Cultural Event
June 16th, 2013
During the summer of 2011 a few friends and I decided to go visit another mutual friend that resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This would be my first trip to Pennsylvania and we all wanted to make the most of it. We decided that we would do some site seeing and just enjoy the change of environment. On June 29th, 2011 we decided that we would start our day by going to breakfast and visiting Fairmont Park. While we were there, we went to visit Memorial Hall. My initial thought of this place was “WOW”! I had never seen anything so beautiful. There was so much to see on the outside, I couldn’t wait to see what was inside. Upon arrival of the building, we saw the Whispering Benches. They are arches that bookend the building. At the foot of each are curved benches with grooves cut in that allow a whispered statement be heard from the opposite end, 15-20 feet away. While at Memorial Hall we went to visit the Please Touch Museum (for the child in us). It was full of life and learning experiences. There was also a gigantic carousel to ride, which from my understanding had been in storage for more than 40 years. This would definitely be a place to come back and visit with the family. The massive domed building in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, is the only major structure remaining from the Centennial Exhibition in 1876. Memorial Hall served as the Art Gallery for the fair and was designed to become a permanent museum. The building was commissioned and paid for by the State of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia. The budgeted amount for the hall was $1,500,000 and it cost just $64,000 more than planned. Although smaller than other major buildings at the 1876 fair, Memorial Hall is massive. Its footprint takes up an acre and a half. It is 365 by 210 feet, and 59 feet tall, with a 150-foot dome sitting on top. Below the building is a 12-foot deep basement. Perched atop the dome is a statue of Columbia standing 23 feet 6
During the summer of 2011 a few friends and I decided to go visit another mutual friend that resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This would be my first trip to Pennsylvania and we all wanted to make the most of it. We decided that we would do some site seeing and just enjoy the change of environment. On June 29th, 2011 we decided that we would start our day by going to breakfast and visiting Fairmont Park. While we were there, we went to visit Memorial Hall. My initial thought of this place was “WOW”! I had never seen anything so beautiful. There was so much to see on the outside, I couldn’t wait to see what was inside. Upon arrival of the building, we saw the Whispering Benches. They are arches that bookend the building. At the foot of each are curved benches with grooves cut in that allow a whispered statement be heard from the opposite end, 15-20 feet away. While at Memorial Hall we went to visit the Please Touch Museum (for the child in us). It was full of life and learning experiences. There was also a gigantic carousel to ride, which from my understanding had been in storage for more than 40 years. This would definitely be a place to come back and visit with the family. The massive domed building in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, is the only major structure remaining from the Centennial Exhibition in 1876. Memorial Hall served as the Art Gallery for the fair and was designed to become a permanent museum. The building was commissioned and paid for by the State of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia. The budgeted amount for the hall was $1,500,000 and it cost just $64,000 more than planned. Although smaller than other major buildings at the 1876 fair, Memorial Hall is massive. Its footprint takes up an acre and a half. It is 365 by 210 feet, and 59 feet tall, with a 150-foot dome sitting on top. Below the building is a 12-foot deep basement. Perched atop the dome is a statue of Columbia standing 23 feet 6