This fine art-deco building, a branch of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, houses small galleries devoted to special exhibitions of costumes, textiles, prints, drawings, photographs, and modern and contemporary design.

Known as 'the Gateway to Fairmount Park' when it opened in 1927, the building was originally offices for the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company. It has an elaborately sculpted facade decorated with Egyptian-inspired reliefs.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Philadelphia Museum of Art

0.15 MILES

The premier cultural institution in Philadelphia, this epic art museum would stand out even without Rocky's famous antics on the east steps. Every visitor…

2. Rocky

0.18 MILES

A major Philly selfie spot is this 1980 work by A Thomas Schomberg of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa from the 1976 Oscar-winner Rocky. The statue was…

3. Washington Monument

0.23 MILES

Rudolf Siemering's 1897 monument to General George Washington is a marvelous ensemble. Proudly mounted astride his horse, the first US president sits atop…

4. Fairmount Waterworks

0.27 MILES

A National Historic Engineering Landmark, this beautiful Greek Revival complex was built in 1815 and pumped water from the Schuylkill River for the city's…

5. Paine's Park

0.31 MILES

Philadelphia is a national leader for skateboarding culture and this riverside park, designed specifically for boarders, is the first of several that a…

6. Eastern State Penitentiary

0.37 MILES

The modern prison didn't just happen – it was invented, and Eastern State Penitentiary was the first one, opened in 1829 and finally closed in 1971. A…

7. Lemon Hill

0.43 MILES

This 1799 mansion is named after the lemon trees that once grew in the greenhouses that were here in the early 19th century. The Federal-style mansion is…

8. Boathouse Row

0.47 MILES

A major Philly landmark, this picturesque strip of rowing clubs is made up of mock Tudor and Victorian boathouses from the late 19th and early 20th…