What is the Beaux Arts Ball?

History and Introducing the Tradition to the Next Generation

The Beaux Arts Ball was an epic celebration of design, building, avant garde fashion, art, fun, and most importantly -- community. It was a gala that was always held in under construction spaces. The predecessor organization to DesignPhiladelphia was the Foundation for Architecture and it was the Foundation's signature event and fundraiser. There were pavilions designed and built by volunteer teams and sponsors, as well as costume competitions with cash prizes.

The Ball started in 1981, but we could only find the following information starting in 1986 with the Fifth Annual Ball. Below are the dates and themes for the balls from 1986 until 2005, when they stopped. If you know what the theme was and where it was held -- please let us know, we will update below.

1986 - Fifth Annual - “A Fantasy in Yellow” - The Lit Brothers Building

1987     Sixth Annual

1988     Seventh Annual 

1989     Eighth Annual 

1990     Ninth Annual – “Paint the Town Rouge” - 30^th Street Station

1991     Tenth Annual - “out of the Blue” – Wanamaker Building

1992     Eleventh Annual - “Let us entertain you” - Pennsylvania Convention Center

1993     Twelfth Annual  - “Time Travelers, Masquerade in Metallic” - Pennsylvania Convention Center

1994     Thirteenth Annual

1995     Fourteenth Annual

1996     Fifteenth Annual

1997     Sixteenth Annual 

1998   Seventeenth Annual

1999   Eighteenth Annual

2000   Nineteenth Annual

2001   Twentieth – Millennium Conshohocken

2002     NO BEAUX ARTS BALL

2003     Twenty First Annual – “forms, frames & figures – An evening in Blue & Bronze” - Seaplane Hangar, the Philadelphia Navy Yard 

2004     Twenty Second Annual – “ Urban Eden -gritty green & gorgeous” , National Constitution Center

2005     Twenty Third Annual - “Lunacy – One Crazy Night in Platinum & Onyx” – One Crescent Drive at The Philadelphia Navy Yard

What's the same and different about this year's Ball?

Ironically, the Beaux Arts Ball stopped the same year, the DesignPhiladelphia festival was launched -- so to celebrate the 20 year hiatus and the 20 years of DesignPhiladelphia festival -- we are so, so proud and excited to bring the ball back. Twenty years later, this year's ball will have some of the same characteristics as the original balls. First, we are in an under renovation space -- Lynnewood Hall was finished and opened with a grand gala on December 19, 1899. Eventually the property was sold and now is owned by the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation. We are encouraging costumes be worn for the event on November 2, 2024 -- Lynnewood Hall hosted galas from 1899 through the 1930s, so Victorian, Edwardian, and the roaring twenties fashion would all have been worn in the ballroom of Lynnewood Hall in its heyday.

Second, like the former Beaux Arts Balls, this event is an important fundraiser for the educational programs produced by DesignPhiladelphia -- we engage over a 1,000 students a year in the Philadelphia region with our design education programs in and outside of the classroom. In addition, a portion of our ticket sale revenue will go to Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation.

Third, there will be music, experiential art and design installations, and many historical anecdotes about Lynnewood Hall and the Widener family.

How can you purchase your ticket?

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY HERE. Since this event is a private event (under renovation location), you must sign up for free as a member of our community in order to view the event information and purchase a ticket on our website. It takes only a few minutes and once you are logged into our site, you will be able to see the event information.