PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM® ANNOUNCES RENOVATION PLANS FOR ITS NEW HOME AT MEMORIAL HALL IN FAIRMOUNT PARK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2005
Contact: Kathleen Miller, 215-963-0667

Attendees view exhibits in the Great Hall

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Please Touch Museum® held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, December 15th to announce renovation plans for its new home at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. In attendance were Please Touch Museum President and CEO, Nancy D. Kolb; representing Mayor Street, Director of Commerce, Stephanie Naidoff; President of the Fairmount Park Commission, Robert N.C. Nix and many of the museum’s project partners, supporters and future neighbors. Guests at the event were treated to tours of the Memorial Hall and also got a look at what the new Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall will look like.

Kevin Hendricks knocks down the wall!

“Please Touch Museum’s 30 years as this region’s premier children’s museum is a testament to its reputation as a first museum experience for children and its role as a resource for their families,” says Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. “Please Touch Museum’s growth through the years and plans to relocate to Memorial Hall are an asset to this area, the historic Parkside neighborhood and the youngest residents of Pennsylvania. Not only will this move create a truly unique learning environment for families, it will also preserve this national historic landmark. I am so pleased to be a witness to such an outpouring of ingenuity, drive and devotion to the mission of enriching the lives of children.”

The renovation and restoration of Memorial Hall begins the week of December 19th with the removal of small amounts of pipe insulation and two heating oil tanks. This piece of the project will take approximately 4 to 5 weeks. Monitoring and testing will be done by G&C Environmental Services.

A Step Team Entertains the Crowd

The museum is working with Keating Bittenbender and McCrae AJV (KBM) as Construction Managers for the project. In early January, 2006, the indoor swimming pool and basketball court inside Memorial Hall will be removed first to make room for two of the new museum’s four main exhibit galleries. The ground floor of Memorial Hall will be cleared out and opened up to create two additional galleries. From the outside, crews will excavate the east side of the building where a new carousel house will be constructed.

In early spring, work will begin to clean the exterior of the building. In addition, the front steps will be removed so that they can be reset, leveled and straightened.

Nancy Kolb, Please Touch Museum President

The new Please Touch Museum plans to open in 2008 with three to four times more gallery space and over 250 parking spaces on site. The museum will continue its successful community outreach and expand many of its programs into the Parkside neighborhood.

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Please Touch Museum® is dedicated to enriching the lives of children by providing learning opportunities through play. Named one of the Top 10 Children’s Museum sin the country by MSN City Guide, Please Touch is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Admission is $9.95 for adults and children age one and over. Children under one are free. For more information, please call 215-963-0667, visit our web site at www.pleasetouchmuseum.org or email us at marketing@pleasetouchmuseum.org.

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