National Constitution Center
Exterior of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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 Philadelphia
Location within Pennsylvania
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| Established | 17 September 2000 |
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| Location | Independence Mall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°57′12″N 75°08′56″W / 39.953406°N 75.148952°W |
| Type | History Museum |
| Visitors | 817,000 (2011) |
| Director | Jeffrey Rosen |
| Public transit access | SEPTA Market–Frankford Line, SEPTA Bus Routes 38, 44, 48, 121 |
| Website | http://constitutioncenter.org/ |
The National Constitution Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to explaining the United States Constitution. Located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the center serves as an interactive museum and a national town hall for constitutional dialogue, regularly hosting government leaders, journalists, scholars, and celebrities for public discussions, including presidential debates. The center houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which offers civic learning resources both onsite and online. It does not contain the original Constitution, which is stored at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
The groundbreaking ceremony, attended by President Bill Clinton, was held on September 17, 2000, the 213th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. The National Constitution Center opened on July 4, 2003, joining other historic sites and iconic attractions in what has been called "America's most historic square mile" because of the proximity to historic landmarks such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
The National Constitution Center Board of Trustees appointed law professor, legal commentator, and former visiting scholar Jeffrey Rosen to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center and Rosen started at the Center in June, 2013.
The center was created by the Constitution Heritage Act in 1988. Approved on September 16, 1988, and signed by President Ronald Reagan, the act defined the National Constitution Center as "within or in close proximity to the Independence National Historical Park. The Center shall disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people."
The center is located at 525 Arch Street, an address chosen because May 25 (5/25) was the date that the Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia in 1787 as shown in Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution.
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