> CONTACT: Phil Sheridan, INHP
>
> \(215\) 597-0060, phil_sheridan@nps.gov
>
> Cara Schneider, GPTMC

\(215\) 599-0789, [cara@gptmc.com](mailto:rebekah@gptmc.com)

AMERICA'S LIBERTY BELL MOVES TO A NEW HOME\
*\$12.9 Million Center* *Rises As A Beacon For Freedom On Philadelphia's
Independence Mall*

**PHILADELPHIA,** **September 9, 2003 --** On October 9, 2003, the
Liberty Bell will make a 963-foot\* journey to a new home on
Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The \$12.9 million Liberty Bell
Center offers a modern interpretation of what the beloved icon means to
Americans. In preceding eras, the Bell tolled for George Washington's
funeral, toured the country on several whistle stop tours after the
Civil War and served as a symbol for abolitionists, suffragists, Civil
Rights advocates, Native Americans, immigrants and war protestors. The
move is one of the last major developments in the \$314 million
transformation of Independence National Historical Park (INHP).

The "Liberty in Motion" move ceremony begins at 7:04 a.m. on Thursday,
October 9, at which time the Bell will be wheeled out of its current
home in the Liberty Bell Pavilion, built for the country's bicentennial
in 1976, and pushed, by hand, on a custom-made pneumatic cart featuring
high-tech sensors that register strain on the Bell\'s famous crack as
thin as one-one hundredth of a human hair. From 7 a.m. to 12 noon,
riggers from the George Young Company, joined intermittently by
honorees, will push the 2,080-pound Bell en route to its new home.

Onlookers, who can enjoy bell-shaped pancakes from 7-9 a.m. under a tent
at 5^th^ & Market Streets, can walk alongside the five-hour procession,
which will be animated periodically by seven vignettes that
chronologically and philosophically trace the history of the Bell from
1776 (though it was cast in the early 1750s) to 2003. Each vignette
combines first-person re-enactors, period music and a flag. For example,
the fourth vignette represents 1865 with 37 stars on the flag, Lucretia
Mott and other Civil War re-enactors and a gospel choir.

The three-block stretch known as Independence Mall, between 5^th^ &
6^th^ Streets from Race to Chestnut Streets, has undergone a massive
transformation that began to materialize in November 2001 with the
opening of the Independence Visitor Center. The National Constitution
Center opened to rave reviews on July 4 of this year. Also in the works
is the Independence Park Academy, an educational facility for which
funds are being raised.

-more-

Page 2/Liberty Bell Center Lead Release

Urban planner Laurie Olin of the Olin Partnership oversaw the Mall's
redesign. Olin considered the call of citizens who wanted to put the
Liberty Bell back in Independence Hall, its home from 1753 to 1976. But
the Hall could not accommodate heavy foot traffic, full time visibility
and the First Amendment right for demonstrators to gather within sight
of the Bell. With an office across from Independence Hall, Olin spent
countless hours surveying the mall as a pedestrian. His firm chose the
current site because it affords the best sight lines between
Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and also frees the powerful view
between the Hall and the National Constitution Center on the opposite
end of the Mall.

Featuring several interpretive exhibits, the new Center, designed by the
Philadelphia architectural firm of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, offers
visitors a more contemplative experience than the Bell's previous two
homes did. Visitors enter into a long hallway lined with a wavy stone
wall on one side and a wall of glass on the other, which looks out onto
the Mall. An exhibition traces the history of the Bell and challenges
visitors to consider the justices -- and injustices -- associated with
liberty in the United States, particularly during the time of slavery.
Indoor video (and outdoor audio) presentations play in several languages
and park rangers offer interpretive talks. The visit culminates in a
small, shrine-like room where visitors are encouraged to view the Bell
in silence.

*\* The Liberty Bell Center is 300 feet from the Bell's current home,
but the Bell will go on a 963-feet journey in order to travel on the
flattest terrain.*

Part of the National Park Service, Independence National Historical Park
preserves sites associated with the American Revolution, including
Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and other historic sites that tell
the story of the early days of the nation. Covering 45 acres in Old City
Philadelphia, the park has 20 buildings open to the public. For park
information, call (215) 597-8974 or go to www.nps.gov/inde.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com
or call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence
National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

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Note to Editors: For story angles and photographic images of
Philadelphia and its surrounding countryside, visit
www.gophila.com/pressroom.