List of museums in Philadelphia explained

This list of museums in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions, including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses, that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are university and non-profit art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace, such as virtual museums, are not included.

Current museums

NameNeighborhoodTypeSummary
Natural history Nature dioramas, large mineral crystals, dinosaurs, live animals
ACES Museum Military Honors the black and minority veterans of World War II[1] [2]
Center City Ethnic Formerly known as Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum
Center City Multiple Changing exhibits on history, science and art drawn from its collections
Focuses on Swedish contributions to history, art, architecture, music, science and technology
Art Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania
Center City Art Museum of American fine and decorative arts, exhibits about architecture and design history
Center City Art Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, American masters, Old Master paintings, African sculpture, Native American ceramics, jewelry and textiles, American paintings and decorative arts and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia
Historic house Botanical garden with a historic house to tour
West Philadelphia History Historic mansion with Underground Railroad museum in Fairmount Park
Center City Historic house Possible home of Betsy Ross, who sewed flags for the U.S. Navy and may have sewn the first American flag.
Bishop White HouseCenter City Historic house Part of Independence National Historical Park, late-18th-century-period house
Carpenters' HallCenter City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, colonial history of the carpenter's guild
West Philadelphia Historic house 18th-century stone house reflection five generations of owners
Center CityArt International arts institution, gallery and resource center for design of art in wood
Philadelphia Civil War Temporarily closed 2008, seeking new location; collection stored at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, National Museum of American Jewish History and the African American Museum in Philadelphia[3]
Germantown Historic house Operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, mid 18th-century mansion that was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the 1777 Battle of Germantown during the American Revolutionary War
Colored Girls MuseumGermantown Ethnic - African American A "memoir museum" devoted to the stories, experiences, and history of ordinary Black women and girls
Germantown Education 18th-century one-room schoolhouse
Center City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, restored to period when the building served as the meeting place of the U. S. Congress from 1790 - 1800
Declaration HouseCenter CityHistoric house website, part of Independence National Historical Park, 18th-century house where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence
Dolley Todd HouseCenter City Historic house Part of Independence National Historical Park, 18th-century-period home of Dolley Todd Madison
Drexel University Collection West Philadelphia Art website, painting, sculpture, decorative arts and porcelain, exhibited in the AJ Drexel Picture Gallery, Rincliff Gallery, Peck Gallery
Prison Tours and exhibits about the 19th century prison that was in use until 1971
Germantown Historic house Victorian mansion and garden
Lower North Philadelphia Historic house Home once rented by author Edgar Allan Poe, exhibits about his life and works
Center City Historic house Only house on Elfreth's Alley that is accessible to the public
Center City Art Devoted to creating new work in new materials and new media
Lower North Philadelphia Natural history Interpretive center houses interactive exhibits about water and the water works
Firemen's Hall MuseumCenter City Firefighting website, history and heroic moments of Philadelphia firefighting
Southwest Philadelphia Military Centerpiece of the British conquest of Philadelphia during the American Revolution, 18th- and 19th-century buildings
Lower North Philadelphia Decorative arts Part of Girard College, collection of furniture, silver, paintings, ceramics, textiles and archives of Stephen Girard, and school memorabilia
Center City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, site of Ben Franklin's house, features Benjamin Franklin Museum, an 18th-century printing office, an architectural/archeological exhibit, an operating post office and a postal museum
Center CityScience Many hands-on exhibits, also Ben Franklin's inventions
Center City Art Part of Moore College of Art and Design
Germantown Historical Society MuseumLocal history website, furniture, decorative and historical exhibits, located in the John Fromberger House
Germantown Historic house Owned by the National Park Service, formerly the Deshler-Morris House, 18th-century house that sheltered George Washington and his family
Historic site Philadelphia's only remaining Delaware riverfront estate open to the public, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Landscape Survey
Northeast Philadelphia Military Located in the John Ruan House, features Civil War and Grand Army of the Republic artifacts, books, and memorabilia
Germantown Historic house Mid-18th-century house
Center City Historic house Operated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, 19th-century home of surgical pioneer Dr. Philip Syng Physick
Northeast Philadelphia Local history History of Northeast Philadelphia
Center City History Changing exhibits of the history of Pennsylvania and the founding of the United States
Center City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted
Center City History
Center City Maritime Maritime artifacts, ship models, permanent and interactive exhibits, including the warship and the submarine
Northeast Philadelphia Natural history Thousands of live and mounted insects, interactive displays
West Philadelphia Art Part of the University of Pennsylvania
Germantown Historic house Significant for its role in the antislavery movement and the Underground Railroad
Germantown Art Collections include European and American art from the Renaissance to the present
North Philadelphia Historic house website, 18th-century Georgian house
Lower North Philadelphia Historic house Located in Fairmount Park, operated by the Pennsylvania chapter of the Colonial Dames of America and the Friends of Lemon Hill, early-19th-century house
