WebsiteThe official website for the Avenue of American History is located at: www.avenueofamericanhistory.org. Architectural CoordinatorStella Destephanis Murray is working as a paid summer intern. She has been creating AAH communication documents (website, prospectus, flyer, business cards) and assisting Joel Levinson in the development of a master plan for the Avenue of American History. She is also exploring potential relationships with the Smithsonian Institution, the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Google. Ms. Murray is a student of architecture and a future Schreyer Honors College scholar at the Pennsylvania State University. ProspectusA digital version of the Prospectus has been completed and is available upon request at [email protected]. Proposed SiteThe site currently under consideration is a parcel of land fronting Memorial Hall in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Memorial Hall was constructed in 1876 and is now occupied by the Please Touch Museum. The building is an important work of architecture that has been preserved from the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Building the Avenue of American History on the Centennial site to commemorate the Sestercentennial has obvious historical resonance and significance. Discussions are underway with various City and regional agencies who are involved with Fairmount Park. Outreach to Philadelphia's Department of Parks and RecreationJoel Levinson has been invited to present the Avenue of American History project on July 8th to Stephanie Craighead, Director, and her top staff at the Department of Parks and Recreation. Feasibility StudyThe AAH Development Group received a proposal from Econsult Solutions to perform a Phase 1 Feasibility Study dealing with the project’s financial feasibility on the Centennial site and addressing the project’s programmatic content in relation to other history-based institutions in the area. Educational OutreachThe Microsoft School of the Future sits immediately adjacent to the proposed Avenue of American History site in Fairmount Park. We are exploring the idea of a contest wherein students would suggest what the contents would be of our generation’s Hall of History (2001-2025) and explain the reasons for their selections. Joel Levinson and the School’s Principal, Richard Scherin will be developing the contest parameters, which will serve as a prototype for others schools locally and nationally, should the pilot program prove successful. The goal is for students to better engage with America’s history in a way that will develop critical thinking and civic participation. USA250A meeting is planned with USA250’s Executive Director, Jon Grabelle Herrmann to explore the coordination of goals and activities between the Avenue of American History and USA250. Constitution Center, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and |
AboutIssued periodically, the Avenue of American History newsletter serves to update interested parties on the efforts underway to create the AAH in Philadelphia. The project is intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America in 2026.
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