Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum
At Memorial Hall

Established	October 2, 1976
Location	Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°58′46″N 75°12′33″W / 39.9795°N 75.2092°W / 39.9795; -75.2092
Type	Children's^[1]
Visitors	566,000 (2011)^[2]
Director	Lynn McMaster(President & CEO)
Curator	Stacey Swigart
Public transit access	SEPTA Routes 38, 40
Website	www.pleasetouchmuseum.org

The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events,^[1] mostly aimed at children seven years old and younger.

History

External video

Fun Things To Do With Kids, Please Touch Museum, June 2011, 3:20
All About Please Touch Museum, Please Touch Museum, November 2011, 2:53

The museum originally opened at the Academy of Natural Sciences on October 2, 1976, in a 2,200-square-foot (200 m²) space, and moved to another location on nearby Cherry Street two years later. In 1983, the museum moved to 21st Street near the Franklin Institute. On February 14, 2005, the museum received an 80-year lease for Memorial Hall (in Fairmount Park), the last major building left from the 1876 Centennial Exposition. This came after plans to relocate the museum to a location at Penn's Landing fell through.^[3] Renovations at Memorial Hall began on December 15, 2005, and the museum closed its 21st Street location on September 1, 2008. On October 18, 2008, the museum opened at its current location with a larger facility and more exhibits.^[4]

On September 11, 2015, the museum filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia, citing the causes as high building maintenance costs, declining operating revenues and reduced donation levels.^[5] Remaining open to the public, the museum is developing a reorganizing plan and launching a $10 million fundraising campaign to repay some of its $60 million debt.^[6]

Exhibits

Among the attractions in the museum are:

Alice in Wonderland and River Adventures play areas.
City Capers, which features the John Wanamaker's Rocket Monorail from the defunct department store and part of the set from the Captain Noah and His Magical Ark TV show.
Space Station, which features a series of display cases with over three decades of Star Wars toys.
Please Taste Cafe.
Roadside Attractions, a new locale with a SEPTA bus and actual car.
Displays from the Lit Brothers' Enchanted Colonial Christmas Village during the Christmas season.
A retrospective of the Centennial Exposition, including a restored miniature diorama of the park.
A replica of the arm and torch from the Statue of Liberty, created from discarded toys by Leo Sewell.

Lead horse on the Woodside Park Carousel

The Woodside Park carousel, built by the Philadelphia-based Dentzel Carousel Company in 1908, on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Programs

Playhouse Theater - As a component of the useum experience, Playhouse performances by in-house performers present opportunities for playful learning, imagination, innovation and audience interaction featuring music, movement, folklore and/or puppetry, all while introducing children to live arts.
Program Room - Each month, there is a new set of art experiences, which include a studio art experience, a sensory art experience and a manipulative art experience. The Program Room provides a setting for parent-child interaction.
Story Castle - Children can stop by the castle during regularly scheduled story times, meet a storybook character, or read a book on their own. Programming in the Story Castle is accessible for kids at all developmental and ability levels.^[7]

Great Friend to Kids (GFTK) Awards

The Association of Children's Museums initiated the Great Friend to Kids Award in 1991, to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening education for children. National Great Friend to Kids Award winners include Fred Rogers ("Mister Rogers") and Marian Wright Edelman (president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund).

In 1996, the Please Touch Museum began presenting its own GFTK award, to coincide with the museum's 20th birthday. The awards honor individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children. The 2009 awards were designed by Philadelphia artist Leo Sewell, creator of Please Touch Museum's own "Artie the Elephant" and the Statue of Liberty Arm & Torch created entirely from discarded toys.^[8]

References

1 2 Please Touch Museum. "Please Touch Museum" brochure, circa 2007.
↑ Van Allen, Peter (27 January 2012). "Please Touch Museum embarks on fundraising campaign". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ A Grand New Please Touch to Open in the Park, Philadelphia Inquirer, October 12, 2008
↑ The History of Please Touch Museum, from their website
↑ Dobrin, Peter (13 September 2015). "Please Touch Museum files for Chapter 11". philly.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
↑ "Philadelphia children's museum files for bankruptcy" (11 September 2015). wpxi.com. WPXI Pittsburgh. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
↑ Please Touch Museum
↑ "Please Touch Museum announces winners of the 14th annual 'Great Friend to Kids Awards' ", Phillies press release, September 3, 2009. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved 2009-09-08.

