Woodmere Art Museum

Housed in a 19th-century stone mansion on six acres in Chestnut Hill, Woodmere Art Museum is dedicated to the art and artists of Philadelphia. The building and grounds, together with the core of the collection, are the gifts of Charles Knox Smith (1845 1916), who purchased the estate in 1898 with the intent of transforming it into a showcase for his great collection of art. Born of modest means, his life story represents the American dream. A passionate collector of contemporary art in his day, Smith was a civic leader of stature, serving on Philadelphias Common Council (the precursor to todays City Council). He lived in various parts of urban Philadelphia most of his life and purchased the Woodmere estate with the grand ambition to provide spiritual encounters with art in the context of natures beauty. Smith opened Woodmeres doors to the public in 1910. Today, Woodmere continues to honor Smiths vision to bring art and nature together and in recent years has acquired important ex...