Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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Visit our “Tour Destination: Philadelphia” page to see the entire walking tour of the first Philadelphia cluster of Save America’s Treasures sites.

Both buildings of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,
with the Historic Landmark Building on the left and the
Hamilton Building on the right.
Photo by Tom Crane.

The Historic Landmark Building (Furness-Hewitt Building) of the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Photo by Tom Crane.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

118 North Broad Street (Historic Landmark Building)

128 North Broad Street (Hamilton Building)

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Website:  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

The Treasure:  The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) expanded its campus by acquiring and renovating the 11-story building at 128 North Broad Street, originally known as the Gomery-Schwartz Autocar Building.  Renamed the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building by PAFA in 2002, the building sits directly north of PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building (Furness-Hewitt Building), with Lenfest Plaza between the two buildings.  PAFA’s renovation of the Hamilton Building, completed in 2005, created two floors of gallery space, and art studio and facilities, classrooms, and office space on the upper floors. 

Entrance to the
Hamilton Building.
Photo by Tom Crane.

Accessibility:  Access to both the Furness-Hewitt Building and the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building is sidewalk-level from Broad Street. Sometimes referred to as the Historic Landmark Building, the Furness-Hewitt Building is the home of PAFA’s magnificent permanent collection.  The Hamilton Building’s galleries are used for a rotating schedule of special exhibitions.  Both buildings are open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5, and Sunday, from noon to 5:00, except during periods when the galleries are transitioning between exhibitions.  PAFA’s Portfolio store, fronting on Broad Street, is open seven days a week, except for major holidays, until 6 p.m. 

Notes:  The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) was founded in 1805 by painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale, sculptor William Rush, and other artists and business leaders. It is the oldest art museum and school in the nation.

Main staircase in the PAFA Hamilton Building
showing two floors of exhibition space.
Photo by Tom Crane.

PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building was designed by Charles Oelschlager in 1916.  For nearly three decades following its 1917 construction, this reinforced concrete building served as an automobile showroom, a service station, office space and storage area for the Gomery-Schwartz Autocar Company, a distributorship for Hudson Motor Cars.  It was later acquired by the federal government.  As a historic structure, it has been recognized for its role in the early automotive history of Philadelphia, with its lavish showroom interiors and soaring loft spaces that represented cutting-edge architectural thinking in the early 20^th century.

The building was purchased by PAFA in 2002 and formally renamed the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building in memory of PAFA board member “Sam” Hamilton.  Renovations to the building allowed for the restoration of the Broad and Cherry Street facades to their original early 20^th century appearances.  (Material for these notes drawn from excerpts from an essay by Peter M. Saylor, FAIA, of Dagit Saylor Architects.)

Notes from the Editor:  Technically speaking, PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building  received the Save America’s Treasures treatment.  The restored façade recalls the Philadelphia of a century ago and nicely sets off the neighboring Historic Landmark Building.

But I have to say a word here for that world-class architectural masterpiece, PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building.  You simply can’t check off the Hamilton Building on your Save America’s Treasures tour and skip the masterpiece next door.  Designed by the Philadelphia firm of Frank Furness and George Hewitt, the Historic Landmark Building has remained a classic example of Furness’ architectural genius ever since it opened in 1876.  Both the exterior and the interior are magnificent and, thanks to the ongoing work of PAFA, the building remains as impressive today as ever.  The interior Grand Stairhall, which climbs to the main exhibition area for the permanent collection, still takes my breath away every time and that’s after many visits.

"Walt Whitman" (1887-1888), oil on canvas
by Thomas Eakins from the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.

And then there’s the amazing art collection with important works by key American artists including Charles Willson Peale and other members of his illustrious Philadelphia family, Thomas Eakins, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Benjamin West, Mary Cassat, Daniel Garber, and William Merritt Chase.

Several years ago, PAFA’s President published a list of ten of his favorite artworks from the collection and then asked others to send in their favorites.  Here’s my complementary list of ten other PAFA favorites that I sent in:  “Bacchante” (1872) by Mary Cassatt;  “Walt Whitman” (1888) by Thomas Eakins;  “Still Life, Fish” (1903) by William Merritt Chase;  “Wee Maureen” (1926) by Robert Henri;  “Sparrows” by Joseph Stella;  “Rose Hobart” (1934) by Luigi Lucioni;  “Naples Yellow Morning” (1935) by Arthur Dove;  and “Young Woman” (1937) by Isabel Bishop.  See if you can find some of them when you visit!

Interior Grand Stairhall in the Historic Landmark Building of the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Photo by Tom Crane.

Tour America's History Itinerary
Wednesday’s destination: The Academy of Music

© 2011 Lee Price