SUMMARY

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was founded in 1876, the year of the nation’s centennial, in the city that launched the Declaration of Independence. In 1928, in an exultant moment, the Museum opened its East Terrace doors, crowning the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and overlooking Center City. Since then, it has grown into an artistic campus made up of the landmark main building; the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman building; the Rodin Museum; and two fine eighteenth-century houses in Fairmount Park: Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum was intended to express the city’s highest aspirations and plazas and steps Philadelphia Museum of Art Page 2 of 5 are essential sites for both protests and celebrations including the Pope’s visit, Super Bowl celebration, Black Lives Matter marches, seminal concerts, and of course, Rocky, running the steps. It has become a beacon and the iconic image of Philadelphia.