The Tooker House, a historic residence at the University of Pennsylvania, is renowned for its unique room numbering system that has puzzled and intrigued students and visitors alike for decades. This system, unlike any other on campus, is not merely a sequence of numbers but a blend of history, architecture, and a touch of quirkiness that adds to the charm of this iconic building.
To understand the Tooker House room numbers, one must first delve into the building's history. Constructed in 1929, it was originally designed as a women's residence hall and was named after the university's first female graduate, Sarah Tooker. The building's architecture is a blend of Gothic and Collegiate Gothic styles, reflecting the university's rich history and traditions.
The Tooker House Wings
The Tooker House is composed of four wings, each named after a notable woman in history: Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. These wings are not merely named but are also numerically organized around these historical figures.
The room numbers in each wing start with the year of the figure's birth and end with the year of their death. For instance, in the Lucy Stone wing, rooms start with 1817 (the year Lucy Stone was born) and end with 1893 (the year she died). This unique numbering system not only pays tribute to these remarkable women but also serves as a daily reminder of their contributions to society.
Room Numbers within Wings
Within each wing, room numbers are organized in a specific pattern. Rooms on the first floor start with the lowest numbers and increase as you move up the floors. However, the numbering does not simply increment by one. Instead, it skips numbers, creating a unique sequence that is not immediately apparent.
For example, in the Susan B. Anthony wing, rooms on the first floor are numbered 1820, 1822, 1824, and so on, skipping the even numbers. This pattern continues throughout the wing, with rooms on the second floor starting from 1826 and increasing in the same manner. This skipping of numbers is not a mistake but a deliberate part of the Tooker House's distinctive room numbering system.
Suite Numbers
In addition to individual rooms, the Tooker House also has suites, which are groups of connected rooms. These suites are not simply numbered consecutively but are given names that reflect the building's historical theme. For instance, the suites in the Elizabeth Cady Stanton wing are named after significant events in the women's suffrage movement, such as the Seneca Falls Convention and the Nineteenth Amendment.
Each suite has a main room with a unique name and a number that corresponds to the year of the event it represents. The other rooms in the suite are then numbered sequentially, continuing the unique numbering pattern of the wing they belong to.
The Tooker House Courtyard
The Tooker House is centered around a beautiful courtyard, which is home to several unique rooms. These rooms, unlike those in the wings, do not follow the historical numbering system. Instead, they are numbered based on their location in the courtyard.
