Memorial Hall

Memorial Hall, is a Beaux-Arts style building in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built as the art gallery for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it subsequently housed the Pennsylvania Museum of Art (now the Philadelphia Museum Of Art) and the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University Of The Arts). Since October 18, 2008, the Hall has served as home to the Please Touch Museum. The building is located west of the Schuylkill River, at the corner of East Memorial Hall Drive and the Avenue of the Republic.

 

The Hall fell into disrepair until 2005, when the Please Touch Museum began an $85-million renovation to convert it into its new home. The museum opened its doors to the public on October 18, 2008. Memorial Hall's eastern lawn serves as the home field for Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia, a vintage base ball team which plays by 1864 rules.