Memorial Hall served as the art gallery at Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exposition.
Memorial Hall was designed to house the exposition’s art exhibits. Construction began in 1874, and the building was completed in time for the fair’s opening in May 1876. Its large Beaux-Arts design made it one of the exhibition’s most recognizable structures.
The Centennial Exposition celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Memorial Hall therefore connected fine art with a broader display of American industry, science, agriculture, and culture. Because the art contributions exceeded the building’s capacity, the exposition also required an annex.
Memorial Hall is unusually important because it is the only major structure from the 1876 exhibition that survives. After the fair, it became associated with the Pennsylvania Museum of Industrial Art, later connected to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Since 2008, it has housed the Please Touch Museum. Its survival gives America250 visitors a tangible link to an earlier national anniversary.