Take a peek at Penn’s dormitories in the early 20th century and you’ll gain a glimpse into another world.

This study room in the Lippincott House, photographed in 1901, is now a part of the Quad’s Fisher Hassenfeld College House. Designed by the nation’s leading collegiate architects, Cope and Stewardson, in 1895, the Quadrangle is an easily recognizable landmark—at Penn and of the Collegiate Gothic style. And its original furnishings appear fit for a king, as the architects intended to romanticize the college experience.

While the Quad’s stately and distinctive facade remains largely unchanged, its interiors have undergone a dramatic renovation. No longer are there ornate chandeliers, heavy draperies and Oriental rugs, but there is wireless Internet access and air conditioning—more modern luxuries.