LaSalle University, Pennsylvania, Campus History, Paperback The history of LaSalle University, located in Philadelphia, dates back nearly 150 years. The institution has occupied various locations throughout the city, including the Bouvier Family Mansion from 1886 to 1930. Original photographs of Archbishop James Wood and the Christian Brothers, who founded LaSalle College in 1863, are among the featured images portraying the personalities who shaped LaSalle. Tom Gola and the 1954 NCAA men’s basketball championship team and Tom Curley, cocreator of USA Today, are among LaSalle’s star athletes and prominent graduates. LaSalle University places the school’s story into the context of the history of the United States by presenting photographs that capture the essence of World War II, the cold war, the 1960s, and other key moments in American history.