What year did the Flower Show move to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and where was it held before that?
Answer
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s first flower show was the first public flower show in America, and it was held in 1829 and we’ve been holding flower shows since that time.
20th Century venues:
2023 and future years: Pennsylvania Convention Center
2021 - 2022: FDR Park, South Philadelphia
1996 - 2020: Pennsylvania Convention Center
1966 - 1995: Civic Center in West Philadelphia
1965: Armory of the First City Troop, 22 South 23rd Street, Philadelphia
mid1920s -1964: Commercial Museum, 34th and Spruce, West Philadelphia
Shows (both Spring and Fall) were held at various locations before that time, including PHS’s three Horticultural Halls, located just south of the Academy of Music on Broad Street (near Broad and Spruce).
See historic images in our online digital repository
For more flower show history information, click on this topic:
“PHS Philadelphia Flower Show – history”
Some of this information is from
Boyd, James. A history of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 1827-1927, Philadelphia, Printed for the Society, 1929.
--- answered by Janet Evans, PHS McLean Library Associate Director