Leonard Pearlstein Gallery West Philadelphia Art website, part of Drexel University's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, exhibits novel and experimental art in all contemporary mediums including digital, video, sculpture, photography, graphics, and fashion design
Center City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, includes the Liberty Bell and exhibits about its history and role as an international icon of freedom
Center City Library Changing exhibits from its collections of American history and culture from the 17th through the 19th centuries
West Philadelphia Puppet Creations of the Spiral Q Puppet Theater, open by appointment
Mario Lanza Museum South Philadelphia Biographical website, memorabilia from the career of the legendary tenor Mario Lanza
South Philadelphia Biographical Two sites operated by the Marion Anderson Historical Society
Center City Masonic Center of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania
Lower North Philadelphia Historic house Colonial era mansion
Mummers Museum South Philadelphia Art website, costumes from the Mummers Parade
Center City History History of the American Revolution
Center City Medical Collection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment
Center City History History and relevance of the United States Constitution
Center City History Eight galleries focus on heroism, freedom, diversity, faith and more; includes over 100 works in glass illustrating the beauty and fragility of freedom
North Philadelphia Religious Shrine with museum about John Neumann
New Hall Military MuseumCenter City Military website, part of Independence National Historical Park, exhibits about the founding of the United States Marine Corps and the Army and Navy Departments
Center City History Part of Independence National Historical Park, site of the first U.S. Supreme Court
Center City Art Non-profit artist-centered performance space and gallery particularly oriented to presenting the work of local Philadelphia artists
West Philadelphia African American Legacy of Paul Robeson, community art exhibits
Center City Art Oldest art museum and school in the nation, 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper
Center City Art Institution hosts art exhibits, theater and music workshops, poetry readings, lectures, concerts and recitals
Lower North Philadelphia Toy African, Europeans American Folk Art dolls, the renowned Roberta Bell Doll Collection, American and internationally manufactured dolls and more; emphasis on black dolls
Center City Local history History museum for the City of Philadelphia (currently closed, future unknown)[4]
Lower North Philadelphia Art European, Asian and American fine art, furniture and decorative arts, arms & armor, period rooms
Lower North Philadelphia Art Part of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, exhibits contemporary art that illuminates the Jewish experience
South Philadelphia Art Mosaic-covered gardens, building and art gallery
West Philadelphia Children's Interactive museum to promote learning in children
Polish American Cultural Center Museum Center City Ethnic - Polish website
Center City Historic house Operated by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, 18th-century Georgian townhouse mansion
Center City Art website, contemporary printmaking and photography
Germantown Historic village 18th and 19th century houses. Site of British North America's first paper mill and birthplace of David Rittenhouse
Center City Art Largest collection of sculptor Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris
Romanian Folk Art Museum Center City Ethnic - Romania website, Romanian costumes, rugs, pottery, furniture and a full Transylvanian interior
Center City Art, Library Rare miniature portraits, 18th- and 19th-century British and American furniture and decorative art, rare books, manuscripts and illustrations, collection of works by Maurice Sendak
Northeast Philadelphia Historic house Mansion with Asian and European decorative arts, located in Burholme Park
South Philadelphia Art Community art centre, contains art by Violet Oakley, tiles by Henry Chapman Mercer, 18th-century Portuguese art, primitive European art, religious art from the original church
Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) Center City Science History of science, particularly chemistry, and the role science plays in the modern world
Second Bank of the United StatesCenter City Art Part of Independence National Historical Park, art gallery exhibits of Colonial and Federal leaders, military officers, explorers and scientists, including many by Charles Willson Peale
West Philadelphia Historic house Part of Fairmount Park, traditional 17th-century–style Japanese house and garden
Southwest Philadelphia Automotive Collection of over 65 historically significant racing sports cars
North Philadelphia Historic house Early American Georgian architecture, operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
North Philadelphia Historic house late 18th-century house located in Fairmount Park
Center City Maritime 1883 tall sailing ship Gazela, the 1902 iron tugboat Jupiter and lighter barge Poplar open for tours
Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Shoe Museum Lower North Philadelphia Clothing Open by appointment, part of Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine[5]
Center City Historic house Historic house where wounded Polish freedom fighter Thaddeus Kosciuszko lived
Lower North Philadelphia Art Features Temple Contemporary gallery
West Philadelphia Archaeology, Anthropology Artifacts from Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, Greco-Roman antiquities, Buddhist art, African art, and Mayan and other Pre-Columbian artifacts
Germantown Historic house Late 18th century house
Lower North Philadelphia Natural history Victorian cases and hand-labeled natural history specimens arranged in the 1880s
Center City Jewish Story of Jews in America
Center City History Include a stagecoach, telegraph equipment, historic clothing and currency
North Philadelphia Historic house Part of Fairmount Park, houses collection of antique household goods, including Colonial furniture, unusual clocks and English delftware
Northwest Philadelphia Art Paintings, prints, sculpture and photographs focusing on artists from the Delaware Valley
Germantown Historic house Oldest house in Germantown

