Final weeks for Revisit 1876 in Lits Building on Market East; closing scheduled for November 28

Contact

Leo Manning, 215.440.5508, lmanning@centercityphila.org 

Paul R. Levy, plevy@centercityphila.org  

PHILADELPHIA (November 13, 2026) — Revisit 1876, a free exhibition presented by the Center City District Foundation (CCDF), will close on Saturday, November 28, just after Thanksgiving. The exhibition opened on June 25th as a temporary recreation on Market Street East of Philadelphia’s historic hosting of the World’s Fair during the summer of 1876.

“As Philadelphia celebrated its 250th anniversary, we were very pleased to provide an opportunity for thousands of residents and visitors to look back to when Philadelphia was the largest manufacturing city in North America and hosted the very first World’s Fair in the United States in 1876,” said Paul R. Levy, executive director of the Center City District Foundation, who has overseen the development of Revisit 1876.

There are still more than two weeks to explore the sights, stories and spirit of 1876, connecting historic images and objects to Philadelphia’s current destinations, while highlighting the stories of those who some planners tried to leave out, including prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass and women suffragists. Central to the exhibition are four large pavilions that simulate the experience of walking through Centennial’s major buildings — Machinery Hall, Main Building, Horticultural Hall and Memorial Hall — along with wall and table graphics and a drone aerial flyover from Independence Hall to Memorial Hall that juxtaposes views of Philadelphia in 1876 and 2026 and shows how the city has evolved in the last 150 years.

CCDF is working on plans to relocate portions of the exhibition to other locations after its closure. More information will be shared shortly.

Brickstone Realty donated 8,000 square feet of space in the Lits Building for the exhibition.

Revisit 1876 is supported by Connelly Foundation, Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, Aker Family Charitable Trust, Five Below, Philadelphia Parking Authority, AT&T, Brandywine Realty Trust, Eugene Lefevre, Gie Liem, Poor Richard’s Charitable Trust, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, Urban Engineers Inc., IBEW Local 98, Eastern Regional Council of Carpenters, Gilbane Building Company, Michael & Sandra Dean, Hether & Don Smith and Joseph Zuritsky. The project team for Revisit 1876 includes exhibit design by ISA, curation by Drexel University Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships and Atwater Kent Collection, fabrication by Art Guild and video production by Moltoduo.

Revisit 1876 will remain open Mondays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through November 28. Admission is free. More information about the exhibition can be found at Revisit1876.com.

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Center City District, partner to property owners and downtown stakeholders, is the steward and advocate for a clean, safe and thriving Center City Philadelphia. Find us at www.centercityphila.org.