Editing University of the Arts (section)

== History ==

Philadelphia College of Art traced its origins to 1876, when the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art was established in conjunction with the Centennial Exhibition. The institution developed through the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, evolving from industrial arts training to comprehensive art and design education. Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, with roots in the Philadelphia Musical Academy (founded 1870) and other performing arts schools, developed parallel traditions in music, dance, and theater.<ref name="inquirer"/>

The 1987 merger creating University of the Arts combined these traditions into a comprehensive arts university offering programs across visual, design, and performing arts. The merged institution occupied facilities along South Broad Street's Avenue of the Arts, with the historic Hamilton and Merriam buildings providing studios, theaters, and performance spaces. UArts positioned itself as the city's comprehensive arts university, distinct from specialized conservatories and art schools with narrower focuses.<ref name="inquirer"/>