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Memorial Hall

Address: 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131

Neighborhood: Fairmount Park

Website: https://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/

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Contact: 215-581-3181

Description: The only major structure now remaining from those built specifically for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, Memorial Hall served as the fair’s art gallery. At the time, only three American cities had art museums, and those in Boston and New York were still under construction. Memorial Hall, most pretentious of the lot, was designed by 30-year old Herman Joseph Schwartzmann, who also planned the exposition’s grounds and 33 other buildings at the fair. His Beaux-Arts arrangement of a central block with corner pavilions, embellished with coupled columns and niches filled with statues, established the architectural character for American art museums for decades.

Resources for Researchers

Information for Visitors

  • Hours
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9am - 5pm
    • Wednesday: 10am - 5pm
    • Sunday: 11am - 5pm
  • Admission
    • Members and children under 1: free
    • Adults and children 1 and up: $19.95

Subthemes

  • Arts through the ages – music, art, theater
  • First in the nation – Philadelphia’s “firsts”
  • Architecture and design – iconic, famous, or representative

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