Philadelphia History Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Franklin Institute
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(2013)
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 15 S. 7th St. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Built | 1825 |
| Architect | John Haviland |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002319 |
| Added to NRHP | August 1, 1979 |
The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent was a museum dedicated to the history of Philadelphia. It was located at 15 South 7th Street in Center City, Philadelphia. The museum opened in 1938.
The building itself is very old and important. It was built between 1824 and 1826 by architect John Haviland. The building has a Greek Revival style, which means it looks like ancient Greek temples. This building was first used by the Franklin Institute. The museum was part of Philadelphia's Department of Recreation.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1979. This list recognizes important historical places in the United States. The museum closed its doors in June 2018.
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum came from several important people in Philadelphia. These included Mayor S. Davis Wilson, Frances Wistar, and A. Atwater Kent. Kent was famous for his work in radio.
In 1938, Mayor Wilson and Frances Wistar asked Kent to buy the old Franklin Institute building. The Franklin Institute had moved out in 1933. They wanted to create a history museum for the city. Other important people, like the president of the University of Pennsylvania, also joined their efforts.
Kent agreed to buy the building as a gift for Philadelphia. He had three main conditions:
- The museum had to be about the history of Philadelphia.
- It had to be named after him.
- It had to be free for everyone to visit.
Later, in 1994, the city allowed the museum to start charging a small fee for entry.
The building needed a lot of work before it could open. The Works Progress Administration helped with the renovations. This was a government program that created jobs during the Great Depression. After three years of work, the Atwater Kent Museum officially opened on April 19, 1941.
What Was in the Collection?
The museum had a huge collection of items related to Philadelphia's history. There were more than 80,000 objects in total.
Some of the items came from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. These included about 10,000 art pieces and artifacts from the 1600s to the 1900s. The museum also had 1,700 items related to the Quakers.
Other collections showed Philadelphia's past in different ways. There were items about manufacturing, the 1876 Centennial Exposition (a big world's fair), old toys, and early radio broadcasting.
A special part of the collection was 321 covers from The Saturday Evening Post magazine. These covers were illustrated by Norman Rockwell. The magazine was published in Philadelphia.
Famous Items on Display
The museum's main gallery had some very famous objects. One of the biggest was the world's largest map of Philadelphia.
Other highlights included:
- The boxing gloves of famous boxer Joe Frazier.
- The desk that belonged to George Washington, the first U.S. president.
- A drinking glass owned by Benjamin Franklin, a famous Philadelphian.
- A wampum belt that was supposedly given to William Penn by the Lenape people.
The museum galleries were closed for renovations in August 2011. They reopened to the public on September 22, 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Historia de Filadelfia para niños
