Inside Calder Gardens: Philadelphia’s Newest Blend of Art, Architecture, And Nature

Located along Philadelphia’s iconic Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Calder Gardens offers a serene space dedicated to celebrating the legacy and artwork of Alexander Calder.

What to Expect

• Indoor & Outdoor Spaces: Seamlessly integrating art and nature.
• Rotating Displays: Featuring Calder’s famous mobiles, stabiles, and monumental sculptures.
• Lush Landscape Design: Crafted to reflect light, season, and shadow.

Deceptively Expansive Interior Architecture

While the low, wooden-and-metal exterior maintains an unassuming footprint on the Parkway, entering Calder Gardens reveals a deceptively expansive spatial experience designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

Rather than traditional grand museum rotundas, visitors begin in a quiet, domestic-scale wood-lined lobby. From there, the building tucks much of its 18,000 square feet underground, unfolding into a sequence of subterranean galleries:

• The Highway Gallery & Mezzanine: A mezzanine level framed by a long, low window overlooking the expressway, offering dynamic overhead viewpoints of suspended mobiles against the urban landscape.
• The Cuboid Stair: A passage lined with rough concrete that transitions visitors down into the main exhibition level.
• The Open Plan Gallery: Anchored beneath a massive central structural disc, this central vault opens out laterally into daylight and garden views.
• The Curved Gallery: A quiet, fully light-controlled gallery wrapping around the Sunken Garden wall, ideal for delicate works on paper and smaller mobiles.

Harmonious Garden Design & Landscape Integration

Designed by renowned Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf alongside Herzog & de Meuron, the gardens are an essential element of the exhibition experience—not just a backdrop.

The outdoor spaces feature carefully curated native perennials, grasses, and flowering flora that shift dynamically across seasons. The paths lead visitors through sunken garden beds, meadow-like vistas, and tree-lined corridors where Calder’s sculptures interact directly with shifting light, wind, and shadow, blurring the boundary between human design and natural organic beauty.

Guided Tours & Contemplation Walks

For a deeper connection to the site, Calder Gardens offers In-Depth Contemplation Walks led by specially trained guides. These intimate, 45-minute sessions encourage reflective close-looking, conversation, and a unique perspective on how Calder's art interacts with nature and architecture.

• Schedule: Daily at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM.
• Group Size: Limited to 10 visitors per walk (private group options available).
• Pricing: $30 per person ($15 for members), which includes garden and gallery admission.

"Art should be dynamic, ever-changing, and connected to its surrounding environment."

Plan Your Visit

Calder Gardens is open Thursday through Monday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (with a members-only hour from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM). General admission is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $5 for students and youth, and free for children 12 and under.