Silverman Hall Enter historic Silverman Hall, designed by Cope and Stewardson in 1900, and the grandeur of the building is evident. Off the Great Hall, the site of many receptions, are faculty offices, the Goat student lounge, and a classroom. The Grand Staircase leads to Levy Conference Center, three larger classrooms, journal offices, and seminar rooms. The Gittis Clinic for Legal Studies, seminar rooms and student spaces are housed on the lower level.
Three large classrooms occupy the space that once housed Penn’s famous Biddle Law Library (now in Tanenbaum Hall). These rooms blend historical architecture with modern technology, including wireless access throughout the Law School.
Samuel Stuart / Sam Hollenshead
A magnificent staircase leads up to Levy Conference Center, classrooms, and seminar rooms on the second floor of Silverman Hall.
Architectural details add to the grandeur of the staircase landing, with a view out of the windows of the rooftop deck that connects Golkin and Gittis Halls.
The name of this space befits this beautiful entrance hall that also serves as the location of elegant receptions and dinners. On both sides of the Great Hall are faculty offices and a seminar room.
The Equal Justice Foundation’s annual live auction, held in Levy, raises funds to support 1L summer public interest work. This is just one of the many events that take place in Levy Conference Center throughout the year.
This iconic statue guards the entrance to The Goat Lounge, one of four main student gathering spots that include the Clock Lounge in Tanenbaum Hall, Davis Student Union in Golkin Hall, and the patio in the Courtyard. “The Goat” is actually a Hsieh-Chai, an animal from Chinese lore dating back to the days of Shun (circa 2200 B.C.). Hsieh-Chai was goat-like, but bore only one horn, and was endowed with the faculty of detecting the guilty. According to legend, when the famous minister Kao Yao tried cases in which guilt was uncertain, he would use Hsieh-Chai to distinguish between the crooked and the upright. Donated by a former faculty member, the sculpture adorns the Law School as a reminder of the ancient roots of the judicial process. Sculpture by Henry Mitchell (1962) The quote on the dedication plaque reads: “SLOW AND PAINFUL HAS BEEN MAN’S PROGRESS FROM MAGIC TO LAW”
This tranquil space, located between two of the Silverman classrooms on the second floor, is a good place to study. At other times, Kabacoff serves as a lovely location for a small reception, often during a conference or symposium.
Clients use this private outside entrance on Sansom Street to meet with student attorneys and faculty supervisors.
Comfortable seating attracts students to the Goat Lounge.
Students use the Goat Lounge for relaxation and study.
The Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies on the ground floor of Silverman Hall serves as the reception areas of what appears to be a small law firm. The Clinic is a multi-faceted clinical law practice and state-of-the-art teaching law office that was opened in 1996 and recently expanded. The Center contains faculty offices, a student lawyering center, video-equipped conference rooms, seminar rooms, and a separate client entrance directly to the street (see next photo). Most of Penn’s renowned clinics are located here, including the Civil Practice Clinic, Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic, Mediation Clinic, Legislative Clinic, Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic, Lawyering in the Public Interest, Supreme Court Clinic, and the Transnational Clinic. The Criminal Defense Clinic is located downtown, and Externships are off-site. Our newest clinic, The Detkin Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic, will be opening soon.
Visitors entering historic Silverman Hall from 34th Street, step into the grandeur from another era. Penn Law was first housed in a building near Independence hall in the heart of what is now Philadelphia’s historic district. In 1900, the Law School relocated, to the new West Philadelphia University campus as Penn Law led the national movement to integrate legal education with other fields. The University community and distinguished jurists from across the country gathered to dedicate a new Law School building celebrated as “the most completely beautiful and most beautifully complete building ever designed for the sole purpose of housing a law school.” The exterior of the building, designed in the English classic style of the time by the famous Philadelphia firm of Cope and Stewardson, incorporates shields and medallions bearing the names of great figures in the history of Anglo-American common law.
A bust of James Wilson, who delivered the first law lectures in 1790 to George Washington and members of the cabinet, presides at the entrance to the Levy Conference Center on the second floor of Silverman Hall.