Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House is a nonprofit family-support organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, created to help families remain close to children receiving serious medical treatment. It is recognized as the first Ronald McDonald House and became the founding model for the wider Ronald McDonald House Charities network. The organization’s central service is accommodation for immediate family members of children receiving inpatient or outpatient care, supplemented by meals, communal spaces, practical assistance, volunteer support, and a community-oriented environment intended to reduce the burden of prolonged medical treatment. The House emerged from a convergence of pediatric medicine, professional sports fundraising, and corporate philanthropy in the early 1970s. Pediatric oncologists Audrey Evans and Milton “Mickey” Donaldson at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia observed families sleeping in or near the hospital while their children underwent treatment. Evans envisioned a dedicated residential setting where families could stay together. At roughly the same time, Philadelphia Eagles personnel were raising money for Kim Hill, the daughter of Eagles player Fred Hill, who was being treated for leukemia. Eagles manager Jimmy Murray connected the fundraising effort with Evans’s proposal and sought support from McDonald’s. McDonald’s agreed to help finance the initiative through proceeds from Shamrock Shake sales, creating the first Ronald McDonald House. The original House opened on October 15, 1974, at 4032 Spruce Street, with space for seven families. It later moved to 3925 Chestnut Street in 1981, where expansion increased the number of bedrooms first to 19 and later, after a major 1995 expansion supported substantially by U.S. Healthcare, to 43. Additional changes brought the Chestnut Street capacity to 45 bedrooms. The principal building occupies approximately 72,000 square feet and is housed in a Victorian-era Romanesque mansion originally built in 1893 for William James Swain. The property had previously been used by the Andrew Bair Funeral Home before becoming the Ronald McDonald House. The organization expanded beyond its original West Philadelphia residence. In 2008, it opened a second facility at 100 East Erie Avenue beside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The second House initially had 18 guest rooms and later reached 20 bedrooms after additional rooms were added in 2014. Together, the facilities serve families connected with hospitals including The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Wills Eye Institute, and Shriners Hospital. Stays may last from a single night to more than a year, reflecting the varied duration of pediatric treatment. The Philadelphia House also developed programs located inside hospitals and services for children and siblings. In 1986, it established a one-week oncology summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. In 2006, it opened a Ronald McDonald Family Room in the oncology unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, providing a kitchen, dining and rest areas, bathroom and laundry facilities, entertainment, and a more domestic setting within the hospital. A second Family Room followed in the cardiac unit in 2008. In 2013, the organization added a Hospitality Kiosk in the critical care unit at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, offering snacks, meals, beverages, toiletries, reading materials, games, and resource information. The House operates through a combination of full-time employees and a large rotating volunteer community. Its positioning is not commercial lodging but compassionate, practical support for families navigating pediatric illness. The organization’s continuing role is to create a stable community of comfort and hope while enabling parents and other immediate family members to remain near their hospitalized or medically treated children.

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House began as a response to the financial, emotional, and logistical pressures faced by families of children with cancer and other serious illnesses. At The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric oncologists Audrey Evans and Milton Donaldson saw families spending extended periods near the hospital while their children received treatment. Evans proposed a dedicated residence that would allow families to remain nearby without bearing the cost and isolation of hotel accommodation. An important fundraising opportunity developed through the Philadelphia Eagles. The team and its manager, Jimmy Murray, were supporting Fred Hill and his daughter Kim during Kim’s leukemia treatment. Murray met with Evans, adopted the idea of a family residence, and approached McDonald’s for assistance. McDonald’s supported the project through proceeds from Shamrock Shake sales. This partnership enabled the first House to open at 4032 Spruce Street on October 15, 1974, with room for seven families. The facility became the first Ronald McDonald House and later served as the prototype for the international Ronald McDonald House Charities movement. In 1981, the organization relocated to 3925 Chestnut Street. The new site increased capacity to 19 bedrooms, and a subsequent expansion in 1995 added 24 rooms, bringing the total to 43. The expansion was largely funded by U.S. Healthcare. Later modifications added another bedroom on the mansion side and converted a lounge into the 45th bedroom in 2009. The Chestnut Street operation ultimately grew to approximately 72,000 square feet and could accommodate 45 families. The Chestnut Street building has architectural and civic history predating its nonprofit use. It is a Victorian-era Romanesque mansion constructed in 1893 for William James Swain, son of Philadelphia Public Ledger editor and publisher William Moseley Swain. Architect Will Decker designed the residence. After Swain’s death in 1903, the building was sold in 1926 to the Andrew Bair Funeral Home, which later sold it to the Ronald McDonald House. The organization extended its reach in 2008 by opening a second House at 100 East Erie Avenue near St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. This facility began with 18 guest rooms and gained two additional bedrooms in 2014. The two residential sites serve families whose children receive care at several Philadelphia-area hospitals. The length of residence varies substantially, from overnight stays to periods exceeding one year. Program development broadened the organization’s support beyond lodging. In 1986, the House created a one-week oncology summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. In 2006, it opened its first Ronald McDonald Family Room at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the oncology unit. The room provides a family-style dining area, kitchen, seating, bathroom, laundry equipment, entertainment, and a place for families to rest while remaining near their children. A second Family Room opened in the cardiac unit in 2008. In 2013, the organization added a Hospitality Kiosk in the critical care unit at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The kiosk supplies packaged food, baked goods, microwaveable meals, coffee, tea, beverages, toiletries, books, magazines, games, and informational resources. These services reflect the House’s broader operating model: combining accommodation, hospitality, volunteer care, and practical resources to reduce the everyday strain of pediatric treatment. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House is staffed by full-time employees and a substantial volunteer base. Its mission is to support families of seriously ill children by creating a community of comfort and hope. Although connected historically and institutionally with Ronald McDonald House Charities and supported in part by corporate and community fundraising, it is fundamentally a nonprofit family-support organization rather than a commercial lodging brand.

