Designed by Hermann J. Schwarzmann for the Centennial Exposition, Memorial Hall is made of brick, glass, iron and granite. The building is 365 ft by 210 ft and 150 ft tall at the top of the building's most distinctive feature, an iron and glass dome. The top of the dome is adorned with a twenty-three foot tall statue of Columbia (the poetic symbol of the United States) holding the laurel branch of glory. At the end corners of the south (main) façade sit figures symbolizing industry and commerce. It is located in Fairmount Park, west of the Schuylkill River, at the corner of East Memorial Hall Drive and North Concourse Drive.

Background

Memorial Hall's was designed in beaux-arts style and housed the art exhibits. The Centennial received so much art contributions a separate annex was built to house it all. Another building was built for the display of photography. After the Exposition, Memorial Hall reopened in 1877 as the Pennsylvania Museum of the School of Industrial Art. In 1928 the school moved to another location and became the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The building continued to house art afterwards and was taken over by the Fairmount Park Commission in 1958.

Current history

The building was later used as a police station and is now being renovated to house the Please Touch Museum which will open in Memorial Hall in 2008.

External links

• U.S. History
• Fairmount Park Commission
• Philadelphia Buildings

References