|
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building
Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building |
|
|
|
|
| Location: | Fairmount and Pennsylvania Aves., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Built: | 1926 |
| Architect: | Zantzinger, Borie & Medary Lee Lawrie (sculpture) |
| Architectural style: | Art Deco |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: |
73001662 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | July 2, 1973 |
The Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building—originally the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building—is an annex of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, containing exhibition galleries, offices, conservation labs and PMA's library. An Art Deco building featuring cathedral-like entrances and adorned with sculpture and gilding,[2] it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] Located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fairmount Avenue, the Perelman Building faces the Philadelphia Museum of Art's main building across Kelly Drive.
Contents |
Built as the headquarters for Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company, it was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm Zantzinger, Borie and Medary, who also collaborated with Horace Trumbauer on the Philadelphia Museum of Art.[2] Construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. Sculptor Lee Lawrie created its decorative scheme, which features polychrome facades adorned with figures symbolizing attributes of insurance: the owl of wisdom, the dog of fidelity, the pelican of charity, the opossum of protection, and the squirrel of frugality.[2] Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company occupied the building from 1927 to 1972.[3] In 1982, it was acquired and restored by the Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, which in turn relocated in 1999.[4]
The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired the building in 1999 through the City of Philadelphia. In anticipation of its 125th anniversary in 2001, PMA began a capital campaign that collected $240 million in donations.[5] In recognition of the $15 million contributed by the Perelmans, the annex was renamed the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building in 2000. Gluckman Mayner Architects restored and renovated the historic building, and expanded it with a 59,000-square-foot (5,500 m2) addition. The Perelman Building opened on September 15, 2007.[5]
The Perelman Building's six galleries total 2,000 square feet (190 m2) of exhibition space.[6]