Which 1876 Centennial Exposition building later inspired Berlin’s Reichstag?

Memorial Hall later inspired Berlin’s Reichstag after appearing at Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exposition.

Memorial Hall was the exposition’s principal art building and one of its most recognizable structures. Designed by Hermann J. Schwarzmann, it used a monumental Beaux-Arts approach with a large central dome and extensive exhibition galleries. After the fair, it became the Pennsylvania Museum and later housed the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art.

The building’s influence extended beyond Philadelphia. Its architecture was cited as an inspiration for the Reichstag building in Berlin, whose design was developed in the late nineteenth century. The connection illustrates how the Centennial Exposition spread American architectural ideas and showcased monumental exhibition design to an international audience.

Memorial Hall is not the same building as Machinery Hall, which displayed working industrial equipment, or Horticultural Hall, which used iron and glass for plant exhibitions. Memorial Hall’s role as the exposition’s art and ceremonial landmark makes it the specific answer.