The new museum is located in the Independence National Historical Park, near the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, some of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks. The five-story building with a total area of 9,290 square meters includes exhibition halls, an educational center, a theater for 200 spectators, and a public space under a 25-meter atrium.
Located at the intersection of Fifth and Market Streets, the new building has an important urban planning significance, therefore, the architects paid special attention to the design of its northern and western facades facing the intersection. The architectural image of the museum is based on the dialogue of two elements - a terracotta rectangular volume and a glass prism growing out of it. With its transparent facade, the building faces the Independence Hall, which, according to the architects, symbolizes the transparency of American democracy and at the same time its fragility. The terracotta surface, in turn, symbolizes the strength of the Jewish movement and the protection and support that the United States has provided for this people.
The warm terracotta hue also helps to blend seamlessly with the existing development of historic Philadelphia, dominated by brick-faced buildings. The façade consists of rotatable metal plates that work like shutters and guarantee reliable protection of museum exhibits from direct sunlight. The glass prism "soldered" into it works as a bypass gallery connecting the museum premises with the theater and the educational center, as well as a viewing platform from which the beauty of the National Historical Park of Independence can be admired in any weather. At night, the glass corner of the building overlooking the intersection turns into a lighthouse. The author of the architectural lighting project is the artist Ben Rubin, who recreated the pages of the Talmud using LEDs.
The exposition of the Museum of American-Jewish History is built on a chronological basis - from 1654 to the present day - and is devoted to the role of the Jewish people in the life of the United States, the process of integration of immigrants of different generations into American reality, the preservation of the original cultural and religious traditions on the new continent. A separate room is dedicated to the most famous American Jews who achieved world recognition: Albert Einstein, Este Lauder, Steven Spielberg and others became the heroes of the Only in America gallery.
A. M.
