Liz Barszczewski
National Constitution Center spokeswomanOfficials blame the frigid winter. Constitution Center attendance lagging.
by Stephan Salisbury (Inquirer Staff Writer)They are coming to the National Constitution Center from the mountaintops and from the fruited plains in droves - but the droves are smaller than officials anticipated.
The center, north of Arch Street on Independence Mall, logged 375,000 visitors from its July 4 opening through last month, compared with initial projections of 521,000 for the period.
An extremely cold winter - traditionally a slack attendance period in the historic district - probably contributed to the shortfall, officials at the center said.
"Even though the figure is 28 percent off, we are still thrilled with the number of visitors coming through the doors," spokeswoman Liz Barszczewski said.
Nevertheless, she said, the center is increasing its efforts to attract local families by crafting programs they might find appealing.
"Looking at the audiences we can reach out to," Barszczewski said, "one is the local family audience."
Elsewhere in Independence National Historical Park, attendance has been mixed compared with last year.
In January, 33,623 visited the new Liberty Bell Center, with its exhibits and publicity, up 5 percent from January 2003. But visitors to Independence Hall plummeted to 20,777 in January from 26,670 a year earlier.
Overall, 167,302 visited Independence Park in January, up 27 percent from January 2003, when 131,727 visited. The 2004 number, however, includes Constitution Center visitors (21,968).
The Independence Visitor Center on Market Street notched the biggest increase in park visits at the start of this year. In January, 51,370 trooped into the center, compared with 36,546 in 2003.
Contact staff writer Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594 or [email protected].
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, Mar. 2, 2004.