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Top Attractions in Doylestown

James A. Michener Art Museum

The James A. Michener Art Museum is a private, non-profit museum in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, founded in 1988 and named for the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer James A. Michener, a Doylestown resident. It is situated within the old stone walls of a historic 19th-century prison and houses a collection of Bucks County visual arts, along with holdings of 19th- and 20th-century American art. It is noted for its Pennsylvania Impressionism collection, an art colony centered in nearby New Hope during the early 20th century, as well as its changing exhibitions, ranging from international touring shows to regionally focused exhibitions. The Museum has 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) of public space, including a landscaped courtyard, a glass-enclosed, state-of-the-art event pavilion, an outdoor sculpture garden and terrace built in the original prison yard, seminar and conference facilities, a museum shop and café, and the George Nakashima Reading Room. The Martin Wing includes preparation areas and collection storage spaces. The idea of a museum in Doylestown dedicated to the works of the Pennsylvania Impressionists has been around at least since 1949, when local artist Walter Emerson Baum founded an informal committee along with Bucks County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Charles H. Boehm, and The Daily Intelligencer editor George Hotchkiss to explore the possibilities of the establishment of such an institution.In the 1970s Bucks County commissioners established the Bucks County Council on the Arts, an agency set up to manage federal funded artwork intended to be included in government building projects. Some of the artwork they collected was put on display at their headquarters in the Neshaminy Manor office in Doylestown Township. In 1974 the Council also helped establish a mobile art exhibit, the "Artmobile" of Bucks County Community College. In mid-1988 the Bucks County commissioners approved $650,000 to build an art museum in the recently closed Bucks County Prison. Bucks County Council on the Arts became the organization charged with running the institution and their collected works became part of the museum collection. James A. Michener, who grew up in Doylestown, took the lead in establishing the endowment, donating $500,000 as well as some of the paintings from his own private collection (Michener would go on to donate a total of $8.5 million to the museum). The site was renovated by architects O’Donnell & Naccarato, Inc., from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The warden’s house and the control buildings were converted to office space and exhibition space. Part of the prison walls remain, which now provide a backdrop to the Museum's outdoor sculpture and event pavilion. The Museum was named the James A. Michener Art Museum, and opened to the public on September 15, 1988 at a ceremony presided over by Michener and his wife, Mari Sabusawa Michener. In 1993, the museum had its first major expansion designed by Lynn Taylor Associates from Doylestown, Pennsylvania which included larger exhibitions galleries and a storage vault. A few years later, in 1996, the Museum had its second major expansion which included the installation of the Mari Sabusawa Michener Wing, also designed by Lynn Taylor Associates. In 1999 there was a major expansion in the museums collection when Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest donated 54 Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings along with $3 million for the museum's endowment. In 2007, the Museum opened the Syd and Sharon Martin Wing, designed by architects RMJM Hillier from Princeton, NJ. This included a new 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) gallery space and additional administrative offices. The museum opened the new Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion designed by KieranTimberlake, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This new 2,700-square-foot (250 m2) all-glass structure with a solid roof and sliding doors on its east and west sides hosts Jazz Nights, lectures and special events. The Michener opened a satellite site in 2003, in New Hope, Pennsylvania, designed by architects Minno & Wasko. This facility closed in 2009. The Bucks County Prison, once on the site of the Michener Art Museum, originally opened in 1884. Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton designed an expanded facility that included a three-story warden's house and guardhouse control center in a “T” shape, using a combination of Italianate and Romanesque Revival styles. The architecture was inspired by Quaker ideas of reflection and penitence that dominated the American prison system in the 19th century. The overall design concept of the prison was modeled after the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, built in 1829. The Bucks County Prison closed in 1985. The warden's house is a significant contributing property in the Doylestown Historic District, listed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The museum collection includes more than 2,700 paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the Bucks County visual arts tradition, dating from Colonial times to the present. The collection includes works by painters of the Pennsylvania Impressionist or New Hope school, American primitive painters, limners and modernists. Works by abstract expressionists are on long-term loan from the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, where James A. Michener and his wife, Mari, donated a major portion of their private art collection. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the Museum presents 15 changing exhibitions each year. These exhibitions feature a broad spectrum of artistic styles and mediums.

