Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - the nation’s first art museum and school

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), founded in 1805, is recognized as the first and oldest art museum and art school in the United States. PAFA’s historic campus on Broad Street includes the 1876‑77 Furness building, a designated National Historic Landmark, and the institution continues to operate degree programs alongside public exhibitions and collections. Its holdings document American art from the early national period through the present.