Located on Independence Mall, the National Constitution Center brings the U.S. Constitution to life for the whole family through multimedia exhibitions, live performances, timely public programs and dynamic educational resources. As America's first and only nonpartisan, nonprofit institution devoted to the Constitution, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires acts of citizenship.
The National Constitution Center was created by the Constitution Heritage Act in 1988. On September 17, 2000, the Center broke ground at 525 Arch St. in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park – America’s most historic square mile – 213 years to the day the U.S. Constitution was signed. The Center is the first-ever museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
The National Constitution Center is both a museum that attracted one million visitors in its first 15 months of operation and an engine of civic and constitutional education for children and adults.
About the Museum:
The architectural firm of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners designed the National Constitution Center. The firm is responsible for the expansion of the Louvre and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art. Ralph Appelbaum Associates designed the Center’s visitor experiences and exhibition hall. Appelbaum also created the visitor experiences and exhibition halls at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Newseum, and the Rose Planetarium.
The project cost of the National Constitution Center was $185 million, which included construction, exhibit design, and fabrication, as well as a $40 million endowment.
The total square footage of public space is 160,000 square feet, including galleries.
The Center contains 75,785 square feet of exhibit space that includes:
- The Story of We the People – the permanent exhibit in DeVos Hall which includes:
- The Kimmel Theater, a 350-seat star-shaped theater featuring “Freedom Rising,” a multimedia production combining film, a live actor, and video projection on a 360-degree screen.
- The American Experience, which includes a history of the Constitution as well as more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits for all ages.
- Signers’ Hall, containing 42 life-size bronze statues of the 39 men who signed the Constitution, as well as the three who dissented.
- The Freedom Exhibit Gallery, which opened in June 2005, featuring changing exhibits, including the Center’s own Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War; the Ben Franklin 300th anniversary exhibit, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World; Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers from the Smithsonian Institution; 9/11: A Nation Remembers; Eyewitness: American Originals from the National Archives; First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image from the Smithsonian Institution; and Baseball As America from The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.
Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors ages 65 and up, and this summer children ages 4-12 are FREE. Active military personnel and children ages 3 and under are free. Group rates are also available. Additional charges for traveling exhibitions apply.
Parking is available at the Center. Parking rates for Constitution Center visitors are $5 for up to 1 hour, $8 for up to 2 hours, $11 for up to 3 hours, $13 for up to 4 hours, and a maximum of $17 for the day. The garage entrance is located on Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets. There is also a surface drop-off area for the loading and unloading of school and tour buses.
Visitor amenities include: The Delegates’ Cafe, a 225-seat, glass-enclosed restaurant overlooking Independence Mall, as well as a Museum Store, operated by Aramark, offering a wide range of gifts, books, apparel, jewelry, and toys. The Center also holds a second kids’ store for school groups.
The National Constitution Center offers a variety of spaces for Facility Rentals, including the Grand Hall Overlook, which can accommodate 650 people for a sit down dinner and features an incredible view of Independence Hall. In addition, the John C. Bogle Chairman’s Room, named for the Center’s former Board Chairman, is a state-of-the art meeting facility ideal for corporate meetings and social engagements. The exclusive caterer is Max & Me Catering.
The Center is made of the following American products including:
- 85,000 square feet of Indiana limestone
- 2.6 million pounds of steel
- A half-million cubic feet of concrete
About Our Civic and Constitutional Education:
Through the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the Constitution Center offers educational programming, a study center that develops and distributes teaching tools, such as lesson plans and lectures, a Visiting Scholars program, as well as resources through the Center’s website – www.constitutioncenter.org.
Thanks to a generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation, the Center is becoming the key national resource for Constitution Day activities through its website, www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday. The Center also hosts the Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution.
In September 2006, the Center helped launch Constitution High School, a history and civics themed Philadelphia School District magnet school created in partnership with the National Constitution Center and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
In 2006, the Center became the home of the Liberty Medal, an annual award established in 1988 to recognize those who have devoted their lives to pursuing liberty and promoting freedom throughout the world. In 2006, the Medal was presented to Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton for their historic partnership to raise awareness and funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia. The 2007 Liberty Medal was awarded to Bono, U2 lead singer and activist, and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), the advocacy organization he co-founded to combat poverty and disease in Africa. The 2008 Liberty Medal recognized former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for his role in helping to end the Cold War. In 2009 the Liberty Medal was awarded to filmmaker and humanitarian Steven Spielberg for his artistic and personal commitment to the preservation of human rights. The 2010 Liberty Medal recognized former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his steadfast commitment to conflict resolution. The 2011 Liberty Medal was awarded to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to honor his five-decade career in public service.