Steeped in tradition and cemented in the walls of buildings all over campus, Ivy Day stones are permanent reminders of Penn alumni and eras gone by.
The first stone was unveiled 137 years ago by the Class of 1873 to commemorate Penn's move from Center City to its new West Philadelphia campus and to mark the opening of College Hall. The class held a small ivy-planting ceremony at graduation and decided to place a marble slab shaped like a shield and inscribed with the words: "Ivy planted by the class of '73 June 7, 1873," on the north side of College Hall.
Photos by Steve Minicola & Scott Spitzer, University Communications