Faith and Liberty Discovery Center

A recent addition to the attractions surrounding Independence Mall in Philadelphia is the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center (FLDC). Developed and operated by the American Bible Society, FLDC examines people and events that illustrate the role played by faith and biblical teachings throughout American History.

Herter Design Group was tasked with developing a donor recognition program for the new museum. The inspiration came from mosaics often found in religious buildings around the world; the light reflecting from each tile is different, yet together they create a unified artwork. Working with that concept, our designers created a series of panels, each one painted a gradient of gold, one of FLDC’s brand colors (the other official color, purple, is the background color). The panels were installed in a deliberately random manner, referencing the movement of light reflected off mosaic tile with the names of donors intertwined with the panels. Donors are organized into three tiers of giving that are distinguished by the size of the letters, with all tiers being woven together. From its location on the stairwell and its height of approximately 20 feet, the donor recognition wall brings a modern interpretation of religious architectural decoration to the museum.

Herter also worked on the exterior signage through a collaboration with the exhibit designer Local Projects. The large number of pedestrians passing the corner of Market Street and North 5^th Street where FLDC is located provides an opportunity to communicate to passersby. Monoliths around the building establish the perimeter of the FLDC site and provide identification from all cardinal directions (North/South and East/West). The logo is shown as a large scale circular sculpture and provides clear indication of the main entrance which is set back off of the street under the arbor. The monoliths also serve to communicate information on events and exhibits; FLDC staff can easily change out the prints which are mounted to a lightbox.

Architect/Client: JacobsWyper Architects