Defunct museums

See also

List of museums in PennsylvaniaList of tourist attractions in Philadelphia}

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ACES Museum. Historic Germantown. 5 January 2015.
  2. Web site: Facebook site. ACES Museum. 5 January 2015.
  3. http://civilwarmuseumphila.org/collection Civil War Museum of Philadelphia; The Museum's Collection
  4. News: Crimmins . Peter . Philadelphia History Museum shuts its doors indefinitely . 16 July 2018 . . 28 June 2018.
  5. Web site: TUSPM Shoe Museum. Temple University. 6 January 2015.
  6. Web site: Joe Clark. Americana Starts Here Love Of Rockwell Led To Amassing Museum Treasures. Philly Magazine. 6 January 2015. July 14, 1997.
  7. Web site: Cover Story -- Norman Rockwell's America . Atwater Kent Museum . 6 January 2015 . On Wednesday, June 16, 1999 Atwater Kent Museum, Philadelphia's history museum, opened Cover Story-Norman Rockwell's America, a major exhibit of all 321 covers that Rockwell created for The Saturday Evening Post from 1916 through 1963. In addition, through September, an original painting, The Ouija Board, Rockwell's illustration for the May 1st, 1920, Post cover, will also be on view. This painting is on loan from Dr. Don and Phyllis Stoltz, who, along with Marshall Stoltz, were curators of the former Curtis Center Museum of Norman Rockwell Art that closed in 1997. The Stoltzes donated that Museum's collection of Post covers to the Atwater Kent. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150106213424/http://www.tfaoi.com/newsm1/n1m369.htm . 6 January 2015 .
  8. Web site: Diethorn . Karie . Peale’s Philadelphia Museum . Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia . 27 April 2024.
  9. Web site: The mansions of Fairmount Park: Historic houses have rich pasts and new uses . Emily Babay . October 19, 2015 . philly.com . Philadelphia Media Network (Digital), LLC . December 3, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107023419/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/The_mansions_of_Fairmount_Park_Phillys_hidden_gems.html . November 7, 2017 . live.
  10. Web site: Neon Museum of Philadelphia closes for good this weekend . 2023-01-08 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.