The Philadelphia City Archives will reopen at their new location on September 4, 2018. The archives is now located at Fifth and Spring Garden Streets, within the new, 70,000 square foot Yards Brewing Co. complex. It will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
The archive was previously located at the former Philadelphia Bulletin building at 30th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia, where they shared space with the Philadelphia Parking Authority. The space was leased from Drexel University, representatives of which have announced plans to demolish the building for a proposed multi-use high-rise complex, Schuylkill Yards. The archive’s materials – ranging from the original City Charter signed by William Penn to modern tax records – were moved to the new campus beginning in November, 2017. The archives closed to the public for nine months to facilitate the move.
Archives employees hope that the new space – with a larger, more inviting public research area – will draw in more visitors.