Sanitary Acculturation: The Social History of Progressive Era Public Bath Houses in Philadelphia

In 1895, the Public Baths Association of Philadelphia (PBA) was formed for purpose "establishing and maintaining public baths affording poor facilities bathing promotion cleanliness." 1898, PBA opened America's first bath house to offer both laundry facilities. The six bathhouses erected in exemplify a period national experimentation that aimed establish an American standard bodily cleanliness though architecture, based on belief long-range strategy urban moral control could be achieved through influencing behavior modeling character consciously planned environment.