Descriptions

Avenue of American History

Description of the Avenue's Buildings & Contents

The first Hall of History will cover the period 2001-2025 (January 1, 2001 - December 31, 2025). Because this Hall will formally open to the public in 2026, our Development Group, for convenience purposes, refers to this landmark structure as Building 26.
The time frame agreed upon was selected for two reasons:

The end date (December 31, 2025) allows a period of several months for running trials of all of Building 26’s digital components before it formally opens to the public.
The end date also allows for any “last minute” modifications to exhibits, accounting for any absolutely critical end-of-the-year developments.

The design of Building 26 may be the result of an architectural competition perhaps limited to architects and/or firms with an office in the United States, but there are advantages to making it an international competetion. Although worldwide developments in architectural design throughout this quarter-century period would itself be one of the exhibits in Building 26, the design of Building 26 would be a reflection of the latest architectural design thinking at the end of that quarter century period. The design competition for Building 26 will be announced as soon as funding becomes available.
The maximum square footage of a Hall of History’s main level would be approximately 10,000 square feet. Additional exhibit space could be constructed on the concourse level. In a virtual museum square footage is of minimal concern.
The contents of Building 26 may in part be determined by some form of National Dialogue in which adults and children of all ages can engage. Discussions have been underway with historians, museum curators, and ordinary citizens on how best to make the final determination as to what gets exhibited in Building 26 and how it is exhibited. In the earlier Halls of History, the exhibiton strategy and mind set of each of those earlier periods will be employed.

The main entrance to the complex will house all of the functions normally associated with a museum entrance (i.e. theater, bookstore and gift shop). The roof level of the Gateway building is envisioned as an open air loggia offering dramatic views of Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, Center City Philadelphia, and the Avenue of American History.

The Gateway building has a large landscaped garden on the concourse level. This garden will echo the virtual sunken gardens associated with all the Halls of History.

To the degree that funding becomes available, as many as ten Halls of History for quarter-century periods prior to 2001 will be "constructed" on the Avenue of American History. The first Hall in that retrospective zone will be of the time period 1751-1775. Not all Halls of History in the retrospective zone need be constructed at the time the complex launches, in fact there may be promotional advantages to having some of the retrospective Halls come on line sequentially some years after the Avenue of American History initially opens.
The Development Group is currently exploring the feasibility of attracting corporate sponsors whose companies were founded for each retrospective quarter-century period. Each corporate sponsors might be teamed with a university that also was founded in that quarter century period. Each university would assemble a national group of experts to decide upon the contents of that particular Hall of History.
Every effort will be made to distinguish between the first authentic Hall of History (2001-2025) and the Retrospective Halls that are located on the far side of the Gateway Building.

A sunken garden is proposed for every Hall of History. The respective gardens face the main façade of each Hall. Each garden's design will represent the style prevalent during that quarter century. In this respect, both the architectural design of a building's exterior as well as its garden will express the aesthetics of each quarter-century period.
The sunken gardens bring virtual daylight into the concourse level.

A concourse level is proposed below the promenade level of the Avenue of American History. This permits visitors, particularly school children, to circulate conveniently from one Hall of History to another in inclement weather.
The concourse level also creates space for children-oriented exhibits and for the kind of free movement children require during a museum visit. It is on the concourse level that amenities such as restrooms and refreshments are provided without compromising the historical integrity of the Halls of History above. Also on the concourse level will be all necessary utilitarian spaces such as electrical rooms, mechanical areas and security stations. Access from the concourse level to the Halls on the promenade level will be by stairs and - for the disabled - concealed elevators.
Mini-theaters will also be located on the concourse level below each Hall of History. These theaters provide short introductory films about the historical periods. This approach will allow the exhibits in the retrospective Halls of History not to be compromised by modern communication technology. The exhibit techniques for each Hall will be true to what was utilized in each quarter century period, moving from the more static to the more animated and interactive as the quarter century periods followed one another through time.