INTERNATIONAL HOUSE PHILADELPHIA – ANNUAL REPORT 2013
IHP: THE FIRST 100 YEARS
On February 28, 2013, International House invited the public to ‘the party of the century’, in celebration of the opening of its permanent historical exhibit: The First 100 Years. For more than a century, International House Philadelphia has served the scholars of the world and the Greater Philadelphia community by providing engaging residential services and compelling arts and humanities programming, welcoming hundreds of thousands of people through its doors in the process. What began here more than 100 years ago as a belief that international understanding, cooperation, and friendship can develop one person at a time, has emerged as a celebrated world-wide movement. Although the physical location of IHP has changed over the years, the mission has remained fundamentally the same, and traces its path from a Reverend’s home in West Philadelphia in 1908, to an award-winning, purpose-built building in the heart of University City. Moving from the past and into the present, IHP is a thriving hub of activity: a home to hundreds of students and interns throughout the year, a destination for world-class arts and cultural programming, a facility for large-scale events, and a partner with many regional organizations, foundations, institutions, and businesses. Through archival photographs, correspondence, newsletters, and press clippings, the exhibit illustrates the story of International House from its beginning; a story that reveals a common thread throughout the changing physical, economic, religious, and political climates that have given International House Philadelphia a prominent place among institutions that advocate for open dialogue, cultural exchange, progressive thinking, and peace. After sifting through boxes of material, the story that is now permanently displayed for all to enjoy and learn from, took shape. This process also brought to light the condition of these important archival materials - a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Philadelphia. Ultimately, this begged the question of what to do with the documents, how best to preserve them, and how best to make them available to the general public. Following much discussion and thought, the decision was made to donate the archive to the University of Pennsylvania. The collection is presently being processed and catalogued, and will soon be available to interested parties all over the world.