• 2014

  Erie Avenue House expands

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Two bedrooms were added to the second House, increasing its capacity to 20 guest bedrooms.

• 2013

  Hospitality Kiosk introduced

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  A Hospitality Kiosk opened in the critical care unit at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

• 2009

  Chestnut Street reaches 45 bedrooms

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  A lounge was converted into an additional bedroom, raising the Chestnut Street total to 45.

• 2008

  Second House and second Family Room

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  A second House opened on East Erie Avenue with 18 guest rooms, and another Family Room was established in the cardiac unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

• 2006

  First hospital Family Room opens

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The first Ronald McDonald Family Room opened in the oncology unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

• 1995

  Major Chestnut Street expansion

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  An expansion added 24 bedrooms and brought the Chestnut Street capacity to 43 rooms, with major support from U.S. Healthcare.

• 1986

  Oncology summer camp established

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The House created a one-week summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings.

• 1981

  Move to Chestnut Street

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The organization moved to 3925 Chestnut Street, increasing capacity to 19 bedrooms.

• 1974

  First Ronald McDonald House opens

  [1]Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The first House opened on October 15 at 4032 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, offering accommodation for seven families.

A nonprofit hospitality and family-support provider focused on keeping families together and close to seriously ill children during medical treatment.

• Family lodging · 1974

  Chestnut Street House

  The original Philadelphia House at 3925 Chestnut Street provides residential accommodation and communal support for families of seriously ill children. The approximately 72,000-square-foot facility grew through successive expansions and has capacity for 45 families. Its services are designed for stays ranging from one night to more than a year, depending on the child’s treatment needs.

• Family lodging · 2008

  Erie Avenue House

  The second Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House opened in 2008 at 100 East Erie Avenue beside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. It began with 18 guest rooms and later expanded to 20. Its location supports families whose children are receiving care at the nearby hospital and other Philadelphia medical institutions.

• Hospital-based family support · 2006

  Ronald McDonald Family Rooms

  The Family Rooms bring elements of the House’s hospitality model into hospitals. Facilities include seating, a family-style dining area, kitchen access, bathrooms, laundry equipment, entertainment, and space for rest. Philadelphia locations include the oncology and cardiac units at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

• Hospitality and resource support · 2013

  Hospitality Kiosk

  The Hospitality Kiosk at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children’s critical care unit provides convenient food and beverages, toiletries, books, magazines, games, activities, and informational materials for families who may be unable to leave the hospital easily.

• Children and sibling programming · 1986

  Oncology Summer Camp

  Established in 1986, the one-week oncology summer camp serves children with cancer and their siblings. It extends the organization’s mission beyond accommodation by providing a dedicated recreational and community experience for families affected by childhood cancer.

• 1974Shamrock Shake fundraising

  United States

  McDonald’s supported the creation of the first Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House through fundraising connected with Shamrock Shake sales. The initiative linked a restaurant promotion with pediatric-family philanthropy.

  Outcome. The campaign helped finance the first House, which opened in Philadelphia and became the founding Ronald McDonald House.

  Source

• 2008

  Expansion to a second House near St. Christopher’s HospitalStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to make family lodging available closer to another major pediatric-care location in Philadelphia.

  Action taken

  It opened a second facility at 100 East Erie Avenue with 18 guest rooms.

  Aftermath

  The Erie Avenue facility later expanded to 20 bedrooms and broadened the organization’s geographic reach within Philadelphia.

  Source

• 2006

  Introduction of hospital-based Family RoomsStrategy

  Background

  Families whose children were hospitalized needed support even when they were not staying at a Ronald McDonald House.

  Action taken

  The organization opened a Family Room in the oncology unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and later added one in the cardiac unit.

  Aftermath

  The House extended its hospitality model directly into medical settings, offering rest, food preparation, laundry, and practical resources.

  Source

• 1981

  Relocation to a larger Chestnut Street facilityStrategy

  Background

  The original Spruce Street residence had limited capacity and the organization needed a larger base for its expanding family-support mission.

  Action taken

  The House moved to 3925 Chestnut Street, where it could accommodate 19 bedrooms and later support further expansion.

  Aftermath

  The Chestnut Street site became the organization’s principal facility and was expanded repeatedly over subsequent decades.

  Source

1. 1Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House official websitephilarmh.org