May 20, 2025
Provided image/Herzog & de Meuron
As depicted in this rendering, Calder Gardens will occupy space between 21st and 22nd streets along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near the Rodin Museum and Barnes Foundation.
Philadelphia's newest art museum is ready to make its debut after five years of planning and construction along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Calder Gardens, an indoor-outdoor space dedicated to the works of sculptor Alexander "Sandy" Calder, will open Sunday, Sept. 21. The museum will span roughly two acres of land between 21st and 22nd streets on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, located just steps away from the Rodin Museum and Barnes Foundation. It will maintain hours from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays through Mondays, with a special members-only entry reserved for 10-11 a.m.
Visitors will see a rotating selection of works curated by the Calder Foundation, a New York nonprofit founded by Calder's grandson Alexander S. C. Rower and other members of the family. Calder, who trained in mechanical engineering before pursuing art, was known for his colorful mobiles and metal sculptures. Though he spent much of his career in New York and Paris, he came from a family of Philadelphia artists. His grandfather, Alexander Milne Calder, created the William Penn statue atop City Hall, while his father, Alexander Stirling Calder, sculpted the Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Square.
Calder Gardens launched a website and opened memberships for sale Tuesday. Tiers are priced annually at $98, $170 or $290.
A limited batch of tickets will be available online to the general public Friday, following an exclusive three-day purchasing window for members. Single-day admission costs $18 per adult, $16 per senior and $5 for teens ages 13-18. College students can also pay $5 with a valid ID, and kids 12 and under are admitted for free.
While Calder Gardens is an independent museum, it will receive administrative, operational and educational programming support from its neighbor on the Parkway, the Barnes Foundation. The $58 million project was first announced in February 2020.
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