PHILADELPHIA, PA — Imagine stepping back into the sights, sounds, and innovations that captivated more than 10 million visitors nearly 150 years ago.
Beginning June 25, visitors to Center City will have the chance to do just that when the Center City District Foundation opens Revisit 1876, a free immersive exhibition recreating Philadelphia’s historic Centennial Exposition and exploring how the nation’s first World’s Fair continues to shape the city today.
Opening in the historic Lits Building at 8th and Market streets, the nearly 8,000-square-foot exhibition arrives as Philadelphia prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Through large-scale recreations, historic artifacts, interactive displays, and multimedia experiences, Revisit 1876 invites guests to examine both the achievements and contradictions of the nation’s first centennial celebration.
“The Centennial Exposition was a huge celebration of America’s coming of age as an industrial power that aimed to project to the world a reunited, thriving America, though the reality was something less,” said Paul R. Levy, executive director of the Center City District Foundation. “This exhibit tells a more complete story about who was included and excluded in 1876 Philadelphia and serves as a not-so-distant mirror to reflect on Philadelphia in 2026.”
The original Centennial Exposition, held in Fairmount Park from May through November 1876, was the first World’s Fair in North America. At a time when the United States had just 46 million residents, the event drew more than 10 million visitors from 37 countries.
Visitors marveled at inventions that would help transform everyday life, including the telephone and typewriter, sampled foods such as popcorn and root beer, and even climbed into the arm of the unfinished Statue of Liberty, which was displayed to raise funds for its completion.
At Revisit 1876, guests will move through four pavilion-style installations inspired by the exposition’s most famous structures: Machinery Hall, Main Building, Horticultural Hall, and Memorial Hall. Along the way, exhibits explore the growth of Philadelphia’s rowhouse neighborhoods, evolving transportation systems, and the emergence of the city’s tourism industry.
The exhibition also takes a deeper look at stories often left out of traditional historical narratives. Displays examine how abolitionist Frederick Douglass was prevented from speaking at the exposition, how women fought for representation, and how laborers who built the fairgrounds were beginning to organize for improved working conditions.
A centerpiece of the exhibition is a collection of more than two dozen artifacts from Drexel University’s Atwater Kent Collection. Among the featured items are one of only three surviving original three-foot terra cotta Statue of Liberty models created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi around 1876, a Centennial commemorative medal set, historic photographs, toys, souvenirs, and replicas connected to Alexander Graham Bell’s groundbreaking telephone exhibit.
“We at Drexel University are so proud and pleased to bring our historic and collections-based expertise to this partnership,” said Rosalind Remer, senior vice provost for library, collections and archives at Drexel University. “This exhibit serves as a kind of visual and engaging prompt for that kind of reflection, both for Philadelphians and visitors alike.”
Organizers hope the exhibition helps visitors connect Philadelphia’s role in America’s past with its place in the nation’s future as the city prepares for a year of Semiquincentennial celebrations.
Event Details
- What: Revisit 1876 Exhibition
- When: June 25 through December 2026, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Where: Lits Building, 701 Market Street (8th and Market Streets), Philadelphia, PA
- Cost/Tickets: Free admission
- More Info: https://revisit1876.com
Highlights
- Four immersive pavilion recreations inspired by the 1876 Centennial Exposition
- More than two dozen historic artifacts from Drexel University’s Atwater Kent Collection
- One of three surviving original Statue of Liberty terra cotta models from 1876
- Replicas connected to Alexander Graham Bell’s Centennial telephone exhibit
- Exhibits exploring Philadelphia’s growth, transportation history, tourism industry, and social movements
- Stories examining the roles of Frederick Douglass, women’s advocates, and organized labor during the Centennial era
- Multimedia experiences connecting Philadelphia in 1876 to Philadelphia in 2026
As Philadelphia prepares to welcome visitors from around the world for America’s 250th birthday, Revisit 1876 offers a chance to look back at another landmark celebration that helped define both the city and the nation.
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