in several buildings across many hundreds of acres. The first was the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, marking the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence attracting ten million visitors.35 Whilst in 1893 Chicago hosted the Colombian Exposition which covered a staggering six hundred and eighty-five acres and was visited by over twenty-seven and half million people.36 This exhibition undoubtedly influenced American architecture and design, but it also marked a shift towards entertainment with the introduction of the ferris wheel. This symbolised a change from what began in 1851 as a trade show, to popular amusement fair.
The beginnings of museum and entertainment However on this site more of a lasting physical legacy was born, profits of £186,000 (equivalent to £18,151,990 in 2013)37 from the Great Exhibition, allowed the acquisition of land in South Kensington that was eventually used for the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1852, the Science Museum in 1857, the Royal Albert Hall in 1867 and the Natural History Museums 1881 (See appendix D).38 It also provided the foundation for the Imperial College of Science and Technology built in 1907, expanded along Exhibition Road, fondly known as ‘Albertopolis’.39 The Great Exhibition proved a transitional form, while open to all from the outset it attempted to stratify the masses, by providing different days for different classes of visitors regulated by the price of admission. However in spite of this directive, classes mixed and co-existed. This proved to be a catalyst for the development of public institutions. It also stimulated attendance at London’s main historic sites and museums, for example - visits to the British
Figure 2.27 Architectural proposals of Victoria and Albert Museum by Henry Cole, 1851
35. Kenneth Luckhurst, The Story of Exhibitions, (London: The Studio Publications, 1951) pp. 220 36. ibid., pp. 221 37. Date retrieved 12.18 13/11/2012. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/Pages/inflation/calculator/flash/default.aspx 38. Ijeh, After the party’s over. Building, vol. 277 no. 8724 20 April 2012 pp. 38-42. 39. John R. Davis, The Great Exhibition, (Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1999) p. i
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