A Grand Cultural Boulevard

In 1897, the architect who drafted the Parkway plan envisioned a grand boulevard like the Champs-Elysses in Paris and those of the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair in Chicago, where art schools and museums would form the city’s cultural center. Community leaders supported the vision, institutions agreed to relocate along the Parkway, and private collectors pledged to move their collections into new museums there. Progress was slow, however, as funding dried up during World War I and the Great Depression caused further delays. Building by building, the Parkway took shape: the Free Library opened in 1927, followed by the Philadelphia Museum Art and the Rodin Museum, and later the Franklin Institute. Set amid fountains, statues, and monuments, these buildings stand as a tribute to that vision and perseverance. Born in France and educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, architect Paul Cret came to Philadelphia in 1903; as one of the creators of the 1907 plan, he shared the goal of making the Parkway a cultural center lined with museums and went on to design the Rodin Museum and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States