Floor plans, physical therapy facilities on fourth floor of Robinson Hall, ca. 1965
Floor plans, physical therapy facilities on fourth floor of Robinson Hall, ca. 1964

“…a new challenge in the gallant saga of Bouvé-Boston School”

The Bouvé-Boston School merged with Northeastern University in 1964, returning to its roots on Huntington Avenue. Robinson Hall, which housed the College of Nursing, became the headquarters for the physical therapy department while the physical education and recreation departments moved into Dockser Hall in 1968. The College maintained ties with Tufts-New England Medical Center to ensure access to clinical opportunities and medical lectures for physical therapy students. By decade’s end, the treatment and rehabilitation equipment had migrated from Medford to Boston, and all physios graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University. Shared facilities and cooperative education experiences integrated Bouvé students into the life of the university. The School’s history of forward-thinking educators, resourceful in times of crisis and prosperity, continued to instill loyalty in alumnae and the new generation of coeducational students.

Exterior of Robinson Hall, the original home of the physical therapy department, 1965
Exterior of Robinson Hall, the original home of the physical therapy department, 1965. The physical therapy department inventoried their holdings, with notes on needed repairs, when moving from Tufts’ Medford campus to their new facilities at Northeastern.

Sample from inventory of physical therapy department supplies, July 1965

  •  Electrical Equipment
    • 1 new Teca – Model SP-1
    • 1 Theratron Muscle Stimulator in good condition
  • Laboratory Equipment
    • 1 set portable parallel bars
    • 1 shoulder wheel in good condition 
  • Amputee Material
    • 9 dummy stumps in good condition
    • 26 braces and splints in old to fair condition
  • Massage Material
    • 24 4 oz. bottles
    • 2 pints mineral oil
    • 2 lbs. paraffin