Moravian Pottery and Tile Works

The Moravian Pottery Tile Works is a history museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is maintained by the County of Bucks, Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was later included in a National Historic Landmark District along with the Mercer Museum and Fonthill. These three structures are the only cast-in-place concrete structures built by Mercer. Handmade tiles are still produced in a manner similar to that developed by the potterys founder and builder, Henry Chapman Mercer. Tile designs are reissues of original designs. Mercer was a major proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. He directed the work at the pottery from 1898 until his death in 1930. Mercer generally did not affix a potters mark to tiles made while he directed the work at MPTW. Following his death, there were several marks used to indicate that a tile had originated at MPTW. When the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation took over the MPTW as a working museum, all tiles made by the museum were impressed on the obverse with a stylized "MOR," the words "Bucks County" and the year of manufacture . The reproduction tiles made today are made using Mercers original molds, clay that is obtained locally and has properties similar to those of Mercers original source, slips and glazes that follow Mercers final formulations, although some have been modified to reduce the lead and heavy metal content to less toxic levels. The Tile Works is one of three cast-in-place concrete structures built by Mercer. The others include Fonthill, which is located on the same property and served as his home; and the Mercer Museum, located approximately one mile away.

Spring Valley Historic District

Spring Valley Historic District, also known as Mechanic's Valley, is a national historic district located in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 32 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 2 contributing structures in the crossroads village of Spring Valley. They include a variety of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, some of which are representative of the vernacular Georgian and Federal styles. The residential buildings are predominantly 2 1/2-story, stuccoed stone structures, some of which date to mid-18th century. Notable buildings include the Upper Mill or Spring Valley Mill , Lower Mill , blacksmith and wheelwright shop, cooperage, store, and two inns—the "Neff's Tavern" and Temperance Inn . The structures are the Spring Valley Mill Dam and a stone arch bridge. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Doylestown Historic District

Doylestown Historic District is a national historic district located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 1,055 contributing buildings in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of Doylestown. They include a variety of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings and notable examples of Late Victorian and Federal style architecture. Notable buildings include the Intelligencer Building , Lenape Hall , Hart Bank , County Jail , Henry Lear House , Charles E. Meyers House , John Barclay House , Meredith Shaw Mansion , and Shive's Hardware Store . Located in the district and separately listed are the Fountain House, James-Lorah House, Mercer Museum , Pugh Dungan House, and Shaw Historic District. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Mechanicsville Village Historic District

Mechanicsville Village Historic District, also known as Fenton's Corner, New-Work, and Halifax, is a national historic district located at Mechanicsville, Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 27 contributing buildings in the crossroads village of Mechanicsville. They include a variety of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, some of which are representative of the vernacular Late Victorian style. The residential buildings are predominantly 2 1/2-story, wood and stone structures, some of which date to the early-19th century. Notable buildings include the Samuel Wilson Seed House , Thomas Walton Store and Residence , Joseph Burger House , Thomas Walton Tenant House , Phineas Hellyer House , George Nixon House , and William Fell House . It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Delaware Valley University

Delaware Valley University is a private institution that was founded in 1896. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,807, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 570 acres. Located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, DelVal offers more than 25 undergraduate majors, six master’s programs, a doctoral program, and a variety of adult education courses. In 2011, the college dedicated a 398-acre Gemmill Campus in Jamison, Pennsylvania, after a gift from the Gemmill family of land and money in order to further the college's strategic plan. Besides the School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, the college has the School of Life and Physical Science, the School of Business and Humanities, and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Within Business and Humanities may be found a variety of majors, including Business, Secondary Education, Counseling Psychology, Criminal Justice, and English/Media. In 2015, DelVal was recognized among the top 30 "great small colleges for a counseling degree." The program offers advanced training in counseling which includes electives in substance abuse, developmental disabilities and behavior modifications. The School of Graduate and Professional Studies boasts six master's degrees – counseling psychology, policy studies, educational leadership, special education, teaching and learning, and an MBA – as well as a doctoral degree in educational leadership. In spring 2015, DelVal was given approval for a physician assistant program, which will be in place by 2018. DelVal, as it is commonly called, had a for-credit employment program that required students to work 500 hours in an area of their major; however, this program is now evolving into a more comprehensive experiential learning program, called E360. The program is part of the college’s legacy of linking theoretical learning with practical training. Each department at the college is incorporating E360 into its curriculum. Many graduates of Delaware Valley University take positions with the pharmaceutical and food industries, work in government or business, go on to become veterinarians or start their own companies. In December 2014 the Delaware Valley College Board of Trustees announced plans to expand the College into a university.
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