External links

Coordinates: 39°58′46″N 75°12′33″W / 39.9795°N 75.2092°W / 39.9795; -75.2092

City of Philadelphia

Nickname(s): City of Brotherly Love

Topics	History Timeline Architecture Bibliography Companies Cuisine Culture Demographics Economy Education Media Music Notable people Sites of interest Historic Landmarks Skyscrapers Transit

Government	City Hall Mayors City Council Airport Fire Department Free Library Mint Police Department School district Sister cities

Neighborhoods	Center City North Philadelphia Lower North Upper North Northeast Northwest South Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia West Philadelphia

Museums	Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University African American Museum in Philadelphia American Philosophical Society American Swedish Historical Museum Athenaeum of Philadelphia Barnes Foundation Bartram's Garden Belmont Mansion Betsy Ross House Chemical Heritage Foundation Civil War Museum Cliveden Eastern State Penitentiary Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site Elfreth's Alley Fabric Workshop and Museum Fairmount Water Works Fort Mifflin Franklin Institute Germantown White House Glen Foerd on the Delaware Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library Grumblethorpe Hill-Physick-Keith House Historic Strawberry Mansion Historical Society of Frankford Historical Society of Pennsylvania Independence National Historical Park Independence Seaport Museum Insectarium Institute of Contemporary Art John Johnson House John Ruan House La Salle University Art Museum Lemon Hill Marian Anderson Residence Museum Masonic Temple, Library, and Museum Museum of the American Revolution Mütter Museum National Constitution Center National Liberty Museum National Museum of American Jewish History Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia History Museum Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia's Magic Gardens Please Touch Museum Powel House RittenhouseTown Rodin Museum Rosenbach Museum & Library Ryerss Museum and Library Shofuso Japanese House and Garden Stenton Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Wagner Free Institute of Science Woodmere Art Museum Wyck House

Sports	76ers Eagles Flyers Phillies Soul Union

Squares	Centre Franklin Logan Rittenhouse Washington

Wards	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

Related articles	Delaware Valley Independence Hall Liberty Bell Philadelphia English

Category Commons Portal

Museums in Pennsylvania

Art	Allentown Art Museum Andy Warhol Museum Athenaeum of Philadelphia Barnes Foundation Brandywine River Museum Carnegie Museum of Art The Clemente Museum Demuth Museum Erie Art Museum Frick Art & Historical Center Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia La Salle University Art Museum Mattress Factory Michener Art Museum Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon Palmer Museum of Art Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia Museum of Art Pittsburgh Glass Center Reading Public Museum Rodin Museum Susquehanna Art Museum University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Westmoreland Museum of American Art Woodmere Art Museum

History, Culture, and Religion	African American Museum in Philadelphia American Jewish Museum American Swedish Historical Museum Civil War Museum of Philadelphia Erie Maritime Museum Gettysburg Museum Heinz History Center Independence Seaport Museum Johnstown Flood Museum Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania Meadowcroft Rockshelter Mercer Museum Museum of the American Revolution Museum of Indian Culture National Civil War Museum National Constitution Center National Museum of American Jewish History Nationality Rooms Philadelphia History Museum Rosenbach Museum & Library State Museum of Pennsylvania U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

Science, Technology, and Industry	Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University America On Wheels Carnegie Museum of Natural History Carnegie Science Center Center for PostNatural History Chemical Heritage Foundation Da Vinci Science Center Drake Well Museum Everhart Museum Franklin Institute Mütter Museum Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Railroaders Memorial Museum Steamtown National Historic Site Wagner Free Institute of Science

Children's	Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Miniature Railroad & Village National Toy Train Museum Please Touch Museum

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.