Philadelphia Art Alliance
The oldest multi-disciplinary arts center in the U.S. overlooks Rittenhouse Square
The Experience
You never know what you’re going to discover at this stately stone mansion on leafy Rittenhouse Square. But whether it’s contemporary oil paintings, vintage photography or, hey, a retrospective of avant garde Dutch jewelry, walking through the ornately-designed rooms of this 1906 palazzo-like building is a treat in itself.
The Art Alliance has a long history of showcasing luminaries. For example, in 1936, architects LeCorbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright presented lectures and painter Andrew Wyeth had his first solo exhibition here. In 1937, Martha Graham inaugurated her modern dance lecture series at the Art Alliance.
History
Founded in 1915 by theater aficionado and philanthropist Christine Wetherill Stevenson (1878-1922) the Art Alliance has been located since 1926 in the historic Wetherill mansion, listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by architect Frank Miles Day, whose work also graces the campuses of Yale and Princeton universities.