The Philadelphia Museum of Art was established in 1876 and today it exists as one of the largest art museums in the country. It was established along with the Centennial Exposition, which occurred the same year and is known locally simply as the art museum. It is one of the city’s major landmarks and is extremely popular not only with residents but tourists who are staying in a hotel Philadelphia. The museum is located in Fairmount Park toward the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The prestigious Greek revival building is difficult or impossible to miss for eager tourists wishing to visit this major landmark and city icon. With this acknowledged it can be understood why the building is commonly referred to as the Parthenon of the Parkway. The museum itself was originally established in 1876 though its current colossal building was constructed in 1919. Thomas B. Smith, the mayor at the time laid the first cornerstone of the building during a Masonic ceremony and the first section was completed almost ten years later in 1928. The Greek themed design includes statues of gods and goddesses as well as a collection of griffins, which became a symbol for the museum in the 1970s.
As one of the largest museums in the country, it supports the title with a collection that includes over 225,000 items. The various galleries of the museum include objects from periods and locations spanning 2,000 years. There are over 200 galleries though interestingly there are no exhibits devoted to Roman, Egyptian or Pre-Columbian art. This is due to a partnership that had been established early in the museum’s existence with the University of Pennsylvania. These collections went to the university, which in turn loaned the museum a collection of Chinese Porcelain. The Rodin Museum and other historic sites are included in the possession of this world class institution.
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hotel Philadelphia · Parthenon of the Parkway · Philadelphia Museum of Art
