St. Botolph Street, with a side entrance on Garrison Street, and basement entrance at both front and rear.
Check out the floor plans below!
Pictured: Plan of the Basement of the St. Botolph Building
The Basement, reached from the first floor by a stairway leading from the rear hall and side entrance, contains the pharmaceutical laboratory, water-closets, lavatory, engine-room, coal-room, etc., as seen by accompanying plan, on which A is stairway leading to first floor, B rear entrance, CC front entrance, D private stairway to Professor of Pharmacy's room above.
In the Engine-Room, 1 and 2 are Corliss boilers of 40 and 15 horse-power respectively, and 3 is engine, fan, etc., for forcing warm or cold air through the building as an adjunct to the direct heat (steam) service, and for purposes of ventilation. Pharmaceutical Laboratory, E, contains the drug-store, weighing-room, stock-room, and cold-room. The working-desks, 4,4,4,4,4, are arranged for a total of one hundred and forty students. Each section is furnished with closet, drawer, slide, bottle-rack, two steam outlets, two gas outlets, water supply, and waste connections. Large sinks, supplied with cold and hot-water taps, are placed at the end of each desk. Tables, 5, 5, designed for general work counters, carrying heavy balances, working stock, etc., are arranged at the windows opposite the end of the desks. Roomy hoods, 6, 6, connected at top and bottom with powerful exhaust apparatus, are convenient of access to all. Lime and sand are stored in closet 7. A steam-table, 8, provided with one hundred and forty openings, hooded and connected with the exhaust service, enlarges the facilities for evaporation at low temperatures, and furnishes a constant supply of hot water, and may be used as hot air, water, or steam baths. At the ends of the desks are arranged twenty-three Copper steam-kettles and stills, fitted to show all the various methods of applying steam in processes of evaporation, extraction, and distillation. Table 9 is fitted with sink. vacuum and blast apparatus, bottle-rack. and large dessicator. At G are racks for carrying large percolators in use. Shelves, 10, are filled with the various reagents required in testing products qualitatively.
The Weighing Department is furnished with thirty-six balances, all of high grade of workmanship and accuracy, facilitating rapid and satisfactory work.
The Drug-Store is fitted in various woods. intending to furnish models of construction and arrangement, and in its adjuncts all the appliances of a first-class pharmacy.
The Pharmaceutical Laboratory Annex, F, contains the hot-room, arranged for the varying temperatures required in drying drugs and chemicals. Number 12 is a tinned copper still, connected by a triplicate block-tin Liebig condenser with the fifty-gallon receiver and distributor 11.
The 10-horse-power engine, 13, runs the special exhaust, and such other mechanical appliances as are required. Numbers 14 are drug-mills.
Table 15 is arranged for heavy operations in percolation and straining. Tables 16, 16, are arranged for general work counters. Tables 17, 17, are fitted expressly for filtrating-desks, having stands for twenty-two burettes, and closets for all needed implements and re-agents The twenty-gallon iron steam-kettle, 18, and the drop-coil water-bath, 19, are in close proximity to the hooded furnaces 20, 20, while near by are the general work , and cod-con- 2 counter, 21, and the forty-gallon copper jacketed kettle, 22, and coil-condenser, 23. The laboratory is equipped with a sufficient number of pill-machines, suppository-moulds, mortars, graduates, and other necessary appliances to enable the entire class to work simultaneously at dispensary work, while the supply of apparatus for pharmaceutical manufacturing is unusually extensive in variety and quantity.
Pictured: Plan of the First Floor of the St. Botolph Building
Entering the front hall, at the right is the entrance to the library and Trustees' room ; directly in front, the entrance to the pharmacy lecture hall ; and at the left, the stairway to the floor above.
The Library, with addition, contains the college library in cases 3,3,3, the working library in revolving case 2, reading-tables, 5, j, and sink at 1. Upon the walls are hung the class pictures of the various graduating classes.
The Trustees' Room has the loan library of Mr. Sheppard, in case 3, a periodical and pamphlet cabinet, 4, tables, 5, 5, Secretary's desk, at 6, and fireplace, 7; while on the walls are bung the portraits of past Presidents and friends of the College.
The Professor of Pharmacy's Room has desk at 8, weighing-counter for analytical balances, 9, stock-shelves, cabinet, and sink, at 10.
The Pharmacy Apparatus Room has movable lecture-tables, extending the entire front, 12, consisting of steam-table, fitted also with gas, water, and waste, and connecting with sink ; 13, hood ; 14, desk and fitting-table ; 15, extension display-table ; 16, 16, apparatus cabinets; 17, 17, apparatus shelves ; 18, movable steam-boiler and still ; 19, 19, blackboards.
The Pharmacy Lecture Hall, 44 x 48, in addition to the apparatus-room, which is thrown into the lecture hall at time of lecture, by opening the folding-doors between, is furnished with raised seats, each provided with a writing-table. Light, heat, and ventilation are carefully looked after, and 250 students can be very comfortably provided for at any one time.
Pictured: Plan of the Second Floor of the St. Botolph Building
Ascending the stairway to the second floor directly in front. is the Janitor's room, A; while turning into the hallway, the entrance to Botanical and Chemical Lecture Hall is at B; that to the Department Botanical and Materia Medica at C.
The Professor of Botany's Room has desk at 1, a sink at 2 ; while charts, botanical specimens. etc., are properly provided for. In the Microscopical Room, cabinet and case 3 contains a full set of Auzoux's dissecting, botanical models; 4, 4, 4, 4, 4. 4, are tables for microscopical work; 5 is a movable lecture-table, arranged for running through door C to lecture-hall ; number 6 is an extensive cabinet, well arranged for displaying the very large collection of materia medica specimens belonging to this department.
Professor of Chemistry's Room has desk at 7, hood at 8, cabinets at 9 and 12, containing apparatus for the demonstration of lectures upon chemical physics ; at 10 is supply and stock cabinet and sink.
In Chemical Apparatus Room, 13, 13, are cabinets for apparatus and stock ; while 14 is a movable lecture-table, fitted with hood, steam, gas, and water supply and waste. No. 16, gasometer. At 15 is a cabinet, containing a complete collection of officinal chemicals.
The Lecture Hall, 42 x 44, arranged upon the same plan as that below, can accommodate 225 students.
Pictured: Plan of the Third Floor of the St. Botolph Building
Upon the third floor, we have at the head of the stairs the Professor of Analytical Chemistry's Room, with cabinets at 5, a convenient work-table at 7, desk at 8, sink at S.
The Chemical Laboratory, 50 x 50, easily accommodates 200 students. The desks, 4, 4, 4, etc., are divided into sections, affording 2 ½ x 3 ½ table space, provided with closets, drawers, bottle-racks, furnishing each student a complete set of re-agents. and gas for heat and light. Re-agent supplies are shelved at 1, 1; hot air baths are placed at 2, 2; hoods. at 3, 3, 3, 3; sinks at S, S, S, S, S, S.
The Weighing Room is arranged to give a good supply of light upon the balances.
The Stock Room has its walls lined with cabinets for stock and apparatus, 5, 5, 5, 5 ; a work-table, 6, Sink, S ; and is connected with laboratory with slide-window.
The Class Room is fitted with blackboard, 9, desk, 10, and seating accommodations for a class of 80.
The St. Botolph and Garrison St. Building was an excellent home for us, and allowed us to grow as a school, but as the city of Boston grew, so did we. By the early 1900's, we were looking to move on, and in 1918, we moved into the White Building.
Pictured: Students and Professor Elie La Pierre standing outside the St. Botolph building, 1901
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