 | |
.jpg) Museum of the American Revolution inPhiladelphia | |
 | |
| Established | 2000 April 19, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Location | 101 S. Third St.,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°56′54″N75°08′45″W / 39.9484°N 75.1458°W /39.9484; -75.1458 |
| Type | History museum |
| Collection size | 3,000[1] |
| President | Dr.R. Scott Stephenson |
| Public transit access |   SEPTA bus:21,42,57Philly PHLASH,2nd Street station |
| Website | www.amrevmuseum.org |
TheMuseum of the American Revolution, formerlyThe American Revolution Center, is a museum inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania dedicated to telling the story of theAmerican Revolution. The museum was opened to the public on April 19, 2017, the 242nd anniversary of theBattles of Lexington and Concord, some of the battles of theAmerican Revolutionary War, on April 19, 1775.[2]
The museum is located at 101 South Third St. in Philadelphia, the city that served as the revolutionary capital during America's founding. The site is across the street from theFirst Bank of the United States and two blocks fromIndependence Hall, theNational Constitution Center,Second Bank of the United States,American Philosophical Society,Carpenters' Hall, and theLiberty Bell.
The museum owns a collection of several thousand objects including artwork and sculpture, textiles and weapons, manuscripts, and rare books. Permanent and special exhibition galleries, theaters and large-scale tableaux portray the individuals and events and engage people in the history and continuing relevance of the American Revolution.
Philadelphia area media entrepreneur and philanthropistGerry Lenfest served as chairman of the board of directors from 2005 until 2016 and was instrumental in launching the museum in 2017.[3] Dr. R. Scott Stephenson was named president and CEO in November 2018. Morris W. Offit[4] serves as the museum's current chairman.
The building was designed byRobert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), and on June 12, 2012, RAMSA partner andDriehaus Prize winnerRobert A. M. Stern unveiled designs for the permanent location.[5] Groundbreaking for the museum occurred in fall 2014.
The museum rises three stories above the street and, with a full basement, encompasses 118,000 total square feet, with 32,000 dedicated to exhibits and interpretive spaces. The first floor includes a museum shop and the Cross Keys Café which opens to the sidewalk. The first floor interior is organized around a skylit central interior court and features a cross-vaulted ticketing lobby, a multi-use theater and a changing exhibition gallery. The second floor features 18,000 square feet of galleries and a theater dedicated to the exhibition ofGeorge Washington's marquee tent.
The museum's third floor offers rooms for events and two terraces overlooking theFirst Bank of the United States,Independence National Historical Park, and the Philadelphia skyline beyond. The museum is seekingLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.[6]
The museum's outdoor plaza opened on September 25, 2016. It is accessible to both museum visitors and to passersby, and features dramatic installations of Revolutionary War artifacts, bronze sculpture, shaded seating, and seasonal café seating.[7]
When the museum opened to the public on April 19, 2017, it garnered largely positive reviews. Professional historians praised the museum for providing an in-depth and accessible account of the revolution's warfare, social milieu, and ongoing legacy.[8][9] Jennifer Schuessler forThe New York Times commended the museum's treatment of the revolution's complicated legacy and its focus on the role of the common man.[10]Edward Rothstein forThe Wall Street Journal penned a more mixed review, appreciating the museum's historical strength but faulting it for "de-sacralizing" the revolution.[11]George Will forThe National Review lauded the museum for celebrating the revolution while also examining its violence.[12] In a review of the museum's building,Inga Saffron forThe Philadelphia Inquirer praised the exhibits but criticized its take onGeorgian architecture, noting the spacious, largely empty rooms were likely designed for the museum to host private events.[13]
In 2023, the Museum of the American Revolution confirmed that it had rented its facilities for the opening ceremony forMoms for Liberty's national summit in Philadelphia, eliciting protests against the museum. Thirty-nine staffers signed a petition condemning museum leadership for sanctioning the event, arguing the reception was "endangering the safety" ofLGBTQ workers and "damaging the museum’s reputation."[14][15] Professional historical organizations, including theAmerican Historical Association,Organization of American Historians,National Council on Public History,Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, andBerkshire Conference of Women Historians, criticized the museum for hosting the group.[16][17][18] Local groupsAct Up Philadelphia, Defense of Democracy, andAFSCME District Council 47 organized days-long protests against the summit's hosts, including the museum.[19][20] The museum ultimately held the event on Thursday, June 29, which featured an address by Tim Barton, president of WallBuilders and son ofDavid Barton.[21] During the conference, hundreds of protestors demonstrated across the city with more than fifty protesting outside the museum.[22][23][24]
The museum's decision-making spurred broader debates about history, democracy, and freedom of speech.Jen Manion lambasted the museum inThe Philadelphia Inquirer, arguing it "has a responsibility to defend the history and practice of American democracy, not harbor those who seek to destroy it."[25] Conversely, theFoundation for Individual Rights and Expression praised the museum for staying "faithful to its mission of strengthening democracy through dialogue."[26]Jonathan Zimmerman also praised the museum inThe Philadelphia Inquirer, saying that "protesters’ attempts to silence Moms for Liberty by canceling the welcome event also violates the mission of the museum."[27]
Visitors follow a chronological journey from the roots of conflict in the 1760s to the rise of armed resistance, theDeclaration of independence of1776 through the final years of the war. Visitors see the diversity of revolutionary-era Americans and their opinions, for example by viewing anOneida Indian council house, and the 1773 volumePoems on Various Subjects byPhillis Wheatley, America's first published black female poet.
