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The History of Please Touch Museum

Portia Sperr didn’t set out to revolutionize Philadelphia’s museum industry. It just worked out that way.

The year was 1976. Pet rocks, bellbottom pants, and disco were all the rage. In Philadelphia, as the nation gathered to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with spectacular Bicentennial festivities, Please Touch Museum opened its doors to the public. On Sunday, October 2, in a 2,200 square foot space tucked away in a small corner between the dinosaur skeletons and wooly mammoths at the Academy of Natural Sciences, a dozen of parents, educators, and artists led by Sperr, a Montessori educator, came together to offer over 400 visitors, patiently waiting in line, a new kind of museum–a hands–on environment in which "learning was child’s play."

Please Touch Museum was a pilot project, with a small staff and a small budget, but it was the first museum ever dedicated to serving children ages 7 and under. For three short hours, children played, weighed and, of course, touched their way through exhibits that engaged their senses and ignited their imaginations, while parents fought the instinctive urge to warn, "Don’t touch that!"

In a matter of a few weeks, the museum’s visitation grew so rapidly that additional staff was hired and families had to come through in shifts. It quickly became evident that 2,200 square feet was just not enough for this popular little experiment. By 1978, Please Touch relocated to a larger space on nearby Cherry Street. Hours of operation were Tuesday through Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday morning hours were added after children and parents staged a mini–protest.


During the next four years, the museum commissioned local artists to create works for children to enjoy, consulted scholars from several disciplines to add intellectual content to the museum’s exhibits, and developed culturally diverse programs designed for young audiences. Just like the children it served, Please Touch seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each passing year.

In 1983, Please Touch, faced again with long lines of children waiting to play, decided the time had come to find a permanent home. With the help of many generous donors, Please Touch Museum purchased and renovated a three–story, 30,000 square foot building in the heart of Philadelphia’s museum district at 210 N. 21st Street. In an interactive environment scaled to young children’s developmental needs, Please Touch was now able to unite the arts, sciences, and humanities in multidisciplinary experiences that encouraged children and parents to play and learn together. 1983 was also the birth year of Artie the Elephant, created from toys and found objects by local sculptor Leo Sewell. From opening day in 1983 to 1993 the museum’s attendance grew 70%, memberships increased 52%, full–time staff increased from nine to 37, and the operating budget more than tripled.

In the following years, Please Touch made leaps and bounds in the areas of exhibits, educational programs, collections, and community involvement. In 1985, Please Touch awarded its first Book Award, the only award of its kind to honor the publication of quality books for young children. The award is given annually to two books in categories based on the age of the museum’s visitors, kids under the age of 7. 1986 was marked "Please Touch Museum Year" by a Philadelphia City Council resolution, and by 1988, Please Touch Museum was accredited by the American Association of Children’s Museums.

And after 11 years of outstanding leadership, founding director Portia Sperr retired in 1987, and Nancy Kolb became the museum’s new Executive Director.

Please Touch introduced the "Great Friend to Kids" Awards in 1996, honoring individuals and organizations with ties to the Philadelphia region that have made outstanding contributions toward enriching the lives of children. Past Please Touch Museum Great Friend to Kids Award winners include the Philadelphia Eagles, Sheryl Leach, creator of Barney, Carolyn Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of the National Adoption Center, Alex Scott, Founder of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Captain and Mrs. Noah, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and others.

Through the support of PNC Financial Services Group, Please Touch launched the PNC "Bank of Stars" Theatre Program in 1997, which introduces children to the excitement of live performances by bringing many original and interactive performances into the museum’s 125-seat theatre.

Seven years after the move to 21st Street, even the new building started to become cramped. An opportunity to purchase an adjoining building opened, and the museum moved quickly to secure it. As a result of a $4 million capital campaign to fund the purchase of the new building, Please Touch introduced 40% more exhibit space.

Please Touch is home to nine interactive exhibits and features daily gallery activities based on science, art and music. The museum has its own theater staff that writes and performs daily Please Touch Playhouse productions that, over the years, have become visitor favorites. Exhibits at 21st Street include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The SuperMarket, Sendak, Barnyard Babies, Story Garden, Move It!, Kids Construct, Recycled City, Kids Creations, and a variety of temporary traveling exhibits. The child-directed form of interaction between children and parents promoted at Please Touch fosters curiosity, stimulates imagination, encourages exploration, and promotes life-long learning. All activities, theatre performances, and exhibits are designed to cultivate school readiness skills, boost self–confidence and self–awareness, active relationship building, and investigate community and self–all through playing and having fun.

In 1998, as the museum’s audience kept on growing, Please Touch looked to grow again, this time to a new facility at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River waterfront. However, in 2002, when the waterfront development plan failed to materialize, Please Touch was yet again faced with having to find a new home. Disappointment would soon be replaced by opportunity!

Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park presented itself as the perfect new home for Philadelphia’s Children’s Museum. It provides three times more exhibit space, a connection to other family destinations like the nearby Philadelphia Zoo, and the opportunity to rehabilitate a National Historic Landmark built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Please Touch Museum agreed to an 80–year lease on February 14, 2005 after receiving final approval from the Philadelphia City Council and the Fairmount Park Commission. On December 15, 2005, Please Touch broke ground on an ambitious renovation and expansion of Memorial Hall.

In 2002, Please Touch Museum’s entire roster of twelve community programs received the National Award for Museum Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services for the excellence in community involvement. And in 2003, PTM’s "Achievement through Community Service, Education and Skill-building" (ACES) program received two national awards: the Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities, and the Promising Practice Award from the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and the MetLife Foundation.

Over three decades and more than one million visitors later, Please Touch Museum is still bringing knowledge, fun and a whole new world of excitement to young children and their parents who make the trek from all over the country to this revolutionary museum. Please Touch continues to provide exhibits and programs that link play and learning–exhibits and programs that meet the needs of the whole child by motivating physical activity, social interaction, cognitive development, and emotional engagement.