In June 1993, the Pennsylvania Convention Center opened its doors to the public. The original Convention Center project was a unique combination of design components encompassing over 1.3 million square feet of space and connecting four (4) city blocks. Located “In the Heart of It All”®, just two (2) blocks from Philadelphia’s City Hall and walking distance from America’s Most Historic Square Mile, the building of the Pennsylvania Convention Center included one of many transformations – most notable was a vaulted 90-foot-high historic train shed (formerly known as the Reading Terminal Train Station) into the 55,000 square foot Grand Hall.
The Center’s Fine Arts Program was conceived as an integral part of the visual experience of the Convention Center’s attendees, fostering an artistic, creative, and memorable image to all who visited the Center.
Thus, the overall budget for the Pennsylvania Convention Center project included funding to commission and acquire a Fine Arts collection. A total of $2 million was approved for the creation of a Fine Arts Program that included the selection, the procurement/commission, and the installation of artwork to adorn the Center’s walls and spaces.
In early 1992, the Pennsylvania Convention Center launched a “Call for Artists” to Pennsylvania’s fine arts community to submit their work for consideration. Very shortly after the open call’s submission deadline, the Pennsylvania Convention Center then announced the appointment of a four-member Art Advisory Committee composed of a diverse group of respected art professionals who represented Philadelphia’s art community.
With administrative and consulting assistance from Jacqueline Holmes & Associates, Inc. (formerly known as Art Sources, Inc.), these individuals, who selected and advised which artwork should be purchased and commissioned, are listed to the left.
The artwork that was selected when the building first opened in 1993, titled the Legacy Collection, is located from 11th to 12th Streets and identified as #s 47 – 78 (Street Level) and 79 – 100 (Concourse Level) on the Map and the Printed Brochure.