Several immersive gallery experiences feature a full-scale replica of Boston'sLiberty Tree, the recreation of an Oneida Indian Council, the Battlefield Theater featuring theBattle of Brandywine, a recreation ofIndependence Hall, and a large model of an 18th-century privateer ship. A dedicated theater houses an iconic surviving artifact of the Revolution: General Washington's Headquarters Tent, which served as both his office and sleeping quarters throughout much of the war.
The museum's president and CEO, formerly the Vice President of Collections, Exhibitions, and Programming, Dr.R. Scott Stephenson holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from theUniversity of Virginia. Stephenson is a specialist in colonial and revolutionary American history and material culture with a background in visual storytelling. Dr.Philip C. Mead, Chief Historian and Curator, holds an M.A. and PhD in American History fromHarvard University.
Other historians who have been consulted on the project include:Richard Beeman (University of Pennsylvania),Vincent Brown (Harvard University), Thomas Chavez (National Hispanic Cultural Center),Thomas J. Fleming (writer and novelist), James Hattendorf (US Naval War College),Don Higginbotham (University of North Carolina),Pauline Maier (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Holly Mayer (Duquesne University), Thomas McGuire (Malvern Preparatory School),David McCullough (Yale University),Gary Nash (University of California, LA),Ray Raphael (University of California, Berkeley), Matthew Spooner (Columbia University),Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (Harvard University), andGordon S. Wood (Brown University).
In February 2023, the museum opened a new exhibit, "Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia." The 5000-square-foot exhibit centers aroundJames Forten, a BlackFounding Father andabolitionist, and his family's push for voting rights and civil liberties for African Americans.[28][29][30]
The Museum of the American Revolution has a collection of several thousand objects. The museum's collection includes items owned and used by GeneralGeorge Washington during theWar of Independence, an extensive collection of historic firearms and edged weapons, important art, important manuscripts, and rare books. The collection started by Rev.W. Herbert Burk in the early 1900s makes up the core of the collection.[31]
Some items have been displayed at George Washington'sMount Vernon,Valley Forge National Historical Park, theNational Constitution Center, theWinterthur Museum, theSenator John Heinz History Center and theNorth Carolina Museum of History.[32]
Highlights include:
2012 MUSE Award (Silver level) from theAmerican Alliance of Museums in the category of Mobile Applications, recognizing the museum's American Revolution Interactive Timeline iPad app.[39]
2017 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award in the category of Preservation Planning for Washington's War Tent
2017 nominee for Leading Cultural Destinations Award 2017 – "The Museum Oscars" – for Best New Cultural Destination of the Year, North America
2017 Communication Arts 2017 Design Annual Awards for the museum's digital interactives by Bluecadet
2017 Award of Merit from the British Guild of Travel Writers
2017Engineering News-Record’s Best Projects 2017 Award of Merit in the Cultural/Worship Category
2017 ACE 2017 URBAN PROJECT OF THE YEAR.
2018 Excellence in Exhibition Award for Special Achievement for engaging audiences in something they think they know in new ways from theAmerican Alliance of Museums (AAM)
2018 PA Museums' Institutional Award for Washington's War Tent
2018American Association for State and Local History Award of Merit
2018 Institute of Classical Architecture's Stanford White Award in the category of commercial, civic, and institutional architecture
2019 PA Museums Special Achievement Award for Revolution Place discovery center
2019American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Award for Sustainability
2019American Association for State and Local History Award for Revolution Place discovery center
2020American Association for State and Local History Award forHamilton Was Here special exhibit
2020 PA Museums Special Achievement Award forHamilton Was Here special exhibit
2021 Bronze-levelAmerican Alliance of Museums (AAM) MUSE Award for "Finding Freedom" Online Experience
2021Webby Awards honoree for the Museum’s redesigned website, AmRevMuseum.org
2021American Association for State and Local History Award forCost of Revolution special exhibit
2021 PA Museums Special Achievement Award forCost of Revolution special exhibit
2021Philadelphia Business Journal’s Faces of Philanthropy Award for Citizenship Initiative
2022 Silver-Level Anthem Award from TheWebby Awards for "Finding Freedom" Online Experience
2022American Association for State and Local History Award for When Women Lost the Vote special exhibition
2022 PA Museums Special Achievement Award forWhen Women Lost the Vote special exhibition
2022Philadelphia Business Journal’s Faces of Philanthropy Award for African American Interpretive Program partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal
2023 PA Museum’s Special Achievement Award forLiberty special exhibit
2023Webby Awards Nominee for Virtual Tour of Washington’s Field Headquarters
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
Media from Commons
