Fast Facts

Fast Facts

Fast Facts

  • Founded in 1976, Please Touch Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of children by providing learning opportunities through play. Please Touch is the first museum in the nation designed for children ages seven and younger.
  • On December 15, 2005, Please Touch broke ground on an ambitious restoration and expansion of Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. One of America's first examples of Beaux-Arts architecture, Memorial Hall was constructed to be the Art Gallery of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. This National Historic Landmark offers three times more space for exciting exhibits.
  • Memorial Hall is owned by the City of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Commission. Please Touch Museum agreed to an 80-year lease on February 14, 2005.
  • Please Touch officially opened at Memorial Hall on October 18, 2008.
  • The project cost for expanding and relocating Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall is $88 million, which includes construction, exhibit design and fabrication, and the costs associated with moving the museum’s collections and staff from 21st Street to Fairmount Park.
  • Memorial Hall was designed by architect Herman J. Schwarzmann and built by contractor Richard J. Dobbins. Construction began on July 6, 1874 and was completed by opening day of the Centennial, May 10, 1876, at the cost of $1.5 million.
  • The architectural firm of Kise, Straw & Kolodner developed the plans for restoration and new construction at Memorial Hall. Overseeing the construction are Please Touch Museum and NorthStar Advisors. Contractors were Keating, Bittenbender & McCrae, AJV.
  • Memorial Hall is 365 feet long, 210 feet in width, and 59 feet tall, with a 150-foot dome sitting on top. Please Touch occupies all 156,000 square feet of Memorial Hall.
  • The exterior façade of Memorial Hall is granite and the interior is cast iron and stone. The interior is finished with finely embellished, ornate plasterwork.
  • The top of the steel dome is adorned with a 23-foot tall statue of Columbia holding the laurel branch of glory. At the base of the dome sit four figures symbolizing Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Navigation.
  • The massive bronze statues in front of Memorial Hall are "Pegasus Tamed by the Muses Erato and Calliope," designed by Vincent Pilz for the façade of the Imperial Opera House in Vienna and purchased by Philadelphian Robert H. Gratz.
  • There are more than 280 parking spaces in a newly constructed lot next to Memorial Hall.
  • Memorial Hall has six exhibit zones in a 38,000 square feet of exhibit space that includes:
    • Expanded versions of favorite Please Touch Museum experiences like the Supermarket, the River, and Wonderland
    • Three eshibit areas designd specifically for children ages 3 and under
    • An exhibit dedicated to the 1876 Centennial that includes a large model of the Exhibition fairgrounds, presented to the City of Philadelphia in 1889
    • Classics from the history of childhood in Philadelphia, including the original Rocket Express monorail from the Join Wanamaker toy department (1946-1984), the set and props from the local chidren's TV show Captain Noah and his Magical Ark (1967-1994), and a seasonal display of the Enchanted Colonial Village (exhibited at Lit Brothers Department Store from 1962-1975
  • A 40-foot interpretation of the Statue of Liberty’s Arm and Torch made out of toys and found objects, created by Philadelphia artist Leo Sewell, welcomes visitors in the restored Great Hall.
  • Housed in a 9,000 square-foot addition is the restored Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel, which originally operated at Woodside Park, located less than 10 blocks from Memorial Hall. The carousel, which dates back to 1908, contains 52 hand-carved, multi-colored animals and two chariots.
  • Visitor amenities include a restaurant, the Please Taste Cafe, the Kids Store offering a wide range of toys, books, games and apparel, and family restrooms.
  • Memorial Hall offers a variety of rental spaces. The building can accommodate more than 4,000 guests for a reception and more than 500 for a seated dinner. The exclusive caterer is Max & Me Catering.
  • The new museum has a performance area used by Please Touch Museum’s in-house Please Touch Playhouse theater performers, along with kid-friendly singers, musicians, and storytellers.
  • The museum’s collection of 12,500 historic toys and other aspects of child life is prominently displayed throughout Memorial Hall.