Deeds of trust of the Trustees of the Building Fund

At a meeting of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on 6 November 1849, George Fox proposed the formation of a committee to determine the cost of a lot and construction of a building as a permanent home for the institution. The committee reported that $20,000 would be needed and recommended that a trust be established with the College's securities and additional funds raised over the course of several years until the amount required to build was collected. On 15 January 1850, George Fox, J, Rodman Paul, and George Bacon Wood were elected Trustees of the Building Fund and empowered to receive and invest all funds for purchase and construction. A related body, the Committee of Collections for the Trust Fund, was also formed at this time.

In 1859, the Building Fund had reached $21,545, and the trust was continued for five more years. In 1860, a lot at 13th and Locust Streets was purchased and the deed delivered to the trustees. An adjacent lot was purchased in the following year. In December 1861, the College resolved to build but also continue fund raising efforts. The Hall of the College of Physicians was completed and occupied in March 1863. The trust was then annulled, and all proceeds from the sale of its securities were transferred to the College's Building Committee. The Trustees of the Building Fund were discharged by the College at its meeting on 4 March 1863.