Description
Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (HPI) was founded in 1994 by executive order of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, then Philadelphia's mayor, and charged with marketing, promoting and providing programming for the city's historic district, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the visitor experience. To reach that goal, it was decided HPI's focus would include:
Creating programs that add visual appeal to the historic district and "bring history to life"
Creating programs that educate visitors about American history and the important role Philadelphia played in the events that shaped our nation
Creating programming and cooperative marketing efforts to positively impact the city's tourism economy by extending visitors' stays and increasing the number of attractions they visit
In achieving its goal, HPI has faced a series of unique challenges. Unlike many historic tourism destinations, including Colonial Williamsburg and Sturbridge Village, Philadelphia's historic attractions are located in the middle of a thriving, bustling, modern city, with all the accompanying distractions. In addition, many of the most visited sites are part of Independence National Historical Park and, therefore, subject to the rules and regulations of the National Park Service.
To overcome those challenges, HPI developed the Historic Philadelphia Living History Program, a series of street theatre programs that combine 18th century music, arts, crafts and other theatrical elements to both entertain and educate visitors about events in colonial Philadelphia - from the significant to the everyday. In 2000, the most recent year that research was available, HPI's street performances reached some 825,000 visitors to Philadelphia's Historic District.
HPI's colonial characters are professional actors who undergo extensive training in the accents, manners and culture of life in 18th century Philadelphia. Their costumes are carefully researched for accuracy of detail. Each actor is assigned a character for which he or she researches and creates a persona. Those personas are scrupulously maintained while the characters are mingling with visitors to the historic district.
Since its inception, HPI has always strived to tell the stories that never made it into the history books. Scripts, written by some of the region's most respected playwrights and reviewed by INHP historians, focus on the ordinary men and women of colonial Philadelphia and how their lives were affected by those turbulent years at the end of the 18th century.
In addition, HPI has formed partnerships with several historic district stakeholders to work with them to tell the stories of their often-underrepresented constituencies. The African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Museum of American Jewish History, Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley and the Atwater Kent Museum have all benefited from HPI's programming in the past 10 years.
To address the rest of its mission, HPI established several other programs in addition to its street theatre. The Historic Philadelphia Gazette was first published in the organization's early days and continues to grow in scope and popularity. Now known simply as The Gazette, the broadside is produced in partnership with INHP and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. Featuring information about historic district events, a colorful map and a listing of attractions, The Gazette is distributed by INHP Rangers and HPI actors during the summer and year-round at a variety of venues throughout the region. Nearly half a million total copies are printed in six editions annually.
Another initiative is HPI's Internet site, www.historicphiladelphia.org. The site features information about HPI and other Historic District attractions. HPI has reached out to smaller stakeholders in the district, who may not have an Internet presence, posting information about their activities on the HPI site.
From its inception, HPI has managed the Betsy Ross House under a contract with the City of Philadelphia. HPI oversees all aspects of the museum and gift shop operations at the historical site which hosts more than 300,000 visitors each year, making it one of the most visited historic attractions in the city.
HPI is funded by a grant from the City of Philadelphia and through the support of private and corporate foundations.
Forward
Print
Find Employees
Find Competitors
288 online sources
