Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest and most important art museums in the United States, housed in a monumental Greek Revival building that crowns the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and provides the iconic backdrop for the "Rocky Steps" immortalized in film. Designed by Horace Trumbauer with Julian Abele and completed in 1928, the museum's classical facades extend along Fairmount's ridge, creating an acropolis that overlooks the city from its western terminus of the Parkway. The museum's encyclopedic collections span 2,000 years and multiple continents, while its architectural grandeur makes it Philadelphia's most recognizable cultural landmark.[1]
Design
The museum building presents Greek temple forms at monumental scale, its Corinthian columns and classical pediments creating appropriate setting for cultural treasures. Minnesota dolomite facades provide golden color that changes with light conditions, while polychrome terracotta roofs and bronze doors add richness to the classical composition. The building's wings extend along the ridge, embracing courtyards and creating varied approaches that enhance processional experience. The design draws from ancient precedents while accommodating modern museum requirements for galleries, storage, and support functions.[2]
Julian Abele, chief designer in Horace Trumbauer's office and one of America's first Black professionally trained architects, made substantial contributions to the building's design. Racial prejudice prevented acknowledgment of Abele's role during his lifetime—he could not attend the building's dedication—but contemporary recognition has restored his contribution to public awareness. The museum's architectural achievement reflects both Trumbauer's practice and Abele's design ability, a collaboration whose dynamics remain subject to scholarly investigation.[1]
Rocky Steps
The museum's east entrance steps—72 stone steps rising from Eakins Oval to the main entrance—became internationally famous through the 1976 film Rocky and its sequels. In the film's iconic training montage, Sylvester Stallone's character runs up the steps as symbol of his determination and achievement. The scene's popularity has made the steps a pilgrimage destination, with visitors recreating the triumphant pose that ends Rocky's climb. A bronze Rocky statue, created for Rocky III, stands at the steps' base, completing the film-inspired visitor experience.[2]
The Rocky phenomenon demonstrates how popular culture can transform architectural spaces. The steps existed for decades as ceremonial approach to high culture; the film gave them new meaning as symbol of athletic determination and working-class aspiration. Museum officials have navigated the tension between institutional dignity and popular enthusiasm, ultimately embracing the steps' dual identity. The Rocky statue's placement at the base rather than top reflects compromise between these impulses.[1]
Collections
The museum's collections encompass Asian, European, and American art from ancient times through the present. Particular strengths include medieval European art, with complete architectural interiors transported from European sites; nineteenth-century French painting, including major Impressionist works; Philadelphia art, documenting the city's artistic production from the colonial period; and contemporary art acquired through ongoing programs. The collection's encyclopedic range allows visitors to encounter diverse traditions within a single institution.[2]
Period rooms constitute one of the museum's distinctive features, with complete architectural interiors from various cultures and eras installed within the building. These rooms range from a Japanese teahouse to European chapels to colonial American parlors, providing immersive experiences that isolated artworks cannot match. The installation of architectural ensembles within a purpose-built museum building demonstrates the institution's ambition to present art in meaningful contexts.[1]
Perelman Building
The Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, located across the street from the main building, opened in 2007 to house special exhibitions, contemporary art, and collections not displayed in the main building. The Art Deco structure, originally built for an insurance company, was adapted by Gluckman Mayner Architects to serve museum purposes. The Perelman Building's contemporary galleries complement the main building's historical spaces, expanding the museum's capacity while providing appropriate settings for art that benefits from modernist surroundings.[2]
The expansion demonstrates the museum's continued growth and adaptation to changing requirements. Contemporary art, photography, costumes, and textiles occupy Perelman galleries designed for their specific needs. Temporary exhibitions benefit from flexible spaces that the main building's fixed galleries cannot provide. The two-building campus allows the museum to serve varied functions—permanent collection, changing exhibitions, education, events—while preserving the main building's historic character.[1]
Ongoing Renovation
The museum has undertaken major renovation and expansion designed by Frank Gehry, creating new gallery spaces within the building's existing footprint. The project opens previously inaccessible areas, improves circulation, and updates building systems while preserving the historic facades and principal interior spaces. The renovation demonstrates that even landmark buildings require periodic adaptation to serve contemporary needs and expectations.[2]