Athenaeum of Philadelphia

Philadelphia


Free exhibitions are held at this special collections library, occupying a National Historic Landmark brownstone building designed in 1845. Curiously, also on display is Napoleon Bonaparte's death mask – part of a collection of pieces donated to the Athenaeum by Joseph Bonaparte. Joseph, Napoleon's elder brother, and the former King of Spain, lived in Philadelphia for a while.

The research library, which holds a significant collection of architectural drawings, photographs, maps and rare books on architecture and design history, is also free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Philadelphia attractions

1. Washington Square

0.06 MILES

On the northwest edge of Society Hill, this attractive tree-planted square dates back to William Penn's original city plan. In the center is the Tomb of…

2. Dream Garden

0.09 MILES

In the east lobby of the Curtis Center is a masterpiece of American craft: a luminous, wall-size Tiffany mosaic of more than 100,000 pieces of glass…

3. Congress Hall

0.16 MILES

Congress Hall is where the first legislators met when Philly was the nation's capital. Entrance (no ticket necessary) is through the security checkpoint…

4. Independence Hall

0.16 MILES

The 'birthplace of American government', this modest, early 18th-century Georgian building is where delegates from the 13 colonies met to approve the…

5. American Philosophical Society

0.17 MILES

The oldest learned society in the US was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin with the aim of 'promoting useful knowledge.' It continues on its mission by…

6. Old City Hall

0.18 MILES

It was in this building, Philadelphia's Old City Hall, that the US Supreme Court made its first decisions between 1791 and 1800.

7. Second Bank of the US

0.2 MILES

Modeled after the Greek Parthenon, this 1824 marble-faced Greek Revival masterpiece now houses a Portrait Gallery. Many of the paintings are by Charles…

8. Legacy

0.21 MILES

Designed by Josh Sarantitis and Eric Okdeh, this massive mural commemorates the work Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass did to end slavery. Its right…