July 23, 2026
M. Fischetti/Visit Philadelphia
The Philadelphia History Museum, pictured above, closed in 2018. Preservation groups say it has fallen into neglect.
The leaders of eight cultural and preservation groups have called on Mayor Cherelle Parker to address the "visible deterioration" and "ever-present litter" at the former Philadelphia History Museum.
The building has sat vacant at 15 S. 7th St. since the museum closed in 2018, transferring its Atwater Kent Collection to Drexel University. In the ensuing years, the property has accumulated trash, weeds and graffiti. This blight "sends the wrong message about how we value our history and steward public assets," the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and others wrote in a letter dated Monday.
Mother Bethel AME Church, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Design Advocacy Group, Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust and Historic Philadelphia Inc. also signed the letter.
The signatories reference the city's own 2025 inspection of the property, which cited numerous code violations. They are still open and unresolved.
"Visible deterioration, deferred maintenance, ever-present litter and weeds, and chronic neglect have transformed this significant civic structure into an increasingly prominent symbol of inaction," the letter reads.
The authors outline three requests for the mayor. First, they say the property should be stabilized and receive routine maintenance to resolve the outstanding code violations. They would also like city officials to explore long-term options for the building and articulate those plans, as the property currently faces an "uncertain future."
"The former Philadelphia History Museum should not remain boarded, deteriorating, and functionally abandoned at the doorstep of America’s birthplace," the letter reads. "Its current condition stands in stark contrast to Philadelphia’s reputation as a place that values history, culture and our civic identity."
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