The hospital complex was designed by noted architect John McArthur, Jr., who also designed the Philadelphia City Hall. It was named in honor of Thomas Mower, an early Army surgeon. The hospital was constructed on between Willow Grove and Springfield Avenues, the Reading Railroad line and Stenton Avenue. The central compound was surrounded by a ring of 47 radiating wards and other buildings. Commanded by Dr. Andrew Hopkins, it had some 3,600 beds and treated over 20,000 patients, the majority being wounded and ill Union soldiers from the Army of the Potomac. The hospital featured many amenities for the patients and staff, including plumbing to provide hot water, special medical wards that could be isolated for patients with infections, centralized storage for supplies, flush toilets, band m